The Liar's House: An absolutely gripping thriller with a fantastic twist (Detective Gina Harte Book 4)
Page 28
‘It’s my day off,’ he replied.
‘Okay, Chris.’
There was a slight pause. She could hear some music in the background, something jazzy and light. ‘I just thought I’d give you a call. I haven’t heard from you for a few days.’
‘Well I’ve had a few days off. I’ll be back in next week. You miss me, don’t you?’
‘You know I do, Gina.’
‘Chris, if I ask you something, promise you won’t answer with a lie?’ She gripped her steaming hot coffee and took a sip while she waited for him to answer.
‘That depends on what you want to ask. I think I know where this is going.’
The café was busy. Several people laughed as they talked about the latest sitcom that they were watching. She grabbed her drink and headed outside, sitting while watching the world go by. ‘That’s better, I can hear now. I’m going to get straight to the point. Steven never bothered me again after the search of Dawn’s house. Steven doesn’t go away that easily. I want to know what you said to him.’ She shivered even though the June sun was almost burning her arms.
‘What makes you think I said something to him?’
She remained silent.
‘Okay, okay. That day outside Dawn’s house. I passed him a make-up compact. It was so easy, he just took it. After he passed it back to me, I told him it was prime evidence in an unsolved murder case from twenty years ago. I said if he didn’t leave you alone, the case would be reopened and his prints would match the prints on the compact. I said as long as he leaves you alone, the compact would remain hidden forever and would never see the light of day. You’re right about him being stupid, he lapped it all up, called me a bastard and stormed off.’
Gina’s pulse was heavy, each beat of her heart seeming to take forever. He’d risked everything to help her and in many ways he had also been stupid.
‘Gina, say something.’
‘Why would you do this?’ Not only had she ruined her own life with secrets, she’d now left Briggs with a huge burden to carry.
‘You know why. There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you. I’d draw the line at eating kale.’
‘You shouldn’t have. You know, sir. You’re the only man in my life who’s treated me with any respect and I’m thanking you for that.’
He paused and exhaled. ‘Yet I’m the only one you seem to be pushing away. Do you see a pattern?’
A tear crept down her cheek. Memories of Terry, Steven, Rex and the unfulfilling Tinder dates ran through her thoughts.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said with a sniffle as she ended the call. Gina knew he’d be upset. In another time and place, she’d run to him and kiss him, tell him that she loved him and stay with him. It was all way more complicated than he was suggesting but still, his words had hit her like she’d been slapped across the face.
Clip, clip, clip. The noise stopped beside her. She placed her phone in her pocket and looked up. ‘Diane, I’m so glad you could come for a drink. How are you feeling?’
‘Taking one step at a time.’
Gina smiled. Diane had combed her hair and even put on a little make-up. The loose jeans and corduroy jacket she wore looked dated but she looked smart and clean. Diane was a woman who had very little but she’d certainly made that little amount go a long way in readiness for their coffee date.
‘It’s so lovely to have someone to meet up with for a drink. I haven’t been out socially in years. Thank you, Detective.’
‘Call me Gina. What can I get you?’
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Books by Carla Kovach
Detective Gina Harte Series:
The Next Girl
Her Final Hour
Her Pretty Bones
The Liar’s House
Meet Me at Marmaris Castle
Whispers Beneath the Pines
To Let
Flame
AVAILABLE IN AUDIO
The Next Girl (UK listeners | US listeners)
Her Final Hour (UK listeners | US listeners)
Her Pretty Bones (UK listeners | US listeners)
A Letter from Carla
Dear Reader,
I’d like to thank you for choosing to read The Liar’s House, the fourth book in the DI Gina Harte series. Did I say fourth? I can’t believe how fast this past couple of years have gone.
I can’t express how much I enjoyed writing this book so I truly hope you enjoyed reading it too. If you did, I’d be grateful if you would leave me a review on Amazon, iBooks, Kobo or Google. Being a writer, I find reviews invaluable and I’m always appreciative when a reader has taken the time to leave one.
If you’d like to be kept up-to-date with my news and new releases, sign up to the following link. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Sign up here.
Lastly, I love chatting on social media and can mostly be found on my Facebook page and on Instagram. Please do pop by!
Once again, here’s a massive thank you for reading The Liar’s House!
Carla Kovach
The Next Girl
Detective Gina Harte Book 1
Get it here!
You thought he’d come to save you. You were wrong.
‘Absolutely the best thriller I’ve read this year!’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars
‘I absolutely, totally and utterly LOVED reading The Next Girl… has to be one of my top reads of 2018.' Ginger Book Geek, 5 stars
‘Oh my goodness! This was gripping and fast moving from page one.’ Southern and Sassy Wine Lady, 5 stars
Deborah Jenkins pulls her coat around her for the short walk home in the pouring rain. But she never makes it home that night. And she is never seen again…
Four years later, an abandoned baby girl is found wrapped in dirty rags on a doorstep. An anonymous phone call urges the police to run a DNA test on the baby. But nobody is prepared for the results.
The newborn belongs to Deborah. She’s still alive…
THE GRIPPING THRILLER EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT – if you like Lisa Gardner, Robert Bryndza or Clare Mackintosh, you will absolutely love The Next Girl. A completely unputdownable page-turner with an ending that will blow your mind.
Her Final Hour
Detective Gina Harte Book 2
Anything can happen behind closed doors…
The gripping new novel from the author of bestseller THE NEXT GIRL. Her Final Hour will have you hooked!
Melissa Sanderson is the perfect wife and mother. She dotes on her daughter, and lives in her dream home in a quiet cul-de-sac in the suburbs.
But looks can be deceiving.
Something is amiss in that house – all the neighbours think so. Some say Melissa is having an affair. Others say she’s been drinking too much.
Then one night, sirens wake up the whole neighbourhood.
Melissa Sanderson is dead.
AN ABSORBING THRILLER WITH AN ENDING YOU WON’T SEE COMING – if you like Lisa Gardner, Robert Bryndza or Clare Mackintosh, you’ll love this absolutely heart-stopping thriller from Carla Kovach.
Get it here!
Her Pretty Bones
Detective Gina Harte Book 3
Get it here!
THE UNPUTDOWNABLE NEW THRILLER FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE NEXT GIRL
She’s just the girl he’s looking for…
A young woman falls from a vehicle speeding down a quiet road. Battered and bruised, she turns her head to the person who comes to her aid. ‘Help her’, she whispers before her eyes close.
Days later, the body of another young girl is found in a shallow g
rave just a few miles away. The similarities between the two girls are startling – same age, same frail body, same shocking red hair.
As the town fears there’s a serial killer living amongst them, Detective Gina Harte must put aside her own struggles at home, and catch the killer before he finds another perfect girl.
AN ABSOLUTELY HEART-STOPPING CRIME THRILLER FROM CARLA KOVACH – if you like Lisa Gardner, Robert Bryndza or Clare Mackintosh, Her Pretty Bones will have you hooked.
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Acknowledgements
I love writing the acknowledgments. It’s always at this point I realise how many people have helped me in my writing quest.
My editor, Helen Jenner, is the best; always giving me fantastic edit notes. Without her, my work wouldn’t shine half as much. As always, I’m appreciative of everything she does and I can’t wait to work with her again on the next book.
The Bookouture publicity team are amazing. Noelle Holton and Kim Nash are always there to cheer our books on. From author live interviews to constantly working away on Twitter, you deserve your reputation as the dream team. I can’t thank you both enough.
The next huge thank you has to go out to bloggers and my Bookouture buddies. Book bloggers are amazing and work so hard for the love of books. I know their time is precious and I’m always extremely grateful when they have given some of it to me. As for my Bookouture buddies, I’m so honoured to be a part of this amazing family. The support and love given almost makes me want to weep with joy. Through ups and downs, the Bookouture family is the best.
As this book was dedicated to friends, I have to move on to a special set of friends of whom I think the world. Thank you to the lovelies who beta read my work. That’s Brooke Venables, Vanessa Morgan, Derek Coleman, Lynne Ward and Su Biela. I’m thrilled to have you all in my life and long may our friendships continue, as well as our love of books.
Finding a happy place, somewhere where the words flow, can sometimes be a challenge, which is why I want to extend my gratitude to Redditch Library. I think I wrote most of The Liar’s House in one of their quiet corners. Oh, and thank you to my writing buddy, Mark Wallace. It’s great to have someone spurring you on.
Finally I’d like to thank my husband, Nigel Buckley. He’s always there, picks me up when I’m down and celebrates with me when I’m up. He truly is my rock!
Published by Bookouture in 2019
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Carla Kovach, 2019
Carla Kovach has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-880-5
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.