Free Wrong Place: A gripping serial killer crime thriller. by M A Comley Page B

them say about your adoring wife, I’m sure.” Sally chuckled.
    Jack held the door for Sally at the exit of the main building. “Hardly. Their intentions were good, I suppose. Have a great weekend. See you Monday.”
    “I hope it doesn’t prove to be too traumatic for you, love.” Sally opened the car door and hopped in. She glanced over her shoulder to make sure the overnight bag she had quickly packed the evening before was still sitting on the backseat. After placing a Rod Stewart CD in the player, she set off for her parents’ house. She sang along to the disc when We Are Sailing filled the interior.
    Her mother was in the driveway of her parents’ terraced home when Sally arrived. “Hey, Mum. Are you almost ready to set off?”
    “Hello, dear. Almost there. Your father is just securing the place now. You know what he’s like.”
    Sally kissed her mother on the cheek. “Not erecting that roll of barbed wire along the back fence again, is he?”
    Her mother laughed and ushered her daughter inside the house. “Go and see for yourself. He’s rigging up something out there, not sure what. It’s sure to be dangerous, knowing his past attempts at securing this place while we’re away.”
    Nervously, Sally ventured into the small rear garden. “Dad! You can’t do that!” Dex the Labrador bounded towards her and almost knocked her off her feet. “Hello, gorgeous. Have you missed me?”
    Her father, Christopher Tomlin, spun around to face her, still holding a wooden post in his hand. “Why can’t I? A man has every right to protect his property against those louts.”
    Sally’s heart raced erratically. She observed his day’s work with discomfort. He’d placed ten six-foot wooden posts about a foot from the back fence, burying the rounded end in the earth, leaving the pointed end exposed. “What if someone gets impaled on one of those, Dad?” She shook her head in disbelief as a vile image filled her mind.
    “That’s their problem, love, not mine. If people didn’t turn their hand to robbery, then there wouldn’t be any need for this. Have you seen the statistics of burglaries in this area over the past few months? Have you?”
    “Yes, Dad. Compared to other areas in the country, this is still one of the safest areas to live in.”
    “Oh, is that so? And tell me, what case are you working on at the moment, love?”
    Sally sighed heavily. “You know full well what kind of case I’m involved in, Dad. Don’t try and justify your actions using that kind of information.”
    “I’m not. All I’m doing is protecting my property—something the police around here seem reluctant to do since that mob moved in across the road from us. Your mother refuses to burden you, but our lives have been a living bloody hell for months now.”
    Sally approached her father and rubbed his forearm. “I’m sorry, Dad. I had no idea.”
    “No, because your mum wanted to keep it from you due to the stress that bastard of a husband has put you under. Well, we’ve been under a tonne of stress ourselves.”
    She kissed her father on the cheek and hugged him. Tears pricked at her eyes as guilt surged through her veins. “I’m sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in my own problems, I’ve neglected you two. I’ll make sure I have a word with the right people when I get back to work on Monday. How’s that?”
    “I guess that will have to do. Thank you. I’ll just insert this one, and then we can head off. Although I doubt I’m going to be able to relax much during the weekend.”
    “You will, Dad, once you’re out on the water. You know how relaxing it can be out there.”
    “Usually, I’d agree with you, but…”
    “You’re under orders. I’ll make a call and get a patrol car to keep an eye on the place during their shift. How’s that?”
    “It’ll have to do for now. I’d like you to use your influence and get the shits moved out permanently . Can you do that?”
    “Like I said, Dad, I’ll see what I can