A. L. Bird - Don’t Say a Word

A happy child.

Every parent knows the world can be scary. Lawyer Jen Sutton knows it better than most. And she’ll go to any length to protect her son from what – and who – lies outside their front door.

A loving mother.

Some might say she’s being over-protective. But isn’t it a mother’s duty to protect her child from harm?

A family built on a lie.

Jen has kept her secrets safe. Until the postcard arrives, signed by the one person she hoped would never catch up with her… and her new case begins to feel a little too close to home.

One thing is clear: Jen has been found.

Now, she faces a choice. Run, and lose everything? Or fight – and risk her son discovering the truth.

Don’t Say a Word is the electrifying new psychological thriller from AL Bird, perfect for fans of CL Taylor and Sue Fortin.

Don’t Say a Word

A. L. Bird

ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Cover

Blurb A happy child. Every parent knows the world can be scary. Lawyer Jen Sutton knows it better than most. And she’ll go to any length to protect her son from what – and who – lies outside their front door. A loving mother. Some might say she’s being over-protective. But isn’t it a mother’s duty to protect her child from harm? A family built on a lie. Jen has kept her secrets safe. Until the postcard arrives, signed by the one person she hoped would never catch up with her… and her new case begins to feel a little too close to home. One thing is clear: Jen has been found. Now, she faces a choice. Run, and lose everything? Or fight – and risk her son discovering the truth. Don’t Say a Word is the electrifying new psychological thriller from AL Bird, perfect for fans of CL Taylor and Sue Fortin.

Title Page Don’t Say a Word A. L. Bird ONE PLACE. MANY STORIES

Author Bio A. L. BIRD lives in London, where she divides her time between writing and working as a lawyer. In 2016, she released her major psychological thriller The Good Mother , and she returns to the genre with Don’t Say a Word . She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London, and is also an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. Amy is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association. For updates on her writing follow her on Twitter, @ALBirdwriter.

Acknowledgements I remain hugely grateful to everyone who has helped bring this novel – and those before it – into the world. My long-time editor Clio Cornish, whose encouragement, honesty and insight gets those first drafts into shape; my stalwart agent Amanda Preston of LBA for those flashes of creative genius that can really draw a book together; my husband for tolerating all the late-night plot conundrums (and to both him and my son for providing the light outside the dark world of thrillers); to the bloggers and readers who cheered me on – who knew how much the occasional tweet could do for a writer’s day! – your support means so much to me. Thank you. I’d also like to mention a couple of the many charities who do valuable and important work in the worlds where Jen finds herself: Centrepoint, who give homeless young people a future; and Refuge, who support women and children against domestic violence. This novel may impact readers’ minds – their work can save people’s lives.

Prologue Prologue The doorbell rings. Josh runs towards it. ‘No, wait, sweetie, remember!’ I shout after him. ‘It’s fine, Mum, it’ll just be the postman!’ ‘No, Josh, let me!’ I run up behind him. But he’s already taking off the chain, opening the door. Please let it be the postman. Yes, it is. False alarm. I see the retreating uniform of a blue shirt and baseball cap. Stop, beating heart. Not every morning is a drama. I kiss Josh on the forehead. ‘OK, Josh, it was the postman. But next time it might not be, all right? So let me open the door.’ I lead us back to the kitchen to resume breakfast-making activities, musing at how, even in a situation like this one, ten-year-olds can find post so engrossing – no bills to pay, I guess. But then I realize Josh isn’t following. I turn round. His face is white. ‘You’ve got a postcard,’ he says. ‘From Chloe Brown.’ The peanut butter jar drops from my hand. ‘Josh, let me see.’ He hands me the postcard, wide-eyed. Yes, there’s the name. Chloe Brown. Printed clearly, so there’s no mistaking it. The message just says: ‘See you soon.’ I turn over to the picture. It’s a small boy, on a bike. My stomach twists. I flip back to the name again. And that’s when I see. There’s a stamp, but no postmark. Where the postmark should be, it’s written: ‘By hand.’ ‘Mum, I don’t think it was really the postman. I think it was …’ He trails off. We both know who it was. And that Josh isn’t safe.

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

Epilogue

Copyright

A. L. BIRD

lives in London, where she divides her time between writing and working as a lawyer. In 2016, she released her major psychological thriller The Good Mother , and she returns to the genre with Don’t Say a Word . She has an MA in Creative Writing from Birkbeck, University of London, and is also an alumna of the Faber Academy ‘Writing a Novel’ course. Amy is a member of the Crime Writers’ Association. For updates on her writing follow her on Twitter, @ALBirdwriter.

I remain hugely grateful to everyone who has helped bring this novel – and those before it – into the world.

My long-time editor Clio Cornish, whose encouragement, honesty and insight gets those first drafts into shape; my stalwart agent Amanda Preston of LBA for those flashes of creative genius that can really draw a book together; my husband for tolerating all the late-night plot conundrums (and to both him and my son for providing the light outside the dark world of thrillers); to the bloggers and readers who cheered me on – who knew how much the occasional tweet could do for a writer’s day! – your support means so much to me. Thank you.

I’d also like to mention a couple of the many charities who do valuable and important work in the worlds where Jen finds herself: Centrepoint, who give homeless young people a future; and Refuge, who support women and children against domestic violence. This novel may impact readers’ minds – their work can save people’s lives.

Prologue

The doorbell rings. Josh runs towards it.

‘No, wait, sweetie, remember!’ I shout after him.

‘It’s fine, Mum, it’ll just be the postman!’

‘No, Josh, let me!’

I run up behind him. But he’s already taking off the chain, opening the door. Please let it be the postman.

Yes, it is. False alarm. I see the retreating uniform of a blue shirt and baseball cap. Stop, beating heart. Not every morning is a drama. I kiss Josh on the forehead.