A Well-deserved Murder — Katherine John

There have always been neighbours from hell. Some deserve to die, but most people stop short of murder. But when Sgt Peter Collins looks at Kacy Howell's axe-battered corpse, he has to ask himself if his cousin, Alan, didn't. Sergeant Peter Collins' cousin, journalist and photographer Alan Piper is living next door to the neighbours from Hell. They build a deck that overlooks his patio and monitor his every movement. Under the cover of darkness they steal plants and building materials from his garden, but when his gate and gatepost disappear he calls in the police who advise him to put up a CCTV camera. Alan has a better idea. Mousy civil servant Kacy Howell is amazed to suddenly find herself the centre of attention at work and showered with unprompted gifts of flowers, chocolates and discreetly wrapped sex toys. Her husband, George, is bewildered until a colleague shows him a pornographic magazine aimed at the amateur photographer. Before George finds out if the photos are real, Kacy is found battered to death on the decking that overlooks Alan's garden. Inspector Trevor Joseph and Sergeant Peter Collins find themselves wanting to look beyond the obvious suspect for a murder, which Kacy's neighbours have already Christened 'justifiable homicide'.