by Carol Wyer
‘I can manage now. I don’t feel sick any more,’ he said.
‘Alex, where are your parents?’ Natalie asked.
‘Out for the night.’
‘You’d better come home with us then.’
They pulled up on the road outside her house. Josh and Alex had fallen asleep on the back seat, slumped against each other. Mike had ordered an Uber to take him from Natalie’s to his house. She turned off the ignition and waited for David to appear at the front door, but when he didn’t, she spoke.
‘There was no need to arrange a taxi. I’d have run you home.’
‘You have enough to do. You have to deal with the boys.’ He glanced at his mobile. ‘And Uri will be here in two minutes. Now that’s what I call prompt service,’ he said with a quick smile.
‘I couldn’t have done this without you.’
‘Yes, you could. I just helped you find him quicker.’
There was a pause during which all they could hear was the heavy breathing coming from one of the sleeping boys.
She cleared her throat and spoke quietly. ‘About the other night. I was jealous. I’m as bad as every other woman you’ve known. I was angry and hurt and yet I had no right to feel like that. I shouldn’t have laid into you.’
His eyes crinkled. ‘That’s generous of you. You didn’t have to admit to that.’
She turned around to check the boys – completely dead to the world – and whispered, ‘I did because I want you to know how I feel about you. I can’t keep up the pretence any longer. I need to move on but first I shall have to talk to David. I don’t want to do anything behind his back. I want to do it properly.’
He didn’t respond, and for a moment she thought he was annoyed by her sudden outburst; after all, she’d kept him at arm’s length for such a long time. Then he slid his hand on top of hers, fingers curling around her own, and leant towards her. She faced him and he dropped a light kiss on her lips before pulling back.
‘If you’re sure.’
‘I’m sure.’
‘Then I’m happy with that decision.’ He looked at her for the longest moment then headlights appeared in her rear-view mirror as his ride approached.
‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she said.
‘You bet.’
He opened the car door, illuminating the interior and rousing Alex, who shoved Josh off him and yawned. A light popped on in the sitting room of her house and David’s white face peered from behind the curtains. She told the boys to go inside and stood by the car door as Mike got into his taxi with a wave.
The front door opened. David’s voice was behind her but she continued to watch the taxi until it disappeared from view, then faced her house. Like her son, she’d crossed an invisible line. Life was going to be very different from here on in.
Epilogue
David sits in the dark beside Josh’s bedroom window, which overlooks the road. The curtains haven’t been drawn and he can see any vehicle approach. Each time he spots headlights, he peers out hoping it is Natalie and Josh returning.
He is a dismal father and husband. He’s let them down time and time again. How many more times is this going to happen? He wipes his eyes. He’s cried enough since Natalie went out in search of Josh. He feels impotent. He should be with her yet part of him tells him she’s overreacted. The boy will be okay. He’s a resilient teenager who is testing his boundaries. How many teenagers don’t do that? So, the boy’s slipped out unawares to some party. It isn’t the end of the world. Yet it is because it matters to Natalie.
He hears an engine and recognises Natalie’s car as it pulls up behind his own. He leaps to his feet to greet her then comes to a sudden halt. It isn’t Josh who is sitting in the passenger seat. It’s Mike. What is his best friend doing in his wife’s car?
Deep, rhythmic pulsing fills his ears and he moves to one side, so Natalie is not aware of him.
They appear to be talking. He watches, twisting the wedding band that encircles his finger and praying silently. The streetlight illuminates the car sufficiently for him to see Mike kiss her and his heart explodes into tiny fragments. He can’t catch his breath. He stands in horror until another car appears and Mike gets out. David can now make out his son and friend who stretch and yawn and fumble for the door handles. He moves swiftly, a mask of fatherly concern now in place. He is still, for the moment, a father and husband and he will fight his corner to maintain that role.
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Books by Carol Wyer
The DI Natalie Ward series:
The Birthday
Last Lullaby
The Dare
The Sleepover
The DI Robyn Carter series:
Little Girl Lost
Secrets of the Dead
The Missing Girls
The Silent Children
The Chosen Ones
Other titles:
Life Swap
Take a Chance on Me
Mini Skirts and Laughter Lines
Surfing in Stilettos
Just Add Spice
Grumpy Old Menopause
How Not to Murder Your Grumpy
Grumpies On Board
Love Hurts
Available in Audio
The DI Natalie Ward series:
The Birthday (Available in the UK and the US)
Last Lullaby (Available in the UK and the US)
The Dare (Available in the UK and the US)
The DI Robyn Carter series:
Little Girl Lost (Available in the UK and the US)
Secrets of the Dead (Available in the UK and the US)
The Missing Girls (Available in the UK and the US)
The Silent Children (Available in the UK and the US)
The Chosen Ones (Available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Carol
Hello, dear reader,
My sincere thanks to you for buying and reading The Sleepover. I hope you enjoyed reading the book as much as I did writing it. If you’d like to keep up to date with all my latest releases, just sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here!
We’re already on the fourth in the Natalie Ward series and I find myself deeper in love with all the characters, especially Natalie, although I have a fondness for all of them… well, with maybe one exception – David – but nevertheless, I feel sorry for him. This was such a pacy book to write and I found myself, at moments, holding my breath. I had to actively remind myself to breathe.
The foundation for The Sleepover came from real-life events and an article I spotted in a newspaper. The underlying theme is secrecy and hiding the truth from people, even those we love the most. How many people really tell the truth? How many children lie to their parents, and how many spouses lie to their partners? My research raised many concerns that I am sure you will share with me, but it also gave me the opportunity to create a tale that I hope you found engaging.
Do you ever really know anyone?
If you enjoyed reading The Sleepover, please take a few minutes to write a review, no matter how short it is. A few words will suffice and I would truly be most grateful.
I hope you’ll join me for the next book in the DI Natalie Ward series, which will be out on 6 December 2019.
Thank you,
Carol
www.carolwyer.co.uk
The Birthday
Detective Natalie Ward Book 1
One hot summer’s afternoon, five-year-old Ava Sawyer went to a party. She never came home…
When five-year-old Ava Sawyer goes missing fr
om a birthday party at a local garden centre, the police are bewildered by the lack of leads. That is until two years later, when Ava’s body is found and another little girl, Audrey Briggs, goes missing. Audrey also attended that party…
Leading the investigation is Detective Natalie Ward. A mother of two teenagers, this case chills her to the bone, and is a disturbing reminder of the last job she worked on. One that ended very badly.
Natalie soon discovers that Ava’s mother has some worrying gaps in her alibi and as she digs deeper, she’s sure Ava’s father is not telling the full story. And what did the owner of the garden centre Elsa see that day? Something that she’s not telling Natalie…
Just as Natalie is facing up to the grim possibility that Ava and Audrey were killed by someone close to home, another little girl from the party doesn’t come home from her ballet lesson. Can Natalie find a way to stop this killer before more innocent lives are taken?
Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will send shivers down your spine. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
Order The Birthday now!
Last Lullaby
Detective Natalie Ward Book 2
Charlotte’s baby is safe. But is she?
When the body of young mother Charlotte Brannon is discovered by her husband in their immaculate, silver bedroom, Detective Natalie Ward is first on the scene. The killer has left a chilling calling card: the word ‘Why?’ written on the wall in blood.
Determined to find justice, Natalie quickly discovers the husband is hiding a troubled past, and she’s sure the teenage babysitter’s alibi doesn’t quite add up.
But before Natalie can dig deeper, another mother is murdered, her young son left distraught, staring at a fresh ‘who’ scrawled beside her.
Natalie knows it’s only a matter of time before the killer strikes again, but all the key suspects have alibis. It’s her toughest case yet, and with her marriage hanging by a thread, the cracks are beginning to show.
Just when Natalie finds an unsettling clue she thinks could solve the case, another young woman and her baby disappear, and a member of Natalie’s team is put in terrible danger.
Can Natalie stop this twisted killer and save one of her own before more families are torn apart forever?
Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this book will send shivers down your spine. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
Order Last Lullaby now!
The Dare
Detective Natalie Ward Book 3
Jane’s daughter is a good girl. But what is she hiding?
When thirteen-year-old Savannah Hopkins doesn’t come straight home from school as she always does, her mother Jane immediately raises the alarm. With her blonde ponytail and red school jumper, someone must have spotted Savannah.
Detective Natalie Ward is determined to help the distraught mother – her own daughter is the same age as Savannah. But before Natalie and her team can get started, their worst fears are confirmed when the teenager’s broken body is found in nearby shrubland.
Evidence points towards a local recluse, but just as Natalie closes the net around him, one of Savannah’s friends, Harriet, is reported missing. Harriet might look grown up and sophisticated but she is only fourteen…
As Natalie delves into the lives of both girls, she soon discovers a sinister video on both their phones, daring the girls to disappear from their families for 48 hours. She’s sure this is the key to the case, but before she can act, Harriet’s body is found discarded on a roadside.
Natalie’s superiors don’t have to put any extra pressure on Natalie. Devastated, she and her team work without sleep, watching that video over and over. But just as she thinks they’re getting close, the person Natalie loves more than anything goes missing.
Natalie is no stranger to loss. She is terrified and the clock is ticking. Can she push through her fear to catch this depraved killer, before her loved one becomes the next victim?
This gripping rollercoaster of a read will have you up in the small hours turning the pages. Fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Caine and Robert Dugoni will love The Dare.
Order The Dare now!
Little Girl Lost
Detective Robyn Carter Book 1
Her breath rose and fell in fearful gasps but it was too late. She could already see what she dreaded most. The back seat was empty.
Her little girl was gone.
Abigail lives the perfect life with her doting husband and adorable baby Izzy. But someone knows a secret about Abigail and they want the truth to be told.
When Izzy is snatched from a carpark, it becomes a case for Detective Robyn Carter. Someone has been sending threatening messages to Abigail from an anonymous number. What is Abigail hiding?
Robyn’s instincts tell her there’s a connection between Izzy’s abduction and two murders she is investigating. But the last time she acted on impulse her fiancé was killed. To break this case and earn her place back on the force, she must learn to trust herself again – and fast. Robyn is on the hunt for a ruthless serial killer. And unless she gets to the twisted individual in time a little girl will die …
Gripping, fast-paced and nail-bitingly tense, this serial killer thriller will chill you to the bone. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
Order Little Girl Lost now!
Secrets of the Dead
Detective Robyn Carter Book 2
Colourful, plastic boats were scattered in puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, lips a shade of blue, and bloodshot eyes wide open.
When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and a second victim with a receipt confirms her worst fears.
There are no witnesses. The victims had no debts. With the body count rising and the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime in record time. But her team can’t find a link between the victims, and the cracks are starting to show.
Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers photographs in two of the victims’ houses, which she thinks could unlock the case. But as she hones in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.
Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late?
A heart-pounding, toe-curling, one-sitting serial killer thriller that will hook you from the first page till the last. Perfect for fans of Angela Marsons, Rachel Abbott and Karin Slaughter.
Order Secrets of the Dead now!
The Missing Girls
Detective Robyn Carter Book 3
One girl found dead. Another girl gone...
Long shadows danced on the tin walls. Inside the trunk lay Carrie Miller, wrapped in plastic, arms folded across her ribcage, lips sealed tight forever...
When, a girl’s body is found at a Midlands storage unit, it is too decomposed for Detective Robyn Carter to read the signs left by the killer.
No one knows the woman in blue who rented the unit; her hire van can’t be traced. But as the leads run dry another body is uncovered. This time the killer’s distinctive mark is plain to see, and matching scratches on the first victim’s skeleton make Robyn suspect she’s searching for a serial killer.
As Robyn closes in on the killer’s shocking hunting ground, another girl goes missing, and this time it’s someone close to her own heart.
