Web of Deceit

By M. A. Comley and Tara Lyons

A novella (21,000 words) in the DI Sally Parker series written with co-author Tara Lyons. 

Other books in the series are WRONG PLACE and NO HIDING PLACE.

 

DI Sally Parker is called to one of the best hotels in the area after one of the guests, Megan Carmen, reports her friend, Tina, missing. 

Sally investigates Megan's background when the woman reveals that she has just arrived from France and Tina is a woman she met on the Internet. Do genuine people truly arrange to innocently meet people they've only just met online? Or, in light of Tina's disappearance, is there something far more sinister afoot?

• Language: English
• Publisher: M A Comley
• Release date: Jan 3, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524226398

M. A. Comley

I am a British author. I moved to France around ten years ago, and that's when I turned my hobby into a career. I'm fortunate to be represented by New York agent Richard Curtis. I share my home with two crazy dogs that like nothing better than to drag their masterful leader (that's me) around the village. I hope you enjoy reading my books, especially the Justice series, Cruel Justice, Impeding Justice,Final Justice,Foul Justice and the newest addition, Guaranteed Justice. Ultimate Justice is due out in Feb 2013. If you'd like to keep up to date with new releases you can find me on facebook by following this link http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mel-Comley/264745836884860 If you fancy a lighter read, why not try one of my romances: A Time to Heal, and A Time for Change--Based on a TRUE story. I also have a selection of short stories and novelettes available which I know you'll enjoy. You can find out more about me at the following blogs. http://melcomley.blogspot.com http://melcomleyromances.blogspot.com  

Book preview

WEB OF DECEIT

M. A. COMLEY

And

TARA LYONS

––––––––

This book is dedicated to Maria Lee for being one of life’s special people.

Thank you to the wonderful support of The Book Club who helped to bring the two authors together. 

Special thanks as always go to our talented editor Stefanie Spangler Buswell and to Karri Klawiter for her cover design expertise.

Huge thanks go to our wonderful proofreader, Joseph Calleja, for spotting all the lingering nits.

Published by Jeamel Publishing limited

Copyright © 2015 M A Comley and Tara Lyons

Digital Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the site and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

OTHER BOOKS BY

TARA LYONS

In The Shadows (due for release in March 2016)

https://www.facebook.com/Taralyonsauthor

OTHER BOOKS BY

M A COMLEY

Blind Justice

Cruel Justice

Impeding Justice

Final Justice

Foul Justice

Guaranteed Justice

Ultimate Justice

Virtual Justice

Hostile Justice

Tortured Justice

Rough Justice

Dubious Justice

Calculated Justice

Twisted Justice

Forever Watching You (DI Miranda Carr thriller)

Wrong Place (DI Sally Parker thriller)

No Hiding Place (DI Sally Parker thriller)

Web of Deceit (DI Sally Parker Novella with Tara Lyons) due Jan 2016

Evil In Disguise – a novel based on True events

Deadly Act (Hero series novella)

Torn Apart (Hero Series #1)

End Result (Hero Series #2)

Sole Intention (Intention Series #1)

Grave Intention (Intention Series #2)

Merry Widow (A Lorne Simpkins short story)

It’s A Dog’s Life (A Lorne Simpkins short story)

A Time To Heal (A Sweet Romance)

A Time For Change (A Sweet Romance)

High Spirits

The Temptation Series (Romantic Suspense/New Adult Novellas)

Past Temptation (available now)

Lost Temptation (available now)

Keep in touch with the author at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mel-Comley/264745836884860

http://melcomley.blogspot.com

http://melcomleyromances.blogspot.com

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Web of Deceit

CHAPTER ONE

Megan woke and immediately checked Facebook Messenger on her iPhone. She wasn’t disappointed. She only had one message—the one she had been waiting for from Tina Lloyd, her new Facebook friend. She had grown so close to the woman over the past three months that she had taken the decision to leave France and return to England. She wouldn’t have dreamed of considering doing such a drastic thing the same time last year.

She had lived in France for the past thirteen years and even called it her native country. However, Tina’s friendship had shown her just how lonely her life had become. She lived a solitary life as a landscape painter, surrounded by beautiful scenery that had become essential to her work, but the persistent long hours had rendered her social life non-existent over the past year or so.

Tina had friended her on Facebook, admired her work publicly, and started sending her messages full of admiration. The woman’s enthusiasm was difficult to ignore. Megan’s sense of worth had been pulverised when her husband left the marital home five years before, but she’d been filled with a new pride. She shook her head at the thought of the turmoil Stephen had put her through: the degradation she had felt daily at his hands and the harshness of his words when he’d criticised her work and told her that she would never achieve anything in this life. She’d believed him, often doubting her own abilities. However, she felt freshly determined, and since the New Year, Megan had kicked herself up the backside, adamant to make changes. She replaced the word if with when as her new positive mantra, and her life had taken an upward curve since then.

The orders for her work were coming in daily, sometimes ten orders a day. She’d thought that would never happen. Her positive mental attitude was the main reason for that; although she had an inclination that her friendship with Tina was also a significant contribution to her success.

Tina had given her back the will to live and encouraged her to sell her country home and return to the UK. Once she’d reached her decision, Megan had immediately contacted several agents and received an offer on her house within a few weeks. The speed in which everything had happened reinforced to Megan that she was indeed doing the right thing.

With the exchange date getting closer, Megan had decided to visit the UK before she embarked on the daunting task of packing up her possessions. She desperately wanted to find a new home where she could be happy again and where her business would flourish. Once Megan told Tina of her plans, her friend had volunteered to travel north, up to Norfolk, with her to find a dream home. Megan had been thrilled by her friend’s enthusiasm yet again, and she’d jumped at the chance of meeting up with her in the flesh. 

That morning, Megan was excited by Tina’s message because it was the day they finalised their travel plans. The ferry would dock in Portsmouth the next day at one fifteen UK time, and Megan allowed half an hour to get through customs. South Mimms services, their agreed meeting point, was approximately one and a half hours’ drive away. Meeting a total stranger at a motorway services seemed weird, and if any of her friends had indicated that was their intention, Megan would have gasped and told them they were crazy. But over the past few months, Megan had grown to trust Tina. She regarded Tina as a dear friend, and they were both thrilled at the prospect of meeting each other.

Both anxious to finally lay eyes on each other, they exchanged excited messages throughout the day. Megan went to bed at nine that evening. How she managed to sleep until her alarm went off at five in the morning she would never know. She showered and quickly made her bed. Her bags were already tucked up safely in the back of the car. After one final check to ensure the house was secure and that she had her passport to hand, she was off—to begin the journey that would change her life.

CHAPTER TWO

After enduring the noise of screaming kids at