Recompense Read online

  ‘Budge over,’ Mal said as he spooned his warm body against hers.

  ‘Mal? Where have you been? I missed you. I needed you and I thought you had deserted me,’ she cried. She flung her arms around him and they lay on the bed together.

  ‘I’m here now,’ he said. ‘I promise I’ll never leave you again.’

  The End

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  Author’s Notes

  Warning - contains spoilers

  When I wrote Tangent, my debut novel, I wanted to explore why people kill – so I created Bernie Latimer, an abused child who grew to be a killer. I think Bernie left me with more avenues to explore and probably more questions than answers.

  One of these avenues was that of the female serial killer. Fans of true crime will know that female serial killers are few and far between, many of them beginning their killing spree with a male accomplice. Not many, except perhaps Aileen Wuornos, acted alone.

  I began my research by looking at famous female killers, their victims and the reasons for killing. At the time I was mulling this over the case of the rape in Pamplona arose and piqued my interest. I lived in that part of Spain over twenty years ago and knew it well. More research demonstrated that the case which had gained international fame was not an isolated incident, and thus I had my scene, my perpetrator and, her victims.

  I returned to Pamplona in June 2019, brushed off my rusty Spanish and spent some time wandering around the city. It had changed quite a lot in twenty years. The square where café-bar Iruña sits is no longer scruffy and full of cars. The cars still use the square, but it has a much more pedestrianised feel. The bus station has changed too. It’s now underground and almost chilly. Like Lissa I took the bus from Bilbao to Pamplona so we could share the experience.

  Wondering around the Ciudadela looking for the spot I had been shown years before, I noticed that I picked up a tail and I quickly moved myself to a busy area before I was mugged, or worse.

  Now I needed a reason for someone to be alone in that part of the world and Melissa Warren, travel blogger and photographer, grew in my mind and on paper. Like Lissa I traced the route the bull run takes but, unlike her, did not go inside. I’d visited one in Valencia many years before and seen the children training with their wheelbarrows etc, googled images of the Pamplona bull ring and didn’t feel the need. I’ve never seen a bullfight and I have no intention of doing so. I’ve had conversations with Spanish people about the subject – some are as vehemently opposed as me and there those who are for it. It is a part of Spanish culture that I will never agree with, but I do not see it being banned any time soon.

  Further research necessitated a visit to counsellor Rachel Green in Ipswich, who talked me through the sorts of counselling Lissa would be likely to receive and the methods for overcoming her anxiety and trauma after her rape.

  I had decided that as part of her healing process Lissa would dissociate from her female persona and take on one who could fight and get her revenge for her. Whilst I have researched dissociative fugue syndrome I have over-done it in this novel for dramatic effect.

  I do hope you enjoyed reading the story as much as I did writing it. If so, please leave me a review on Amazon or Goodreads. Independent authors thrive on reviews and the more we get the greater the chance of finding and attracting new readers.

  I’ve also created a couple of Pins to give you an idea of the lengths I go to when research a novel.

  Return to Pamplona

  Cooking for Recompense

  Ronnie and the team will soon return in the third novel in the series.

  Thanks

  Caroline

  Ipswich (Spring 2020)

  Also by Caroline Goldsworthy

  Tangent

  Synnove: The King’s Cupbearer

  Old Haunts and Other Stories

  About the Author

  Caroline Goldsworthy is an emerging author of gritty urban police procedurals. This is the second in the DCI Carlson series and Caroline’s third book.

  Caroline’s debut novel, Tangent, was inspired by the Ipswich murders, which commenced shortly after she moved to Suffolk. It was shortlisted for the Selfies Award in March 2019.

  More information about events and new books may be found at:

  www.carolinegoldsworthy.com

  Acknowledgments

  With one thing and another it’s taken a lot of time to get this novel, my third in total and the second in the DCI Carlson series, ready for publication. It’s good to be finally writing the last sections that make up the published product.

  But one does not write in complete isolation even in the time of a global pandemic – it’s a team effort and here is the thanks to my team.

  A huge thanks to my super beta readers, Graham Waddingham and Mark Romain. Don’t forget to check out Mark’s books – he does his best to ensure that I keep on track with police procedure – any errors which remain are my own.

  Thanks also to Melanie Underwood,who put so many hours into editing the novel and giving it a jolly good polish.

  I am sure you picked up your copy of the book based on the cover done by the very talented Stuart Bache. I have wanted him to design my book covers from the very first time I saw his skills and have been blown away by the work he has done on this cover.

  My friend and chef Brian Powlett gave me some cooking lessons that Ben Poole could replicate. Personally I think Ben and Brian should bring out a cookery book.

  Thanks also to the people of Pamplona and Victor who, dressed only in rock shoes and his underpants, showed me the room where Lissa was attacked. I was unable to find it when I went back to Pamplona in June 2019, even though much of the Ciudadela remained as I remembered it.

  And last, but not least, thanks to Rachel Green for helping through some of the sorts of treatments Lissa Warren might have received. Once again any errors or omissions are entirely my own.