To Hold Responsible: A Lake District Thriller (DI Sam Cobbs Book 10) by M A Comley

Author:M A Comley [Comley, M A]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jeamel Publishing Limited
Published: 2023-08-16T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 6

The semi-detached house was in a cul-de-sac close to one of the new housing estates. Mrs Parker had all the lights on downstairs and was at the front door to greet them when they drew up. Sam swallowed down the acid burning her throat and approached the woman with Bob joining her at the gate to the small front garden.

“Good luck, I’m right behind you,” he muttered.

“Gee, thanks. I think it’s going to be a traumatic half an hour or more.” Sam removed her ID from her pocket and showed it to Mrs Parker. “I’m DI Sam Cobbs, and this is my partner, DS Bob Jones.”

“You can call me Brenda. My husband, Ian, will be down soon. He’s getting dressed. As you can tell, I didn’t bother.” She gathered her dressing gown at the collar as her husband came running down the stairs in black jeans and a bright-orange T-shirt.

“What’s this about, and why wouldn’t you tell my wife over the phone?” Ian Parker demanded before Sam had a chance to say hello to him.

“Is there somewhere we can have a chat?”

“Yes, let’s go through to the kitchen. Do you want a drink?”

“No, we’re fine, thank you.”

Sam and Bob followed the husband and wife into a snug kitchen at the rear. The units seemed relatively new. At the end of the narrow room was a breakfast table, that’s where they all settled down to hold their conversation. Mr and Mrs Parker held hands and pushed their chairs close together to accept the news Sam had hinted about on the phone.

“You were right, the news isn’t the best that I could be sharing at this time of night. Earlier, we were asked to attend an incident at your daughter and son-in-law’s home.” Sam noticed the couple’s grip tighten.

“Go on,” Ian urged.

Sam swallowed. “When we arrived, your son-in-law, Cole, had been taken to the hospital.”

“Oh God, is he all right?” Brenda asked.

“I don’t know. I’ve decided to let him rest tonight and check in with him at the hospital in the morning.”

“And our daughter and grandchildren?” Ian was the first to ask.

Sam’s gaze dropped to her clenched hands for the briefest of moments as she prepared the sentence that was about to tear this couple’s lives apart. Her gaze rose, and she did her best to blink back the tears misting her eyes. “I’m sorry, they didn’t survive.”

Brenda screamed. Her husband wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly. Brenda beat her fists against his back, but neither of them spoke for a few minutes. Sam and Bob sat still. The atmosphere was now fraught and sombre, which Sam thought was totally understandable and to be expected.

Eventually, Brenda pushed away from her husband and wiped her eyes on a tissue she pulled from a box in the centre of the table. “I’m sorry for breaking down. Danielle is, was, our only child. It’s an impossible position to deal with as I’m sure you’ll appreciate.”

“There’s no need to apologise. I’m so sorry to be the bearer of such dreadful news.

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