Kerry Barrett - I Put A Spell On You

Author Bio KERRY BARRETT was a bookworm from a very early age, devouring Enid Blyton and Noel Streatfeild, before moving on to Sweet Valley High and 1980s bonkbusters. She did a degree in English Literature, then trained as a journalist, writing about everything from pub grub to EastEnders . Her first novel, Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered , took six years to finish and was mostly written in longhand on her commute to work, giving her a very good reason to buy beautiful notebooks. Kerry lives in London with her husband and two sons, and Noel Streatfeild’s Ballet Shoes is still her favourite novel.

Acknowledgements Big thanks as always to Darren, Tom and Sam for their support. Thank you to Jo for providing me with excellent information about police procedures. The advice was hers, but any mistakes are all mine. Thanks to the team at HQ Digital – Lucy, Victoria and Helen – for all their help, and thank you to everyone who read Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered . A special mention must go to Star Poling, whose husband Phil bought her the chance to name a character in the book in an auction to raise money for my friend’s little boy, Ted, and who chose to be killed off in the very first line. Find out more about Ted’s fund at http://treatmentforted.com .

Dedication For Mum and Dad

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

Epilogue

Extract Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Endpages Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

About the Publisher Конец ознакомительного фрагмента. Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес». Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес. Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

Chapter 1

She was dead. There was no question about that. She was slumped in her chair, head slightly to one side, blonde curly hair in front of her face, and her eyes open and glassy.

“Oh shit,” I said. “Shit.”

I walked towards her, not sure what to do.

“Star?” I said, though I knew she wouldn’t answer. “Star? Wake up.”

She didn’t move.

A chill came over me and I started to shake.

“Star?” I said again. Nothing. I took a breath and picked up her wrist, feeling for a pulse. Her skin was cool and smooth and there was no sign of life. Carefully I put her hand down, feeling close to tears but knowing I had to keep it together.

“Star, I’m going to phone for an ambulance,” I said, wondering why I was talking to her. “It’s going to be okay.”

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialled 999. The operator was so nice, telling me to how to check for a pulse properly this time. She kept me talking until a paramedic arrived, just one, in a car.

“What’s her name?” he asked, going quickly to Star’s side, lifting her wrist and looking at his watch.

“Star,” I said. “I think she’s…she’s not breathing…”

He gave me a sympathetic look and a quick nod. Then he gently let Star’s wrist go.

“Do you know if she was taking any medication?” he asked.

“She’s got a heart condition,” I said. I pointed to Star’s bag, which was tucked under her desk. “I expect her pills are in there.”

“Could you find them for me, love?” he said. He was busy listening to Star’s chest and taking her pulse again.

I scooped up Star’s bag, found two bottles of pills and handed them over, just as an ambulance pulled up outside, along with a police car. The paramedic looked at the labels then showed them to his colleagues who had just arrived. They all exchanged a glance.

“I’m very sorry,” he said. “There’s nothing we can do.”

I felt dizzy and let one of the paramedics steer me towards a chair.

“I expect the police will have some questions,” he said, handing me a bottle of water.

I watched the Christmas lights twinkling gently in the window and thought how out of place they looked now the festivities were over and Star was dead. I felt I should start taking them down but I didn’t want to move.

It was like a strange nightmare as the room, which had been empty apart from Star sitting working at her desk when I headed to my office earlier, filled up with people – the three paramedics, two – very young-looking – policemen in uniform, and an older female detective – about my age – in a silvery grey suit. I sat still and watched, not sure what to do.

One of the policemen took a step towards me.

“Miss McLeod?” he said.

“Ms,” I snapped.

“We’ve got some questions,” he said carefully.

He asked me all about Star, about her heart condition – which I didn’t know much about except she joked about her ‘dodgy ticker’ – whether she was married, or had kids. When I said she was divorced, the policeman excused himself for a second to speak to his colleagues, then sat down again.

“We’re sending someone to speak to her parents,” he said. “Were you the last person to see her?”

I nodded.

“She was here alone,” I said, feeling guilt wash over me. “She should have been home by now, but she wanted to talk to me and I was too busy. I think she was waiting to see me before she left.”

I looked over at where Star still sat.