For An Eye

FOR AN EYE A Detective Loxley Nottinghamshire Crime Thriller By A L Fraine The book is Copyright © to Andrew Dobell, Creative Edge Studios Ltd, 2023. No part of this book may be reproduced without prior permission of the copyright holder. All locations, events, and characters within this book are either fictitious or have been fictionalised for the purposes of this book. Book List https://www.alfraineauthor.co.uk/books Acknowledgements Thank you to Crystal Wren for your amazing editing and support. Thanks to Kath Middleton for her incredible work. A big thank you to the Admins and members of the UK Crime Book Club for their support, both to me and the wider author community. They’re awesome. A big thank you to Meg Jolly and Tom Reid for allowing me to use their names in this novel. I really appreciate it. Thank you also to the Authors I’ve been lucky enough to call friends. You know who you are, and you’re all wonderful people. Thank you to my family, especially my parents, children, and lovely wife Louise for their unending love and support. Table of Contents Book List Acknowledgements Table of Contents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Author Note Book List 1 Wary of the shadows and darkness all around him, Gavin walked home with his hands stuffed deep in his pockets and his collar up high. He hated being out this late, walking along the edge of Nottingham’s Forest Fields estate, making his way home along Sherwood Rise before bearing left into Mapperley Park. But tonight he had an errand to run. He thought back to the message his mum had sent him, asking him to pick up a few things. He’d said yes, but he regretted agreeing to it now. At the next junction, he paused as he looked right, glaring up the street into Forest Fields with its line of terrace houses. When he closed his eyes, he got flashes of that night a year ago, and the only clue he had to where they’d taken him. Was it here, or one of the countless other urban spaces that looked just like this? A few hundred metres up the street, he could see the corner shop, sitting there, waiting for him. Outside, a small group of people were standing and talking. The sight of them sent a chill down his spine. As he watched, they moved off and rounded the corner, disappearing behind the shop. Setting off up the side street, Gavin adjusted the tight grip he had on the item he kept in his pocket. Its presence made him feel safe and secure, confident that if anything bad should happen, there was a chance he could get himself out of it. Christ. If his dad only knew, he’d go crazy. But he’d not seen his dad in days, not since the weekend. He’d been spending most of his time at his mum's. She fussed around him as usual, constantly annoying him and asking him to cheer up. She didn’t know, but that was for the best. She didn’t need to know. Gavin shook his head to banish the dark thoughts from his mind. It had been a year since the incident, since he’d seen a new side to his father. It really was time to let it go. There was no need to wallow in it, not now he was getting along so well with his dad and Justine. Things seemed to finally be returning to normal. Better than normal, actually. He’d never got on so well with his dad’s girlfriend as he was now. She was kinda fun, actually. As he walked along the path, the glow from the shop spilt across the street up ahead, announcing its presence, reminding him where he was. He hoped it was empty. He hoped the kids he’d seen moments earlier had disappeared. Gavin gripped the item in his pocket and chewed on his lip, his eyes scanning the street, peering into the shadows, scouring for anyone he needed to avoid. He would never be a victim again, not like that. No way. He’d fight like a demon to make sure it never happened again. The events of that fateful night a year ago were affecting his mood. His mother had noticed, but there was little he could do about it. Hell, it would be weird if his temperament hadn’t been affected. No one should have to go through that… ever. He sighed as he gazed up the street. It would only be a quick stop, and then he could head back the way he’d come and make for greener pastures. Fishing his phone out of his pocket, Gavin woke it with a deft tap against the fingerprint reader on the back and opened WhatsApp. His mother’s message sat at the bottom of the screen, asking him to pick up milk, bread, cereal and something for himself on his way home. He ran through the list again, committing it to memory, and started to ponder which bar of chocolate he fancied. Reaching the shop, he pushed the door open and stepped inside. Behind the nearby counter to his left, a radio played. He could hear voices deeper in, but he paid them no mind and focused on his task. In and out. Just grab what his mum wanted and set off home. Easy. Wandering up one aisle, he heard the voices erupt in laughter. They seemed to be enjoying themselves, but he found little humour in it. Instead, the tone sounded mocking, and for a brief moment, he was back in that room, surrounded by shadows laughing at his pain. He banished that image and browsed the bread, picking a ‘best of both’ loaf and pulling it from the shelf. One down, he