Release Tour Part 3 - Interrupted Part 2 by Melissa Barker-Simpson

We’ve reached the final part of my leg of the Hands of Evil blog tour. Just in case you’ve missed them, check out part 1 and learn more about Melissa and her new novel, and part 2 to read an excerpt. Also if you haven’t yet, don’t forget to read Interrupted Part 1.

Interrupted Part 2

Charlie was on his way home after a long, exhausting day, when he got the call from JJ. He knew it couldn’t be good. He’d spent hours with Peter Green, sifting through his past to find an explanation for the gruesome gift someone had left on his property. They already had several leads and, thanks to Bobby’s contacts, they had a name.

“We have a situation,” JJ said before he’d uttered a word.

Charlie sighed and pulled his Vauxhall to the side of the road. “Hello to you too.”

“Peter’s not answering his phone and he never misses poker night,” JJ said, sounding tense. “I’m on my way over, and wanted to give you a heads up.”

“Maybe he got lucky. How do you know he’s not blowing you off?” Even as he said it Charlie knew the answer. After what had happened that morning, Peter would keep his friends close. “Okay, fine. I’m on my way.”

He pulled onto the road again with a sigh. It didn’t look like he’d be getting home anytime soon.

JJ was waiting for him when he pulled up to the gates of Peter Green’s property.

“Thanks for coming, Charlie,” he said. “You might want to leave your car and follow on foot.”

“You’ve had eyes on Peter I take it,” Charlie said, glancing at the scope in his hand.

“Yes and unless you’re right about the lucky part, he’s in trouble.” He shrugged at Charlie’s narrow-eyed stare. “He’s tied to the bed, and looks pretty out of it.”

“Shit,” Charlie muttered, pulling the phone from his pocket. “Any more surprises?”

“He’s not alone.”

“Yvonne Kennedy?” Charlie asked, dialing Bobby’s number.

“What makes you think I know who it is?” JJ said, a picture of innocence.

When Bobby answered on the fourth ring he turned without answering JJ, and brought his partner up to speed.

He had absolutely no doubt JJ had worked through the problem and arrived at the same conclusions. He’d been the one to find the female footprints at the scene, caught the breach in the property fence, and though he hadn’t gone anywhere near the crime scene, he was as thorough as they came.

Not that Charlie was complaining. If it hadn’t been for Bobby’s contacts they would have been a step behind, especially given the politics involved. Thankfully since neither the victim nor their suspect currently served, they didn’t need to involve the Ministry of Defence.

He’d spent most of the day delving into Peter’s background. He already knew about the tours in Afghanistan and that he’d left the service because he no longer trusted all the men he served with. It was the worst kind of betrayal, discovering those who had your back were as dangerous as those you were fighting against.

Stuart Warburton, the murder victim, had killed two civilians during Peter’s final tour. A woman and an eight year old child. None of the team would come forward and, for Peter, it had been the last straw.

Yvonne Kennedy had served as a medic with the team and had been medically discharged three years earlier. She’d had a psychotic break, and had been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. It hadn’t taken Bobby long to discover that the problems began right after the event which triggered Peter’s departure from the military.

“Okay,” he said to JJ, shoving his phone into his pocket. “Let’s go take a look.”

The moment the shutters came down in JJ’s expression, alarm bells started ringing. “That’s all we can do at this point,” he said, understanding it wouldn’t sit well on his friend’s shoulders.

“I can’t promise to stand by and do nothing if Pete’s life is in danger. You can’t ask me to do that, Charlie.”

Charlie hesitated for only a second. “Let’s assess the situation and take it from there.”

On a brief nod, JJ turned and stepped towards the copse of trees.

The moment they reached the designated vantage point, Charlie could see it didn’t look good for Peter. Yvonne was waving her gun around and becoming more agitated by the second. Clearly, in his drug induced state, Peter had failed to see the signs, or he didn’t care.

JJ disappeared before Charlie had the chance to cool his jets. He saw him weaving in and out of the tree line and cursed the air blue.

Since he didn’t have a choice, he followed JJ and prayed his team weren’t far behind. When he spotted a pistol in JJ’s hand he almost groaned. ‘Once a commando,’ he murmured to himself, grateful JJ had a permit to wave the thing around.

He pushed forward, easing through the door JJ had left afar. His eyes darted along the hallway, squinting against the dull light. Peter’s room was up the stairs towards the back of the house. Charlie glanced up and thought he saw movement. He waited a beat or two and then climbed swiftly, eyes open and alert.

At the top of the stairs he crept along the hall. He could hear voices now and for a moment he listened to the ramblings of a woman on the edge. It was clear Yvonne had some kind of obsession with Peter, Charlie could hear it in her voice. She saw herself as the punisher, though he wasn’t entirely sure where Peter fit into her fantasy. He didn’t have long to ponder on it because all hell broke loose.

He moved at the first thud, calling out his name and rank as he rushed towards Peter’s bedroom.
JJ walked out a moment before he reached it, dragging a slightly subdued Yvonne Kennedy and practically threw her at him. “Peter…” he said and disappeared back into the room.

Since his suspect was still in one piece and, by the sounds below him, Bobby had arrived, he saved his breath and led Yvonne back towards the stairs.

Well I hoped you enjoyed this leg of the blog tour! I’m so excited to have been a part of it, and I wish Melissa all the best with her new novel. I’m looking forward to reading it myself!  Tomorrow is the last day of the tour. Kathryn Jenkins will be sharing another of Melissa’s short stories, Choked, at Dragon Knight Chronicles Reader’s Corner. And then Melissa will be announcing the winner of her contest on her blog.

Don’t forget to purchase your copy of Hands of Evil on Amazon, and check out Melissa’s other novels: