Dreams of Justice by Allison Maruska

Author:Allison Maruska [Maruska, Allison]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-02-03T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

London, 1981

Lesley waited in her car, watching officers from the armed unit standing at the ready by the front door. The house was quaint, like a cottage from a fairy tale, though the dried-out landscaping told a story of neglect. A chair on the patio was overturned, and drawn curtains gave the place a ghostly feel. Lesley imagined Beth hoping for a happily ever after in this house and watching it erode along with her marriage.

“He’s not here. His car’s gone,” Tammy said from the passenger seat.

“This is just procedure. We don’t need any surprises.” Lesley watched the officers enter, leaving the front door open. After a few minutes, one returned to the porch, holstering his weapon and waving for Lesley to approach.

As she and Tammy reached him, he wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “No sign of him. It’s a bloody mess in there. He was either looking for something or wanted to destroy evidence before he left.”

“So, he won’t be back.” Lesley peered around the officer and through the open door.

“Not likely. I’ll wait here while you look around.”

As the women entered, Lesley glanced over her shoulder at Tammy. “Walk in my footsteps. Don’t touch anything. I just need you to tell me if anything strikes you as important.” She scrunched her nose. “Something burned. I wonder if he tried to light up the whole place.”

She reached the front room, where the couch had been flipped upside down, the tables toppled, and framed artwork lay broken on the floor. Lesley tiptoed through it and into the dining room, where it appeared someone had taken a metal bat to the table and chairs.

With this amount of damage, maybe the neighbors had heard something. Lesley made a mental note to ask them before leaving the street.

“He destroyed everything,” Tammy said in a defeated voice.

“We need to know what he looks like. Do you know where they kept their pictures?”

After a head tilt, Tammy pivoted on her toes and returned to the front room. She crouched, twisted, and stretched, searching for something without touching anything. “I don’t see it. Beth kept their wedding picture in this room.”

“Okay. We’ll keep our eyes open for that. Maybe he moved it.”

The women went into the kitchen, but Lesley made it only two steps inside before stopping and covering her nose. “God. Smells like something died.” Beyond the floor, which was littered with broken dishes and glassware, she pointed to the window, workspace, and wall. All were coated with a brown, chunky substance. “What is that?”

“I think that’s what smells.” Tammy coughed.

Holding her breath, Lesley crept to the largest concentration of mess on the worktop. “I think it’s meat. Or it used to be. It’s beyond rancid now.” Clumps of white and green fuzz decorated the pile, and a puddle of red goo surrounded it. Turning, Lesley found where the meat had likely come from: a frying pan coated in the stuff rested against the wall. “Let’s get out of here.”

Lesley

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