Joss Stirling - The Silence

A division of HarperCollins Publishers

www.harpercollins.co.uk

Killer Reads is an imprint of

HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by Killer Reads 2019

Copyright © Joss Stirling 2019

Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019

Cover image © Shutterstock.com

Joss Stirling asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008358211

Ebook Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9780008358204

Version: 2019-04-19

For Richard Blackford

‘There are times when one cannot lift a blade of grass without finding a serpent underneath it.’

Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786-1859)

‘Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.’

Elie Wiesel (1928-2016)

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page The Silence JOSS STIRLING A division of HarperCollins Publishers www.harpercollins.co.uk

Copyright Killer Reads is an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published in Great Britain by Killer Reads 2019 Copyright © Joss Stirling 2019 Cover design © HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 2019 Cover image © Shutterstock.com Joss Stirling asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. Source ISBN: 9780008358211 Ebook Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9780008358204 Version: 2019-04-19

Dedication For Richard Blackford

Epigraph ‘There are times when one cannot lift a blade of grass without finding a serpent underneath it.’ Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (1786-1859) ‘Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.’ Elie Wiesel (1928-2016)

Prologue Prologue Jonah, Present Day Jonah never thought he had it in him to kill a woman, but he was wrong. She was lying at his feet. He had to make the call. Grabbing the receiver on the old landline phone, he dialled in the number. It took so long for the dial to turn back. 9 click-click-click , 9 click-click-click , 9 click-click-click . ‘Which service do you require?’ ‘Ambulance – police – both.’ Her scream still drilled in his ear even though she was silent. He’d only thought to shut her up. ‘I think I’ve hurt someone.’ There was a microscopic pause before training kicked in. ‘Address, please?’ His mind went blank. Despite living here for two years, he couldn’t remember the postcode. ‘Gallant House. Blackheath. Off the Hare and Billet Road. Postcode? Can’t think …’ He scrabbled among the papers on the console table, shaking petals from the arrangement of lilacs, until he found a letter and was able to read it off. ‘And your name?’ He was in so much trouble. ‘Jonah Brigson. But don’t waste time! I need someone here right now!’ ‘I’ve already dispatched an ambulance, Jonah. Please try to stay calm. I’m going to ask you about the casualty. Are they breathing?’ ‘I don’t know – can’t see from here.’ She was lying on the cold tiles, a little on her side, one arm across her stomach, the other out as if reaching for something. ‘Can you keep on the line and check at the same time?’ ‘Yes.’ The landlady’s reluctance to update anything in the house resulted in the phone base and vase of lilacs crashing to the floor as Jonah dragged the attached receiver with him. Water chased him over the tiles. He touched the slim throat his fingers had squeezed. ‘Are you still with me, Jonah?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Are they breathing?’ ‘I don’t think so. I don’t know.’ ‘Do you know CPR?’ ‘Yes.’ Stupid, so stupid! He’d done this enough times. He should’ve realised what to do. ‘What’s the patient’s name?’ ‘I’m putting the phone down on the ground.’ Jonah gently rearranged her on to her back so he could tip her chin slightly into the required position. This felt so wrong – he the one to have hurt her now the one who would try to save her. The voice on the line babbled away but Jonah ignored it. He began to breathe for her.

Part 1 – The Fair Part 1 – The Fair

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

Part 2 – The Fool’s Room

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Part 3 – The Moor’s Room

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

Part 4 – Return to the Fair

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

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

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About the Author

About the Publisher

Jonah never thought he had it in him to kill a woman, but he was wrong. She was lying at his feet.

He had to make the call. Grabbing the receiver on the old landline phone, he dialled in the number. It took so long for the dial to turn back. 9 click-click-click , 9 click-click-click , 9 click-click-click .

‘Which service do you require?’