Helen Phifer - The Ghost House

There’s not much that scares Annie Graham. Not even the horrors she has witnessed during her years on the police force.

When she agrees to look after her brother’s farmhouse, she finds herself drawn to the crumbling old mansion in the woods nearby. But an innocent exploration of the empty ruin and the discovery of the diary of former resident Alice leaves her more than a little spooked. She knows it holds the secrets to a dark past, and she has to find out more.

What was the terrible truth that Alice uncovered? And how could what happened to her over 100 years ago help solve the murders of young women in the town?

Annie needs to stop the serial killer before she becomes his next victim – but the past comes back to haunt her in ways she could never have expected.

Copyright

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2013

Copyright © Helen Phifer 2013

Helen Phifer 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.

E-book Edition © June 2013 ISBN: 9781472018069

Version date: 2019-03-13

HELEN PHIFERhas had a few jobs over the years: hairdresser, care assistant and cleaner. Not to mention a wife, mother of five and grandmother (although she still feels far too young to be the latter).

For the last six years she has worked full time for Cumbria Constabulary as a PCSO and loves her job – well, most of the time. She’ll let you into a little secret; she originally applied for her current job to help with her writing. She wanted to make it as realistic as she could and never imagined she would be accepted!

She has loved to read and write since she discovered Enid Blyton as a young child. In her teens she was hooked on Stephen King – she loves reading books which make the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and he never lets her down.

She started writing in her twenties. In her thirties she got an idea for a crime/ghost story that wouldn’t go away. The fact that she couldn’t find enough of the stories she loved persuaded her to get hers down on paper and she is so glad that she did. She started this book eight years ago and it has been a labour of love but one of which she is very proud.

You can contact follow Helen on her blog at http://helenphifer.wordpress.com, her website at www.helenphifer.co.ukand on Twitter, @helenphifer1.

This story is indeed a work of fiction and for anything I have got wrong regarding forensics or police it is entirely my doing and I have to admit I have used my creative license to sometimes bend the truth a little. I would also like to state for the record that this book was plotted and my first draft written before I even applied to work for Cumbria Constabulary and therefore any similarities between my characters and colleagues are entirely by coincidence. None of the characters are based on any of the police officers or staff that I work with. On the other hand, however, I’m open to suggestions for my next book!

I would like to say a huge thank you to the Romantic Novelists Association and their New Writers Scheme. To Jan Jones for setting up a meeting with my editor, the lovely Anna Baggaley. To Anna for taking a chance and believing in me. To the wonderful team at HQ Digital for everything. To the amazing Jayne Jakeman, who runs our local writing group and has spent so much time nurturing and showing me the error of my ways, and, of course, my amazing Roose Writers who are such a talented, supportive bunch: Joan, Cathy, Anne, Pip, Luke, Jaz and Eddie your turn next. And not forgetting Claire at Roose library for the support and supply of coffee. I would also like to thank my writing friend Bernadette O’Dwyer for all her wonderful support and, of course, my fellow blog members at TheWriteRomantics, you are all amazing.

A huge thank you goes to my friend John for allowing me to pick his brains concerning anything and everything. Caroline Kendall for being my very first reader and not telling me to find another hobby. My friends, colleagues and fellow PCSOs, especially Sam, Tracy, Tina and the late Cathy, who I miss so much, for their endless inspiration and laughter. Liz Gaskell for her graphic explanation of a post mortem. My brother Mark, his wife Christine and family for buying the most amazing house which inspired this book: I’m really sorry and I hope I haven’t put you off living there.

Last but not least my mam and dad for always being there, my husband Steve for his support and belief in me, and my children Jessica, Joshua, Jerusha, Jaimea and Jeorgia for putting up with the microwave meals and unwashed towels – your mum loves you – really xx

For my brother Chris and my best friend Cathy, two of the brightest stars in the sky.

Cover

Blurb

Title Page

Copyright

Author Bio

Acknowledgements

Dedication

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

Epilogue

Extract

Endpages

About the Publisher

Annie Graham studied the selection of keys on the rusty hook behind the kitchen door, looking for the one to the crumbling, Victorian mansion. Recognising the white, plastic key ring she plucked it off the hook and pushed it into the bottom of her pocket. Earlier she had filled her rucksack with a torch, some rope, a bottle of water, a bag of Quavers and a bar of chocolate: all the things a girl couldn’t live without. She felt like Indiana Jones, about to go on an adventure.

Her training as a police officer made her less inclined to fear the things most of her friends would. Through work she had been in some really sticky situations. She just hoped the inside of the house wasn’t in as much of a state as her brother Ben had warned her about. Tess was whining to come but if she let her run loose and Tess got injured she’d be in big trouble or, in Jake’s words, ‘well and truly busted’.

She locked up then walked along the tiny overgrown path that skirted the outside of Ben’s farmhouse and led through the woods to the mansion, which was a couple of minutes away. Soon the tall chimneys were visible, peeking above the tops of the oak trees. She pushed through a small gap in the bushes, fighting with the brambles, to find herself standing in front of the mansion.