Louise Stone - S is for Stranger - the gripping psychological thriller you don’t want to miss!

LOUISE STONE

worked as a teacher before turning her hand to fiction. She was brought up in Africa and the Middle East and then ‘as an adult’ travelled extensively before moving to London and finally settling in the Cotswolds with her partner, and now baby. When she’s not writing, you will find her scouring interior design magazines and shops, striving toward the distant dream of being a domestic goddess or having a glass of wine with country music turned up loud. As a child, she always had her nose in a book and, in particular, Nancy Drew. S is for Stranger is her first psychological suspense thriller and it was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize. She also writes women’s fiction under the pseudonym Lottie Phillips. Readers can find Louise Stone, otherwise known as Charlotte Phillips, on Twitter @writercharlieor at www.writercharlie.com

www.CarinaUK.com

To my wonderful parents.

Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.

Leviticus chapter 24: verse 20

COVER

ABOUT THE AUTHOR LOUISE STONE worked as a teacher before turning her hand to fiction. She was brought up in Africa and the Middle East and then ‘as an adult’ travelled extensively before moving to London and finally settling in the Cotswolds with her partner, and now baby. When she’s not writing, you will find her scouring interior design magazines and shops, striving toward the distant dream of being a domestic goddess or having a glass of wine with country music turned up loud. As a child, she always had her nose in a book and, in particular, Nancy Drew. S is for Stranger is her first psychological suspense thriller and it was shortlisted for the Harry Bowling Prize. She also writes women’s fiction under the pseudonym Lottie Phillips. Readers can find Louise Stone, otherwise known as Charlotte Phillips, on Twitter @writercharlie or at www.writercharlie.com

TITLE PAGE S is for Stranger Louise Stone www.CarinaUK.com

DEDICATION To my wonderful parents.

EPIGRAPH Fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured. Leviticus chapter 24: verse 20

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

EPILOGUE

EXTRACT

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ENDPAGES

COPYRIGHT

September 2011

I tapped the rim of the table with my right forefinger: one, two, three. Bad things didn’t happen when I counted to three.

‘Don’t you like strawberry?’ I asked, twiddling my straw with my other hand. ‘You can have mine.’ I pushed the chocolate milkshake in her direction and she shook her head. I gave in and took it back. ‘So, how’s school?’

‘OK.’

We had been playing this game for over an hour now: I asked the questions and she offered one-word answers. Licking my lips, I went in for another drag of the sweet, sickly chocolate drink. I turned to look out the window and pulled a face. Milkshakes were not my thing. I had thought it was what all eight-year-old girls liked doing – eating junk food and visiting Claire’s jewellery shop.

‘You don’t like it, do you, Mummy?’ Amy asked me and nodded toward the milkshake.

I smiled – caught out. ‘Not really. What about you?’

Amy revealed the first small smile of the day. ‘No.’ She looked down at her lap. ‘I don’t like milkshakes. Daddy knows I don’t like milkshakes.’

‘I just thought –’

Amy looked up. ‘It’s OK, Mummy. You don’t live with me so only Daddy knows.’

I felt the familiar stab of guilt. ‘Right, yes.’ I picked up the menu. ‘What would you prefer?’ I needed to face it; I was out of touch.

‘I’m not hungry. Daddy made me pancakes for breakfast.’ She slid down further in her seat. ‘When did Daddy say we should go home? To Daddy’s home.’

My face fell. ‘Um, he said four o’clock.’ I looked at my watch, tapped its face three times. I hoped Amy hadn’t noticed. ‘It’s only two-thirty. Do you want to head back?’ I said cheerily; too cheerily. I mean, was the day going so badly that my daughter wanted to return home to her father already?

‘No …’ She fought tears. ‘I wish we were a family again, like my friends at school have.’

‘I know, but you’re no different to anyone else. You know that, right?’

She gave a small nod. ‘I guess. My bestest friend said she wanted her parents to split up.’

‘Really?’ I said, raising my eyebrows.

‘Yeah, because she thinks it’s nice to get two of everything.’ She paused. ‘I told her it’s not nice.’

I frowned and, desperate to keep her happy, I offered, ‘Shall we play I-spy?’

She pulled a face. ‘Mummy, you’re not very good at this game.’

‘Shame.’ I shrugged my shoulders and looked away. ‘Because I’ve already come up with one.’

She rolled her eyes. ‘Okkaaay.’

I grinned. ‘I spy something beginning with B.’

Amy looked behind her, swivelling in her seat. ‘Burger?’

I shook my head.

She furrowed her brows. ‘Book?’

I shook my head again.

‘Are you playing it right?’

I nodded.

She scanned the restaurant another time, spotting a young girl playing with a doll. ‘Barbie!’

‘Nope.’

She giggled. ‘Mummy, are you sure you’re playing properly?’

‘Uh-huh.’ I smiled. ‘Shall I tell you?’

‘OK.’

‘Big nose.’

‘Mummy!’ She squealed with laughter. ‘That’s silly.’

‘Oh, really?’ I played innocent. ‘Your turn.’

She giggled. ‘OK.’ Her eyes flicked around the room and she twisted in her seat, looked behind her, and then she said, ‘S.’

‘S?’

‘Yup.’ She nodded happily. ‘Go quicker. It moves.’

‘Uh-oh.’ I looked around the restaurant, my eyes skimming the counter. ‘Sugar?’

‘Sugar!’ She shook her head firmly. ‘No.’

‘Skirt.’

‘It’s not moving!’

‘It does if the person who’s wearing it moves.’

‘No.’

‘Hmm.’ I shrugged. ‘Give in.’

She pointed outside. ‘Stranger. That lady’s been staring at us for ages.’

‘You never told me we could name things outside too!’

Amy dropped her head into her arms on the table, in fits of giggles. ‘My rules.’ She looked up, laughing. ‘The lady’s gone now.’

I shook my head. ‘Stranger, huh?’ I smiled. ‘That was too good.’

‘Yeah,’ Amy nodded, ‘she was looking at you.’

‘Really?’ I turned my head and looked up and down the high street. ‘She was probably just waiting for someone, or thought I was somebody else.’

I sat forward again, tapped the edge of the table three times, as Amy started scrabbling around in her Peppa Pig canvas bag. ‘I made something for you.’ She drew out a piece of A4 card folded in two and handed it to me. The front was covered in glitter and beads.