Spa Slaughter (DS Leah West Book 5): A fast-paced crime thriller (DS Leah West Crime Thrillers) Read online

  Spa Slaughter

  DS Leah West - Book Five

  Nic Roberts

  Ari Thorne

  Copyright © 2022 by

  Nic Roberts & Ari Thorne

  * * *

  ‘Spa Slaughter’

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  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This is a work of fiction. Names characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Some may be used for parody purposes.

  Any resemblance to events, locales, business establishments, or actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Contents

  Love to read Detective Thrillers?

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Epilogue

  Book Six

  Missed My Other Series?

  Love to read Detective Thrillers?

  About the Author

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  Spa Slaughter

  A period of rest and relaxation. A holiday from hell. A killer that won’t be silenced.

  * * *

  Having put her demons to bed, Detective Sergeant Leah West and her partner, Detective Constable Sam Jones decide to take some time away for themselves, checking themselves into a spa for some quality time together.

  But the peace and tranquillity are shattered by the appearance of a body on the premises, someone who is determined to turn the spa into their very own slaughterhouse. And Leah has to act fast before she becomes the next victim.

  * * *

  Spa Slaughter is Book 5 in this series of nail-biting crime thrillers that will grip you to the last page. DS Leah West Books So Far:

  1. Sins Evoked

  2. Deadly High

  3. Murder Match

  4. Self Killer

  5. Spa Slaughter

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  * * *

  Prologue

  She wondered if she’d died and gone to heaven.

  The rave reviews of the Lotus Spa had been the deciding factor in Kelly Burton booking a day of pampering and relaxation there. That and the fact that her friends had said her life hadn’t truly begun until she’d experienced the tranquillity within.

  And now, enjoying one of their best massages, she found herself wishing she’d come here sooner, and as she felt the tension leave her body, she wondered just how long it had been building.

  But no matter how much she was enjoying the experience; she knew it couldn’t last forever. Sooner or later, she would have to go home—a prospect that filled her with dread.

  Even thinking about the effort she’d had to go through to get there without her partner, Liam, in tow made her shudder.

  Anything that didn’t include him was forbidden, and his anger at the suggestion of a spa day without him had resulted in one of the worst arguments they’d ever had… but she forced that out of her mind as she felt the tension build up again.

  No. Today was about her. She’d broken down barriers to get to the Lotus, and she wasn’t about to ruin it by spending her time thinking about him.

  She’d already wasted three days mulling over his reaction. The next two days were going to be spent making up for those lost hours.

  It was probably for the best that the signal around the spa was absolute shit. She’d found that out whilst stood on a plant pot in the grounds holding her phone in the air just to get a couple of bars to try to call her sister.

  She wasn’t going to complain though. The staff had made it clear that it was better to avoid the use of devices and especially Wi-Fi. The Lotus Spa was supposed to be treated as a break from everyday life, a place you come to get away from the pace of the real world. After all, how could one enjoy paradise with reality lurking in the background?

  After her massage was finished, she made her way to the steam room, hoping to further shut herself off from the rest of the world. She inwardly sighed with relief once she realised there was nobody else sitting in there. No need for small talk.

  She sat against the wall and thought about what she would do. Her sister had already told her she was more than welcome down at her place, and as much as Kelly would have liked that, she struggled with the notion that she’d have to give up on the life she’d carved out for herself.

  She felt her heartbeat rise as the steam gently lapped against her body, the moisture coating her and pulling her into its heavy depths.

  If she could, Kelly would have stayed there for the rest of her life.

  Unbeknownst to her, somebody was about to make that wish come true.

  1

  “I’m telling you, we should have turned right at the last junction!”

  Every fibre of Detective Sergeant Leah West’s being wanted to scream out, ‘I told you so’, but she knew it wouldn’t get them there any quicker.

  A month had passed since she’d finally apprehended the Self Killer and put an end to his killing spree once and for all. She wanted to feel like she could relax, like she’d finally put her demons to rest, but she knew it would only be a matter of time until another threat emerged to challenge her.

  So, she and her partner, Detective Constable Sam ‘Jonesy’ Jones, had decided to take a holiday together. Leah’s friend, Clarissa Everett, had recommended them Lotus, a high-class spa where they would be staying for a week. Clarissa had been herself and had told Leah that to go there would be to die and go to heaven.

  “The only regret you’ll have,” she’d told them before they set off, “will be that you didn’t do it sooner.”

  Jonesy had been eager to get away. Leah couldn’t help but feel worried for her partner. It had only been a month since he’d come close to being hanged by the throat and she’d wondered if he would ever recover from the trauma.

  But Jonesy? He showed no signs of trauma, at least nothing outwardly and she wondered if he was going to be like a ticking time bomb, waiting to go off.

  So, when Clarissa had told them about Lotus, it had felt like a godsend.

  Or it would have if they had actually managed to get there.

  Sam pulled out the satnav and typed in the postcode.

  “We’re about twenty minutes away,” he announced, taking off down the country road.

  Leah noticed that he was already becoming increasingly agitated. It wasn’t taking much to set him off anymore. Especially since this was supposed to be a time of rest and relaxation, and Leah was worried that she was going to spend the entire time treading on eggshells.

  After a silent drive, for the most part, Jones
y remarked, “I still don’t know how we were able to get such a good bargain. From what I’ve heard about this place, I would have thought it would bankrupt us.”

  “Apparently, Clarissa was able to get us a good deal,” Leah replied, thinking on what her close friend had told her. “A few years back, the old manager was facing a conviction for spying on the residents.”

  “And she helped get him off?” Jonesy asked, keeping his eyes on the road.

  “Oh no, she made sure he got convicted,” Leah said bluntly with a smile. “New manager was able to take over, and now Clarissa gets an ‘on-the-house’ service whenever she comes down here. And that same service extends to her friends.”

  “Nice,” Jonesy responded, his voice reduced to a monotone.

  Finally, they could see the building looming ahead. It was not like anything Leah had ever seen before. In front of them was an ocean-blue dome that looked like it blocked out the rest of the world. Leah had remembered looking at the brochure and wondering what kind of spa it was.

  They pulled up in the car park, exited, and hauled their luggage out. Leah was looking forward to this break away from everything.

  As they walked closer to the building, Leah could detect a faint smell of lavender in the air.

  As the glass doors swung open automatically, they felt a fresh wave of the aroma.

  The entire area was marble white. The walls were lined with pastel green.

  Looking around, Leah couldn’t see anything wooden in the facilities at all. She’d been in several buildings that felt like they belonged to the last century. That wasn’t the case for this building.

  She and Sam walked up to the reception desk where a woman was in the middle of a conversation on the phone. She held up a finger and mouthed, ‘be with you in a minute.’ Once the conversation was over, she turned to Leah and announced, “Good morning! How can I assist you today?”

  “We’re here to check in for a few days,” Leah explained, shuffling closer to the reception desk. “Under the name West.”

  “Ah!” the receptionist said brightly, typing some commands into her terminal. “Welcome to Lotus! We hope you enjoy your stay with us!”

  After the checking in was done, someone came down to take their bags and escort them to their room. However, Sam kept hold of his bag with an iron grip. The assistant simply took Leah’s bag.

  Walking down the hallway, Leah caught glimpses of the facilities that would make up their home for the next few days—the massage parlours, the beauty salons, the gyms, the swimming baths… Leah allowed herself a smile, but it faded when she caught Jonesy’s face stuck in a permanent scowl.

  “So, is this your first time here?” the assistant asked as he carried the bag.

  “Yes, it is,” Leah replied, marvelling at the surroundings. She turned back to Sam. “What do you think, Jonesy?”

  Jonesy gave a lazy gaze around the architecture before saying in a monotone voice, “I feel like I’ve stepped inside a cake decoration.”

  Leah was about to say something but decided against it.

  They finally came to their room, where the attendant opened the door for them. Stepping inside, Leah wondered if the place had just been built.

  The attendant carefully placed the bag onto one bed while Sam flung his bag carelessly onto the other. “If you need anything at all during your stay,” the attendant offered kindly. “Don’t hesitate to ask.” He was reading the atmosphere before him and wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible.

  Leah gave him a generous tip for his trouble, and he immediately left the room.

  “Is everything okay?” Leah asked, wanting to keep confrontation as a last resort rather than a first response.

  “Yeah,” Jonesy responded, collapsing onto his bed and getting out his phone. “I can see there’s no signal around here.”

  “We’ll have to ask at reception,” Leah offered, lying down next to him on the bed, waiting for him to respond, to maybe reach out and take her in his arms as he had done many times before. But he didn’t; he simply sat there tapping impotently at his phone.

  “I don’t know about you, but I would kill for a decent massage,” Leah stated, hoping he would offer to join her.

  “Good idea,” Jonesy muttered, not looking in her direction. “I might go for a few laps in the pool.”

  Leah tried not to let her displeasure show. The whole point of this trip was that they would do things together. Otherwise, that just defeated the purpose. She may as well have gone on her own.

  “You know, a massage might help you loosen up a bit,” Leah remarked, unable to resist letting a small dig go by.

  Sam sighed in a way that screamed, ‘I’ll do it, but I won’t like it.’ “Fair enough,” he answered, finally giving up on his phone. “I suppose it can’t hurt.”

  Leah felt like this was going to be the start of a long week.

  2

  Leah was grateful to not have to worry about dressing to impress. She was wearing a bathing suit underneath her clothes and wearing a pair of flip-flops and a white cotton robe that had been supplied by the staff. Sam was similarly attired. He was walking behind her at a slow pace.

  Leah knew it was going to be difficult to get Jonesy to open up. She wondered if this was how everyone in the office saw her, as somebody who was always willing to bite their heads off for so much as asking how she was.

  She was enjoying the current atmosphere of not looking over her shoulder. No one here was looking to commit a murder. They were just looking to have a good time.

  She was glad for the chance to relax and happy that Jonesy had been persuaded to take up a massage before heading for the pool.

  Ever since the night the Self Killer was apprehended, she’d noticed a long red line around his neck where the noose had dug into his skin. She wondered if the mark would fade away in time or whether it would always be there as a reminder of how close he came to dying.

  On the way to the massage parlour, they made a detour to the spa’s reception area. “Excuse me?” Leah asked, beckoning over the receptionist. “You wouldn’t happen to have the password for the Wi-Fi, would you?”

  The receptionist winced apologetically. “I’m sorry, we don’t have a Wi-Fi signal.” Before Leah had time to protest, the receptionist launched into a pre-planned spiel. “We believe that in order for people to really get the full benefit, they need to be removed from all outside distractions.”

  Leah wasn’t sure what to make of this; she might have been in support of it if she didn’t have people on the outside depending on her. Her brother Nate had been worried about her ever since the Self Killer had been apprehended. Maybe it was possible for her to travel somewhere with a signal.

  “Fair enough,” Leah said to the receptionist as they continued on their tour.

  They came to the massage suite where a tall man dressed in a white polo shirt was washing his hands. He smiled warmly at the two. “Hello, my name is Harry. You must be…” he glanced at a computer screen. “…Leah and Sam, correct?”

  “That’s right,” Leah offered with a handwave as Sam grunted a response.

  “Thank you for joining us today,” Harry started, ushering them towards the massage beds. Leah took her place and felt Harry’s firm but gentle hands pressing into her skin. “This is heaven,” she announced aloud.

  “I couldn’t help but notice you’re carrying quite a bit of tension in your back,” Harry observed, pressing into the skin. Leah wasn’t surprised to hear that, wondering how much pent-up fury she’d been keeping hold of.

  With Harry’s powerful hands chopping into her back, Leah felt the tension leaving her body. It was nice to feel a physical sensation that wasn’t brought on by suspects assaulting her.

  An assistant masseuse was going to work on Jonesy’s body, and Leah couldn’t help, but steal a glance at him. He didn’t seem to be unwinding at all. If anything, he was more tense than ever before.

  The assistant moved their hands and began movi
ng up towards Jonesy’s neck…

  Leah tried to say something, but it was too late.

  Sam screamed out, spun around on the bed, and smashed the masseuse in the face with the flat of his hand, knocking them backwards.

  Harry immediately ceased his work on Leah and rushed over to his colleague. “What the hell?” the man was mumbling from behind his hands covering his mouth. Harry looked around for the sign of any possible tissues before looking back at Jonesy and was clearly torn between chastising his client or maintaining his stellar customer service.

  “I’m sorry about that,” Leah offered, covering herself in her robe. She looked over to Sam again, who seemed to be staring into the distance, unable to fully comprehend what had just happened.

  “I should bloody press charges,” the masseuse insisted, now stuffing tissues up his bloody nose.

  “I assure you that won’t be necessary,” Leah pleaded, figuring out how to best play the angle. “He’s just prone to… panic attacks.”

  “Panic attacks? Seriously?”

  After convincing the masseuse that no further action needed to be taken, Leah and Sam had headed back to the privacy of their own room, Leah slamming the door behind them. Leah did not want an audience for what was about to be said. “Are you going to tell me what this is about, Sam? And trust me, I would advise you make the explanation you were about to give phenomenally good.”