The one she was looking for was stepping up and down in the far corner. The long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail was the clue. The fact that her phone was in front of her on the display screen was the clincher.
Having found her target, Kim became oblivious to the sounds of people’s limbs lifting and striding or the curious glances she received as the only fully dressed person in the room.
All she cared about was one woman’s involvement in the death of a nineteen-year-old boy called Dewain.
Kim straddled the front of the machine. The shock on the face of Tracy Frost almost pierced her rage. But not quite.
‘A word?’ she asked, although it wasn’t really a question.
For a second the woman almost lost her footing and that would have been just too bad.
‘How the hell did you …?’ Tracy looked around. ‘Don’t tell me you used your badge to get in?’
‘A word, in private,’ Kim repeated.
Tracy continued to step.
‘Look, I’m happy to do it here,’ Kim said, raising her voice. ‘I’ll never see these people again.’
Kim could feel at least half the eyes in the room upon them already.
Tracy stepped backwards in a dismount, then reached for her phone.
Kim was surprised at the height of the woman and guessed her to be five two at best. Kim had never seen her without six-inch heels, whatever the weather.
Kim barged through the door to the ladies’ toilets and pushed Tracy against the wall. Her head missed the hand dryer by an inch.
‘What the fuck did you think you were doing?’ Kim screamed.
A cubicle door opened and a teenager scarpered out of the room. They were now alone.
‘You can’t touch me like—’
Kim stepped back so that only a sliver of space existed between them. ‘How the hell could you break that story, you stupid bitch? He’s dead, now. Dewain Wright is dead because of you.’
Tracy Frost, local reporter and all-round pond scum, blinked twice as Kim’s words found her brain. ‘But … my … story …’
‘Your story got him killed, you stupid cow.’
Tracy began to shake her head. Kim nodded. ‘Oh yes.’
Dewain Wright had been a teenager from the Hollytree estate. He’d been in a gang called the Hollytree Hoods for about three years and wanted to get out. The gang had got wind of it and stabbed him, leaving him for dead. They thought they’d killed him but a passer-by had performed CPR. That was when Kim had been called in to investigate attempted murder.
Her first instruction had been to conceal the fact that he was still alive from everyone except his family. She had known that if word got back to Hollytree the gang would find a way to finish him off.
She had spent that night in the chair beside his bed, praying he would defy the prognosis and breathe on his own. She had held his hand, offering him her own energy to find the strength to come back. The courage he’d shown in trying to change his life and battle the fates had touched her. She had wanted an opportunity to know the brave young man who had decided that gang life was not for him.
Kim leaned in close and speared Tracy with her eyes. There was no escape. ‘I begged you not to break the story but you just couldn’t help yourself, could you? It was all about being first, wasn’t it? Are you so bloody desperate to get noticed by the nationals you’d throw away a kid’s life?’ Kim screamed in her face. ‘Well, for your sake I hope they do notice you – because there’s no place for you here any more. I intend to make sure of it.’
‘It wasn’t because of—’
‘Of course it was because of you,’ Kim raged. ‘I don’t know how you found out he was still alive but he’s dead now. And this time it’s real.’
Confusion contorted her features. The stupid woman wanted to speak but couldn’t find any words. Kim wouldn’t have listened anyway.
‘You know he was trying to get out, don’t you? Dewain was a decent kid just trying not to die.’
‘It couldn’t have been because of me,’ Tracy said, as the colour began to return to her face.
‘Yes, Tracy, it was,’ Kim said emphatically. ‘The blood of Dewain Wright is on your grubby little hooves.’
‘I was only doing my job. The world had a right to know.’
Kim stepped in closer.
‘I swear to God, Tracy, I will not rest until the closest you come to a newspaper is driving the delivery—’
Her words were cut off by the ringing of her mobile phone.
Tracy took the opportunity to step out of Kim’s reach.
‘Stone,’ she answered.
‘I need you at the station. Now.’
Detective Chief Inspector Woodward wasn’t the warmest of bosses but he normally took the time to offer some kind of curt greeting.
Kim’s mind worked quickly. He was calling her on Sunday lunchtime after insisting that she take the day off. And he was already pissed off at something.
‘I’m on my way, Stacey. Get me a dry white wine,’ she said, hanging up the phone. If her boss was confused because she’d just called him Stacey, she’d explain it to him later.
No way was she going to reveal an urgent call from her boss while standing within spitting distance of the most despicable reporter she’d ever met.
It could be one of two things. Either she was in a shitload of trouble or there was something big kicking off. Neither scenario would benefit from this lowlife hearing the conversation.
She turned back to Tracy Frost. ‘Just don’t think this is over. I will find a way to make you pay for what you did. I promise,’ Kim said, opening the bathroom door.
‘I’ll have your job for this,’ Tracy shouted after her.
‘Crack on,’ Kim tossed over her shoulder. A nineteen-year-old had died last night, for nothing. These weren’t the best days she’d ever had.
And she had a feeling that this one was about to get worse.
LOST GIRLS
available now
PLAY DEAD
DETECTIVE KIM STONE CRIME THRILLER SERIES BOOK 4
The dead don’t tell secrets… unless you listen.
The girl’s smashed-in face stared unseeing up to the blue sky, soil spilling out of her mouth. A hundred flies hovered above the bloodied mess.
Westerley research facility is not for the faint-hearted. A ‘body farm’ investigating human decomposition, its inhabitants are corpses in various states of decay. But when Detective Kim Stone and her team discover the fresh body of a young woman, it seems a killer has discovered the perfect cover to bury their crime.
Then a second girl is attacked and left for dead, her body drugged and mouth filled with soil. It’s clear to Stone and the team that a serial killer is at work – but just how many bodies will they uncover? And who is next?
As local reporter, Tracy Frost, disappears, the stakes are raised. The past seems to hold the key to the killer’s secrets – but can Kim uncover the truth before a twisted, damaged mind claims another victim …?
The latest utterly addictive thriller from the No.1 bestseller Angela Marsons.
ORDER HERE!
BLOOD LINES
DETECTIVE KIM STONE CRIME THRILLER SERIES BOOK 5
How do you catch a killer who leaves no trace?
A victim killed with a single, precise stab to the heart appears at first glance to be a robbery gone wrong. A caring, upstanding social worker lost to a senseless act of violence. But for Detective Kim Stone, something doesn’t add up.
When a local drug addict is found murdered with an identical wound, Kim knows instinctively that she is dealing with the same killer. But with nothing to link the two victims except the cold, calculated nature of their death, this could be her most difficult case yet.
Desperate to catch the twisted individual, Kim’s focus on the case is threatened when she receives a chilling letter from Dr Alex Thorne, the sociopath who Kim put behind bars. And this time, Alex is determined to hit where it hurts most, bring
ing Kim face-to-face with the woman responsible for the death of Kim’s little brother – her own mother.
As the body count increases, Kim and her team unravel a web of dark secrets, bringing them closer to the killer. But one of their own could be in mortal danger. Only this time, Kim might not be strong enough to save them…
A totally gripping thriller that will have you hooked from the very first page to the final, dramatic twist.
ORDER HERE!
DEAD SOULS
DETECTIVE KIM STONE CRIME THRILLER SERIES BOOK 6
The truth was dead and buried… until now.
When a collection of human bones is unearthed during a routine archaeological dig, a Black Country field suddenly becomes a complex crime scene for Detective Kim Stone.
As the bones are sorted, it becomes clear that the grave contains more than one victim. The bodies hint at unimaginable horror, bearing the markings of bullet holes and animal traps.
Forced to work alongside Detective Travis, with whom she shares a troubled past, Kim begins to uncover a dark secretive relationship between the families who own the land in which the bodies were found.
But while Kim is immersed in one of the most complicated investigations she’s ever led, her team are caught up in a spate of sickening hate crimes. Kim is close to revealing the truth behind the murders, yet soon finds one of her own is in jeopardy - and the clock is ticking. Can she solve the case and save them from grave danger – before it’s too late?
An addictive, sinister crime thriller that will have readers on the edge of their seat.
ORDER HERE!
DEAR MOTHER
A GRIPPING AND EMOTIONAL STORY THAT WILL MAKE YOU SOB YOUR HEART OUT
Three sisters. Three childhoods ruined. One chance to heal the scars of the past.
After their death of their cruel and abusive mother, estranged sisters Alex, Catherine and Beth reunite once again.
Alex, the youngest, is a bitter, unhappy woman who refuses to face the horrors of her childhood. Finding solace in a bottle, her life is spiralling dangerously out of control.
Eldest child, Catherine, has strived for success, despite her difficult upbringing. But behind the carefully constructed façade lies a secret that could shatter her world forever.
Beth, the middle child, bore the greatest burden. But having blocked out the cruelty they suffered, she remained with their mother until her death. Now she must confront the devastating reality of the past.
Brought together as strangers, the sisters embark on a painful journey to heal themselves and each other. Can they finally put their terrible childhoods to rest and start over?
An emotional, heart-breaking and compelling novel for readers of Diane Chamberlain, Amanda Prowse and Kelly Rimmer.
ORDER HERE!
Previously Published as The Middle Child
THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN
A GRIPPING, EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER READ YOU'LL DEVOUR IN ONE SITTING
Two ordinary women. Two damaged lives. One friendship that would save them both
Kit Mason has lived a life of unimaginable pain. An ex-prostitute, she has fled the clutches of an abusive pimp and now finds herself living hand to mouth in a new city, without anyone to help her.
Frances Thornton seems to be living the perfect life. A lawyer from a privileged background, her perfect façade hides the painful secrets that still haunt her.
Brought together by their attempts to conquer their addictions in an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, the two women strike up an unlikely friendship.
But can they find strength in each other – or will the demons of their past catch up with them?
A compelling, moving and ultimately uplifting novel about overcoming the very worst life can throw at you and starting over. The perfect read for fans of Jodi Picoult and Amanda Prowse.
ORDER HERE!
Previously published as My Name Is
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
As ever, my first acknowledgement must be to my partner, Julie. If there is blood, sweat and tears from the author this must be doubly so for an author’s partner. She feels every emotion of the process along with me from the excitement of the initial idea to the inevitable despair and self-doubt along the way. And yet she always manages to dispel my fears and fan my joy. She never lets me forget the reasons I love to write.
Thank you to my Mum and Dad who continue to spread the word proudly to anyone who will listen. And to my sister Lyn, her husband Clive and my nephews Matthew and Christopher for their support and a really cool photo of one of my books in Harrods.
Thank you to Amanda and Steve Nicol who support us in so many ways and to Kyle Nicol for book spotting my books everywhere he goes.
I would like to thank the team at Bookouture for their continued enthusiasm for Kim Stone and her stories. In particular, the incredible Keshini Naidoo who never tires in her encouragement and passion for what we do. To Oliver Rhodes who gave Kim Stone an opportunity to exist. To Kim Nash (Mama Bear) who works tirelessly to promote our books and protect us from the world. To Noelle Holten who has limitless enthusiasm and passion for our work.
I can not write a book without acknowledging the growing family of Bookouture authors. Their enthusiasm for each other is genuine and provides an environment of friendship, advice and support. Thank you to the fantastic Kim Slater who has been an incredible support and friend to me for many years now and to the fabulous Caroline Mitchell, Renita D’Silva, Sue Watson and Mel Sherratt without whom this journey would be impossible.
My eternal gratitude goes to all the wonderful bloggers and reviewers who have taken the time to get to know Kim Stone and follow her story. These wonderful people shout loudly and share generously not because it is their job but because it is their passion. I will never tire of thanking this community for their support of both myself and my books. Thank you all so much.
Massive thanks to all my fabulous readers, especially the ones that have taken time out of their busy day to visit me on my website, Facebook page, Goodreads or Twitter.
Published by Bookouture
An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
www.bookouture.com
Copyright © Angela Marsons 2017
Angela Marsons 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.
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.
ISBN: 978-1-78681-302-2
Table of Contents
Dedication
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
SILENT SCREAM
Angela’s Email Sign Up
Also by Angela Marsons
A Letter from Angela
EVIL GAMES
LOST GIRLS
PLAY DEAD
BLOOD LINES
DEAD SOULS
DEAR MOTHER
THE FORGOTTEN WOMAN
Acknowledgements
Copyright
Broken Bones: A gripping serial killer thriller (Detective Kim Stone Crime Thriller Series Book 7) Page 30
