Katerina Diamond - The Secret - The brand new thriller from the bestselling author of The Teacher

Published by Avon

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

The News Building

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Publishers 2016

Copyright © Katerina Diamond 2016

Katerina Diamond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

Source ISBN: 9780008172213

Ebook Edition © March 2016 ISBN: 9780008172220

Version: 2017-07-05

‘A terrific story, originally told. All hail the new queen of crime!’

Heat

‘A web of a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. This formidable debut is a page-turner, but don’t read it before bed if you’re easily spooked!’

Sun

‘A page-turner with a keep-you-guessing plot.’

Sunday Times Crime Club

‘Diamond neatly handles a string of interlocking strands.’

Daily Mail

What the reviewers said:

‘This is a story that immediately pulls you in and doesn’t let go until the last page … The story flowed so brilliantly and made me keep turning the pages; a thriller from beginning to end. Each scene was rich and vivid; highly recommended.’

‘It stands out a mile with its poisonous cover and the story within refused to let go of me.’

‘A truly page-turning, somewhat gruesome read. Well written, pacy and with great characters.’

‘ The Teacher is a fast-paced grisly page-turner and an extraordinary debut from Katerina Diamond.’

For my husband, without whom I would think about murder a lot less.

Table of Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Praise for The Teacher

Dedication

Chapter 1: The Pro

Chapter 2: The Survivor

Chapter 3: The Hunted

Chapter 4: The Traitor

Chapter 5: The Case

Chapter 6: Just a Boy

Chapter 7: The Fixer

Chapter 8: The Goddess

Chapter 9: The Lover

Chapter 10: The Scarred

Chapter 11: The Boat

Chapter 12: The Video

Chapter 13: A Boy Alone

Chapter 14: The Good Girl

Chapter 15: The Detox

Chapter 16: The Request

Chapter 17: The Intruder

Chapter 18: The Child

Chapter 19: A Boy and His Sister

Chapter 20: The Comedian

Chapter 21: The Forgotten

Chapter 22: The Connection

Chapter 23: The Question

Chapter 24: Inside

Chapter 25: The Third Wheel

Chapter 26: The Husband

Chapter 27: The Waiting

Chapter 28: The Lighthouse

Chapter 29: The Artist

Chapter 30: Best Laid Plans

Chapter 31: Sweet Air

Chapter 32: The Face

Chapter 33: The Girl

Chapter 34: The Player

Chapter 35: The Victim

Chapter 36: The Club

Chapter 37: The Blade

Chapter 38: The Host

Chapter 39: Loose Threads

Chapter 40: The Transfer

Chapter 41: The Admission

Chapter 42: Resolutions

Chapter 43: Locked and Loaded

Chapter 44: The Convict

Chapter 45: The Guest

Chapter 46: The Boyfriend

Chapter 47: The Deal

Chapter 48: The Hand

Chapter 49: The Hunter

Acknowledgements

Keep Reading …

About the Author

By the Same Author

About the Publisher

Bridget could hear cars passing on the wet roadside below the windows of the listed Victorian building where she worked. The traffic around Exeter’s Quadrangle started to change at this time of night, from people making their way back from work, to people seeking something a little more interesting than what they had going on at home. She looked down from her window. The rain had abated for a few moments and the streets were empty, aside from the occasional vehicle. The only other sound she could hear was her flatmate, Estelle, in the room next door, ‘entertaining’ her client, headboard banging against the wall. She stared at the illuminated face of the clock tower a few hundred yards from her house and waited. Her visitor was late. He was never late.

There was a knock on the door and before Bridget had a chance to answer, Estelle burst in, half-naked and out of breath.

‘I need a solid.’

‘Sounded like you were getting one.’

‘Good one.’ She adjusted her bra and flicked her hair extensions back. ‘I mean I need a favour.’

‘What kind of favour?’ Bridget didn’t want to know; Estelle’s favours were always a little extreme.

‘I’ve got Hitchcock with me and he wants extra time. I need you to take the Baby.’

‘No way, Estelle, he’s your problem, not mine. Besides, I’m waiting for someone.’

‘Come on, please, Bridge! He doesn’t even do anything, he just needs a cuddle and he sleeps the whole time. I’ll be ten minutes – tops!’

Bridget looked at her watch.

‘Fine, but just this once, Estelle, you know I’m not into all that.’

‘I’ll owe you one, big time.’

‘You will.’

Estelle blew her a kiss and disappeared. Bridget couldn’t help but keep looking out of the window, waiting for Sam. He would usually let her know if he couldn’t come, and the silence was making her nervous. The city of Exeter was strangely quiet tonight. Generally, everyone went to bed early during the week, preparing for another hard day at work, but on a Friday it was usually busier than this. Tonight definitely had more of a Wednesday feel. She watched a car approaching. It was slowing as it got near. The rain made it hard to discern the make, so she held on to the hope that it might be Sam. But as the black four-by-four pulled on to the battered forecourt, her hope faded. Through the rain, she saw a man step out of the car and rush to the front door. The buzzer rang, Estelle’s buzzer; they had one each, so each girl could tend to her own clients. Two girls per floor over two floors, with a communal kitchen and lounge at ground level. The sound went off again. It was frowned upon to open the door to someone else’s bell, but Bridget went downstairs through the communal hallway and looked out of the spy hole in the shared front door. It was too dark to see the man, and his face was shielded from the rain by the collar of his trench coat. She took one last look through the spy hole and opened the door. The man kept his face covered and walked in, shaking off his umbrella.