For Reasons Unknown

by Michael Wood

  She walked in silence and at a slow pace over the hard frozen ground through row after row of well-kept graves; white marble headstones with gold lettering, black headstones with a framed picture of a much-missed loved one. The older tombs were grander, with more ornate stonework. Over the years tastes had simplified and less was certainly more.

  At the end of a row was the grave she was looking for, and she stopped in her tracks. Scott almost bumped into her. She looked ahead at the sight she had been expecting.

  The grave belonged to Stephen Egan, and on the ground just under the headstone, lying in the foetal position, was the frozen body of Jonathan Harkness. He was curled up tight, arms firmly wrapped around his knees. His face was pale and his lips blue; a coating of frost in his hair and his dry eyes wide open.

  Acknowledgements

  There are many people who have helped me in the publication of this book. Firstly, I would like to thank my brilliant publisher, Kate Stephenson, and the rest of the team at Killer Reads and Harper Collins. Their hard work has turned my dream into a reality and I shall be forever thankful for them.

  I have received invaluable support from Margaret Murphy, Danuta Reah, Adele Ward, and Chris Simmons. Their knowledge and words of wisdom were very well received and I hope my constant questions didn’t annoy them too much.

  A massive thank you must go to my good friends Jonas Alexander for helping me out of plot holes, the coffees and the laughs, and Chris Schofield and Kevin Embleton for the weekends away from reality.

  Finally, to my mum – a wonderful and strong woman who has always believed in me from the start, and encouraged me to continue even when I wanted to give in. I will never be able to thank you enough for your support. The homemade cakes helped too.

  A special thank you to Woody; the perfect writing companion – always listening, never criticising.

  About the Author

  Michael Wood is a freelance journalist and proofreader living in Sheffield. As a journalist he has covered many crime stories throughout Sheffield, gaining first-hand knowledge of police procedure. He also reviews books for CrimeSquad, a website dedicated to crime fiction.

  About the Publisher

  Australia

  HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.

  Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

  Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

  http://www.harpercollins.com.au

  Canada

  HarperCollins Canada

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  Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada

  http://www.harpercollins.ca

  New Zealand

  HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited

  P.O. Box 1

  Auckland, New Zealand

  http://www.harpercollins.co.nz

  United Kingdom

  HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

  1 London Bridge Street

  London, SE1 9GF, UK

  http://www.harpercollins.co.uk

  United States

  HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

  195 Broadway

  New York, NY 10007

  http://www.harpercollins.com