Death's Privilege (32 page)
Authors: Darryl Donaghue
She heard the caller smile. ‘That is so cool.’
‘Did you get the cash? I had it left in the agreed place. Now all you have to do is keep your head down and wait till I call for you.'
‘I can do more. If you want, of course.’
‘That boy in the park give you a taste for it? Or do you just like the money?’
‘It’s not those things. You just make sense, you know. The things you say; I get them.’
‘Oh. I do, don’t I?’ Leilani giggled a little, liking the effect she was having. The ease with which some people bought her stories still surprised her.
‘I checked what you asked me to. That Moretti woman skipped town. There’s a warrant out for her arrest.’
‘Let the coward go. We don’t need her anyway. We’ve got each other.’
‘We do. Like sisters.’
‘That’s right, Alison, just like sisters.’
The End.
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About the author
Darryl Donaghue is an former Detective from London, England. His short stories have been published in
The Pygmy Giant, Spinetinglers
and
Dreamcatcher
. His first novel,
A Journal of Sin
is available from all good online retailers. In 2014, he moved to Seoul to teach and write novels.
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Dedication
For Ewan
Acknowledgements
Writing a book is a long journey, but it’s not one that’s taken alone. I’d like to take a moment to thank a few of the people who came along for the ride this past year.
Firstly, I’d like to thank Richard Rankin for his friendship and keen-eyed critiques. I first met Richard, as people often do these days, on Twitter. It was April 1st. I remember the date, as he sent me a tweet complimenting my first book, and given the date, and how bad I am at taking compliments, I first assumed it was a friend with a prank account. Thankfully, I was wrong. Since that tweet, Richard has provided sound writing advice, book recommendations and friendship. One day, we’ll talk about it all over bourbon and cake.
I’d also like to thank Erin Wallis, Susan, Gwen, and Joe Parker for reading the book prior to its release. Your suggestions and tweaks made a difference to the finished novel and gave me some thoughts on the direction of the series, and I appreciate you taking the time to help out.
Once again, two very talented editors have helped me along the way. I’d like to thank Jane Adams, of The Literary Consultancy, provided an insightful and succinct editorial review of the manuscript, which helped get the story back on track. Shannon Cook provided a copyedit, and made my fumbling prose shine. Shannon works especially hard copyediting my British English manuscripts, and the extra work is very much appreciated. Both editors were also a part of A Journal of Sin, and I hope I’ll have the privilege of working with them for many years to come.
Sadly, Kit Foster, the cover designer for A Journal of Sin, was taken ill last year, so couldn’t work on the Death’s Privilege cover. Thankfully, he’s on the mend and will be back producing incredible covers in 2016. In his absence, Stuart Bache of Books Covered, stepped in and created the wonderful cover design for the book you’re reading. I’d like to thank him and his team for being very approachable, timely and professional.
Becoming a successful independent author requires more than just being able to write. In between publishing the novels, I’ve spent a lot of time learning about ebook marketing and how to run the business side of being an author. I’d like to thank both Nick Stephenson and Mark Dawson, for their excellent courses. Being a part of both of their online communities has helped give me a fighting chance at carving out a career as an author.
I’d also like to extend my deepest appreciation to everyone who read and reviewed A Journal of Sin. Starting out as an Indie author takes a big leap of faith, and each and every one of you has boosted my confidence as a writer.
Author's Note
Being a police officer is a little like being part of a big club. I’ve spoken to officers from America and all over Europe, and its never long before we’re swapping similar stories about our respective criminal fraternities, ridiculous policies we have to follow, or the special and unique Operations our senior officers dream up to keep us on our toes.
With that said, despite the general experiences being familiar, policing policy and procedure can change from one town to the next. The procedures detailed in this book are based on the departments I worked in during my time as a serving police officer, so are not universally accurate.
That being said, any liberties that may have been taken with procedures, timeframes and events are in the interests of the pace of the story. Sadly, turnaround times for forensic results, or computer examinations can sometimes be weeks or months, and that doesn’t make for very interesting fiction!
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