J.T. Ellison - Lie To Me

Praise for Lie to Me

‘Wonderful... A one-more-chapter, don't-eat-dinner, stay-up-late sensation.’

Lee Child, Sunday Times bestselling author

‘A wickedly good thriller about a picture-perfect marriage that is anything but, LIE TO ME has it all: murder, lies and betrayal. J.T. Ellison will have readers hanging onto the edge of their seats with her latest cunning tale.’

Mary Kubica, New York Times Bestselling Author of THE GOOD GIRL

‘LIE TO ME twists you up, throws you into nail-biting action and unexpected revelations. Belt yourself in for this roller coaster ride.’

Catherine Coulter, #1 New York Times bestselling author of ENIGMA

‘Sharply written and masterfully plotted, full of hard truths about the creative life and modern marriage, Ellison has written her finest novel - a breakout page-turner certain to win her a wide audience.’

Jeff Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of BLAME

Lie to Me

J.T. Ellison

For Amy, who believed

And as always, for Randy

Contents

Cover

Praise Praise for Lie to Me ‘Wonderful... A one-more-chapter, don't-eat-dinner, stay-up-late sensation.’ Lee Child , Sunday Times bestselling author ‘A wickedly good thriller about a picture-perfect marriage that is anything but, LIE TO ME has it all: murder, lies and betrayal. J.T. Ellison will have readers hanging onto the edge of their seats with her latest cunning tale.’ Mary Kubica , New York Times Bestselling Author of THE GOOD GIRL ‘LIE TO ME twists you up, throws you into nail-biting action and unexpected revelations. Belt yourself in for this roller coaster ride.’ Catherine Coulter , #1 New York Times bestselling author of ENIGMA ‘Sharply written and masterfully plotted, full of hard truths about the creative life and modern marriage, Ellison has written her finest novel - a breakout page-turner certain to win her a wide audience.’ Jeff Abbott , New York Times bestselling author of BLAME

Title Page Lie to Me J.T. Ellison

Dedication For Amy, who believed And as always, for Randy

IN WHICH INTRODUCTIONS ARE MADE IN WHICH INTRODUCTIONS ARE MADE You aren’t going to like me very much. Oh, maybe in your weaker moments, you’ll feel sorry for me, and use those feelings of warmth and compassion and insightful understanding to excuse my actions. You’ll say to yourself, “Poor little girl. She couldn’t help herself.” Or, “Can you blame her? After all she’s been through?” Perhaps you’ll even think, “She was born to this. It is not her fault.” Of course it’s my fault. I chose this path. Yes, I feel as if I have no choice, that I’m driven to do it, that there are voices in my head that push me to the dark side. But I also know right from wrong. I know good from evil. I may be compelled to ruin the lives in front of me, but I could walk away if I wanted. Couldn’t I? Never mind that. Back to you. Truly, deep down, you are going to despise me. I am the rot that lives in the floorboards of your house. I am the spider that scuttles away when you shine a light in my corner, ever watching, ever waiting. I am the shard of glass that slits the skin of your bare foot. I am all the bad things that happen to you. I steal things. I kill things. I leave a trail of destruction in my wake that is a sight to behold, wave after wave of hate that will overwhelm you until you sink to the bottom of my miserable little ocean, and once you’ve drowned I will feed on your flesh and turn your bones to dust. You’re mine now. You are powerless against me. So don’t bother fighting it. I hope you enjoy the show.

WE FIND A BODY WE FIND A BODY The body was in the woods off a meandering state road that led into a busy, charming, historical downtown. It was completely obscured from view, deeply hidden, under several pine boughs and a thick layer of nature’s detritus. Synthetic clothing was melted to the flesh, making it difficult to tell race or gender at a glance. Closer inspection would show hair that was long and a curious shade: not blond, not red, possibly chemically treated. The left hand held evidence of rings, a wedding set, and the body would eventually be determined as female. The shroud of melt and bough had not stopped the forever daisy-chain progression of decay. Instar maggots and adult flies delighted in their found treat. A genus party started soon after. Diptera and coleoptera were evident three days in, paving the way for the coming colonization of Calliphoridae. Though the body was burned beyond ready recognition, the insects didn’t seem to mind; it was simply a barbecue feast to them. Outside of this natural progression, the body lay undisturbed for two days. Birds of prey flew in long, lazy circles overhead. Cars drove past less than fifty yards away, drivers unknowing, uncaring, that one of their own lay rotting nearby. Three Days Gone, a severe thunderstorm knocked free several of the funereal branches, allowing the body to be exposed, pelted by hail breaking through the leafy canopy. The heavy rains saturated the ground and the body sank deeper into the muck, where it canted on its side. Four Days Gone, the body was ravaged by a starving coyote, forty-two razor teeth shredding everything available. Five Days Gone, the body disarticulated, the fire and the heat and the wet and the insects and the coyote and the natural progression of things breaking it down quickly and without thought to the effects this would have on the loved ones. The idea of a nonintact body was sometimes more than people could take. Six Days Gone, they found her.

ETHAN ETHAN “Chaos is a name for any order that produces confusion in our minds.” —George Santayana

SOMETHING’S MISSING

DID SHE, OR DIDN’T SHE?

THERE ARE CRACKS IN EVERY MARRIAGE

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST

DISCOVERIES ARE MADE

A TWIST OF THE KNIFE

AND THEN THEY WERE THREE

THE FRIENDS COME A-CALLING

BURN ALL THE LAWYERS

THE TANGLED WEBS WE WEAVE

SIDS, OR NOT TO SIDS

THE STRANGE CASE OF THE MISSING WIFE

THE POLICE ARRIVE

GLORY DAYS

TELL ME YOUR SECRETS

WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON HERE?

THE INVESTIGATION BEGINS

READ ALL ABOUT IT

THE FIRST BREAK

IN WHICH WE RECEIVE A CLUE

VOICES, I HEAR VOICES

ANOTHER DAWN IS DAWNING

LIFE AS WE KNOW IT HAS ENDED

FRANCOPHILES IN FRANKLIN

STOP THE MADNESS

SHE WHO KNEW HER BEST

AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE

A VIDEO IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

GOOD TIMING, OFFICER

A TRAIL EMERGES

I HEAR YOU’RE MISSING A WIFE

A CORROSIVE BEAST

LET’S GO FOR A DRIVE

TAKE A WALK ON THE WILDE SIDE

THE TIES THAT BIND

BLACKMAIL, OR HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?

WHEN ALL YOU KNOW IS FALSE

A CHANGE OF HEART

I’M COMING HOME, I’M COMING HOME

THE MAN IS LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH

A CRY, BUT NOT FOR HELP

THE GREEN GRASS ACROSS THE WAY

A CHALLENGE IS GIVEN

THE NEWS, THE DAMNING NEWS

NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS

LIVE FROM A CRIME SCENE

AND NEVER THE TWIN SHALL MEET

NOW THE WORLD KNOWS

NOW, ISN’T THAT ODD?

SUTTON

MEMENTO MORI

ELLE EST ARRIVÉE

WIFE, INTERRUPTED

A BIT OF BACKSTORY

THE GHOST OF PAPA

WE MEET A FRIEND

AND SO IT BEGINS

HELLO, MY NAME IS...

A BABY IS BORN

CAFÉ AU LAIT IN BED

AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER

PAST LIVES REVEALED

MURDER, SHE WROTE

THOSE SACRED HEARTS