Darren O’Sullivan - Our Little Secret - a gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist from bestselling author Darren O’Sullivan

A deserted train station: A man waits. A woman watches.

Chris is ready to join his wife. He’s planned this moment for nearly a year. The date. The time. The train. But he hadn’t factored in Sarah.

So when Sarah walks onto the platform and sees a man swaying at the edge she assumes he’s had too much to drink. What she doesn’t expect is to stop a suicide.

As Sarah becomes obsessed with discovering the secrets that Chris is clearly hiding, he becomes obsessed with stopping her.

But there are some secrets that are meant to stay buried…

Perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh and Holly Seddon.

Contents

Cover

Blurb A deserted train station: A man waits. A woman watches. Chris is ready to join his wife. He’s planned this moment for nearly a year. The date. The time. The train. But he hadn’t factored in Sarah. So when Sarah walks onto the platform and sees a man swaying at the edge she assumes he’s had too much to drink. What she doesn’t expect is to stop a suicide. As Sarah becomes obsessed with discovering the secrets that Chris is clearly hiding, he becomes obsessed with stopping her. But there are some secrets that are meant to stay buried… Perfect for fans of Clare Mackintosh and Holly Seddon.

Title Page

Author Bio DARREN O’SULLIVAN lives and works in Peterborough as a theatre director, writer and actor. He is also the author of a children’s book The Sleep Taker . Our Little Secret is his first thriller. You can find Darren at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/darrenosullivanauthor . Twitter: @darrensully

Acknowledgements Acknowledgments There are so many people I would like to thank for helping me bring this novel to life but none more so than my editor Hannah Smith and the team at HQ for seeing the potential, having faith and guiding me through the journey in shaping Our Little Secret . A special thank you also needs to go to the wonderful author and mentor Sarah May who I am lucky to know through the Faber Academy. Without her wisdom, passion, and support, I would not be the writer I am today. I must also thank the entire group of 2015-16 Faber Academy: Aysha, Bryony, Carly, Jean, Jen, Oz, Rob, Rosie, Sarah, Simone, Will, Yair and Zaz. Thank you for listening to the many readings of early versions and giving honest feedback. We had a wonderful six months together guys. I would also like to thank Nicci Cloke and Richard Skinner at the academy for helping to answer the many questions I had in developing this novel. To Richard and Diane Card, thank you for reading early versions and giving feedback, and to Jacqui Howchin and Jonathan Austin, thank you for taking the time to pick apart the opening ready for submissions. Mum and Dad, for, well, being Mum and Dad. As always you guys rock! Hayley Chilvers, thank you for being a part of this since the early days of the first few chapters and being an ear for when doubt dances around me. Darren Maddison for being the rock who pops up when it’s most needed and John Ormandy, for helping me see that dreams can work with a lot of work. The long nights at my computer and constant discussions about characters that took over my life were tough, so finally, to Helen, thank you for your understanding and patience.

Dedication For Ben, who shows me that anything is possible.

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

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Copyright

DARREN O’SULLIVANlives and works in Peterborough as a theatre director, writer and actor. He is also the author of a children’s book The Sleep Taker .

Our Little Secret is his first thriller.

You can find Darren at: Facebook: www.facebook.com/darrenosullivanauthor. Twitter: @darrensully

Acknowledgments

There are so many people I would like to thank for helping me bring this novel to life but none more so than my editor Hannah Smith and the team at HQ for seeing the potential, having faith and guiding me through the journey in shaping Our Little Secret .

A special thank you also needs to go to the wonderful author and mentor Sarah May who I am lucky to know through the Faber Academy. Without her wisdom, passion, and support, I would not be the writer I am today. I must also thank the entire group of 2015-16 Faber Academy: Aysha, Bryony, Carly, Jean, Jen, Oz, Rob, Rosie, Sarah, Simone, Will, Yair and Zaz. Thank you for listening to the many readings of early versions and giving honest feedback. We had a wonderful six months together guys. I would also like to thank Nicci Cloke and Richard Skinner at the academy for helping to answer the many questions I had in developing this novel.

To Richard and Diane Card, thank you for reading early versions and giving feedback, and to Jacqui Howchin and Jonathan Austin, thank you for taking the time to pick apart the opening ready for submissions.

Mum and Dad, for, well, being Mum and Dad. As always you guys rock!

Hayley Chilvers, thank you for being a part of this since the early days of the first few chapters and being an ear for when doubt dances around me. Darren Maddison for being the rock who pops up when it’s most needed and John Ormandy, for helping me see that dreams can work with a lot of work.

The long nights at my computer and constant discussions about characters that took over my life were tough, so finally, to Helen, thank you for your understanding and patience.

For Ben, who shows me that anything is possible.

Chapter 1

5th May 2016

The first final day

10.39 p.m. – March train station, England

Eight minutes.

Chris looked up at the analogue dials of the train station clock, its ticking unperturbed by what was about to happen. It read ten thirty-nine. He stood and watched the seconds pass by slowly. Eight minutes, that was all he had to wait. Looking around the station he noted how dilapidated it was. The benches that were once sky blue were now covered with an assortment of profanities – as were the walls behind them. Pictures of male genitals and insults to people’s mothers were lit by a dull orange light in the roof of the old station and the flickering of a half-empty vending machine.

The old Chris might have had an opinion about it. Not now. Not anymore. Instead, reading the walls and the bench just made him feel more tired, more ready.

The station was the kind of place that had damp autumnal leaves even in the middle of summer. The kind of place the wind always fiercely travelled. He listened as it howled and moaned its way through the entrance and past him, stirring empty crisp packets and bottles of beer that had overflowed from the bins.

Letting out a sigh, he could see his breath hitting the air like cigarette smoke. Although it was May, the weather was unseasonably cold, barely six degrees. He hadn’t noticed how cold until now. He hadn’t noticed much lately, besides time. It was his only constant.