by Michael Wood
She didn’t wait for a reply. Her voice was breaking, the raw emotion difficult to contain.
‘I can’t continue with my life while I don’t know where Carl is. I will campaign, I will do interviews and I will keep him alive in everyone’s mind until someone tells me where he is. Until that day arrives I don’t have a life. And neither will you.’ Sally turned and walked away, her head held high, her strides strong and determined.
Matilda and Adele waited until she had driven away, before any of them dared move or speak.
‘Are you OK?’ Adele asked pointlessly.
‘No I’m not. She blames me.’
‘She’s angry. She’s still grieving. I read in the paper the other day she’s writing a book.’
‘What?’
‘She signed a six-figure deal to write a book about her ordeal and the treatment she received at the hands of the press and police.’
‘Oh my God. It’s going to be a hatchet job.’
‘Not necessarily.’
‘The woman hates me, Adele. It’s hardly going to be a love letter is it?’
‘Come on. Let’s go and have a drink.’ Adele grabbed her arm and tried to get her into the car.
‘No. I don’t want to. I want to be on my own.’
‘Matilda, that’s the last thing you should be.’
‘I’ll call you later.’
Matilda turned and headed back towards the graveyard. She needed someone to talk to, someone who wouldn’t judge her, someone who would understand exactly how she was feeling right now. James or Jonathan?
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It may take one person to create a story, but it takes a whole team to put the words in the correct order. I would like to thank Lucy Dauman, Kate Stephenson and all the team at Killer Reads and HarperCollins, and Janette Currie, my brilliant copyeditor.
Claire Walker of iGene London Ltd. who gave me a detailed insight into digital autopsies and answered my many questions. I hope I wasn’t too much of an inconvenience. Alex Curran who supplied me with some excellent legal advice. Unfortunately, the plot didn’t make the final version of this book but I am very grateful to you, and to Chris Ratcliff for the author photographs.
The advice given to me by members of the police, who wish not to be named, has been invaluable. Any mistakes are my own and for the purposes of fiction.
I have been given some sensible advice, great reviews and encouragement by established writers in the crime fiction community: Alex Marwood, Elly Griffiths, Ben Cheetham, Chris Simms, M. H. Hall – thank you all. I owe you a drink.
I am also indebted to the reviewers and bloggers who helped to make my first book a success. There are too many to name but you know who you are. A special shout out to Kate, Noelle (and Buster), Joseph, Amanda, Liz, Karen, David, Sarah, Vicki, Kelly and Fiona.
The usual suspects to thank are: Jonas, Chris, Kevin, Chris, and most importantly, the encouragement of my family, specifically my mum (who supplied cake to keep me writing and spread the word about my book to most of Sheffield) and the devotion of and motivation from Woody (best writing companion ever).
If you enjoyed Outside Looking In, try the first book in the series:
DCI Matilda Darke has returned to work after a nine month absence. A shadow of her former self, she is tasked with re-opening a cold case: the terrifyingly brutal murders of Miranda and Stefan Harkness. The only witness was their eleven-year-old son, Jonathan, who was too deeply traumatized to speak a word.
Then a dead body is discovered, and the investigation leads back to Matilda’s case. Suddenly the past and present converge, and it seems a killer may have come back for more…
Click here to order a copy of For Reasons Unknown
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. Outside Looking In is the second novel in his DCI Matilda Darke series.
@MichaelWood
Also by Michael Wood
For Reasons Unknown
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