by LK Chapman
‘I don’t understand,’ Josh said. ‘This isn’t … this isn’t you.’
‘Yes it is. Maybe it wouldn’t have been, if you hadn’t betrayed me.’
‘What?’
‘We were supposed to leave Wayfield together, remember?’
‘Yes, and we couldn’t, because of the inquest.’
Gareth pushed his excuse aside with a wave of his hand. ‘No, you gave up, Josh. You were the one thing that mattered to me, and after Mikayla’s death you took those pills and you tried to kill yourself. That’s when I truly stopped caring. About anything. That’s when I knew I had to take a different path. If I couldn’t trust you, I couldn’t trust anyone.’
Natalie’s heart was in her throat as she slipped past them both. Toby wouldn’t last much longer, but Josh was too transfixed by Gareth, too desperate to understand. The two men were oblivious to her, so she grabbed the chair she’d been tied to, and with a cry of rage she smashed it over Gareth’s head. He dropped like a stone. She pulled the tea towel from under the remaining knives on the floor, running back over to Toby and pressing the towel against the wound in his side.
‘You’re going to be okay,’ she said, her voice trembling. ‘You’re going to be okay.’
The colour had drained from Toby’s face, but he managed to press the tea towel against the wound himself. Josh, snapped out of his trance now that Gareth was unconscious, ran over to help and they dragged Toby outside.
‘Natalie–’ Josh said, ‘I’m so … I’m so glad you–’
‘I know,’ she said, ‘I know, Josh.’
He touched her cheek softly, ‘I could never have imagined–’
‘It’s over now,’ she whispered, ‘it’s over.’
‘Help,’ she and Josh both cried in unison as a police car rounded the corner and Toby’s legs sagged. ‘Help us, please!’
Epilogue
‘I’m so glad Toby’s nearly recovered,’ Natalie said, as she leant against Josh’s shoulder. They were sat outside on his roof terrace, spring sunshine warming their faces.
‘Me too. I’ll invite him round for dinner soon, and Jodie and the kids too.’
‘Josh, regardless of what he did to help me, he still made your life hell when you were younger. And he tried to sleep with me. If you still couldn’t face seeing him, I don’t think anyone could blame you.’
‘I … I don’t really know how I feel about that yet,’ Josh said at length. ‘But I do know that if it wasn’t for him, you wouldn’t –’ his voice wavered ‘– you wouldn’t be sitting here now. And he really does seem different. He’s lost that arrogance he used to have. He seems to actually see the people around him now. It’s not just all about him any more. And he and Jodie seem stronger than ever. Opening up and admitting to her how he was behaving with you and with these women at the hotel has really worked out for him. I can’t imagine many people would be as understanding as Jodie, though.’
‘Well, he never actually cheated by the sound of it,’ Natalie said. ‘Not one of the women he came on to at the hotel ever responded the way he wanted. I’m still uncomfortable about how he behaved with me, but you and him, you saved my life. I’m so – I can’t stop thinking about that moment I saw you both. I’ve never been so grateful for anything.’
Josh kissed her head. ‘You don’t have to keep thanking me. Especially not after what you did for me. I’m in awe of you. You put yourself through hell.’
‘Well, I got it all wrong anyway. I put all my focus on the wrong person.’
‘You didn’t get it as wrong as me. I’ve known Gareth for years, but if Toby hadn’t made me see who he really was…’
‘Let’s not think about that.’
‘To be honest, I think Toby only realised because he knew none of it was down to him.’
‘Some of it was Verity,’ Natalie said. Her heart still hurt whenever she thought about the actions of her sister-in-law, and she’d tried to contact her a few times to get some kind of explanation. It had seemed hopeless, until earlier that week she had got a reply:
I’ve been too ashamed to speak to you until now. I feel sick every time I think about the things I said to you. It was like I was a different person – it didn’t feel real. I was just pouring out my own hurt. Trying to get a reaction from you turned into an obsession, maybe even an addiction. But I never want to go back to being that person again. I know you probably can’t forgive me, but I truly am sorry. I just want you to know that.
Josh gave her a squeeze. ‘I know how much it still hurts, Natalie. She meant a lot to you.’
‘Rob told me they’re working through things. He says the marriage counselling is going well. At least, he says some of the sessions have gone well. It’s still pretty turbulent. But he says he won’t give up, and they both want to make it work, by the sound of it.’
A light breeze played with Natalie’s hair, and after a few moments of silence she said, ‘Gareth was completely crazy, Josh.’
‘I know.’
‘I don’t know how somebody could end up like him. He said all this stuff about his past, but he was so – I don’t know. I don’t think he saw any value in life at all.’
‘He’ll be in prison for the rest of his life,’ he reassured her. ‘You’ll never, ever, see him again.’
They were silent for a long time, until she spoke again. ‘I had a call out of the blue from my modelling agency this morning – the one I was with when I was still modelling, anyway.’
‘Oh yeah?’
‘She said there’s a job that would be perfect for me. A TV ad, for skincare products.’
‘I thought you didn’t want to do that any more.’
‘I used to feel that way. But this company, they want to do a campaign that celebrates real women. Not just women that have been made to look flawless and perfect. Women like me.’
Josh thought for a moment. ‘It’s up to you, Nat. You’ve been through such a lot, but if you think this would be good for you, of course I’m behind you.’
‘I think I will do it,’ she said at length. ‘I think I need to. Gareth called me a blemish – he wasn’t really talking about my face – but to be honest, with what Verity was saying about me, I had started to feel pretty low again. But then I thought to myself: I stopped a man who would have gone on to kill who knows how many more women. I put myself in horrendous danger when I started down this path to clear your name. Perhaps it was a crazy thing to do, but it’s made me feel like I don’t want to hold back on anything now. I want to grab every chance I get to do something exciting.’ She paused briefly. ‘And besides, I’m only working part time at Hartbury Hotel, I’m sure I can make it work.’
He smiled down at her, and she kissed him, before snuggling against him with the sun on her face.
Make sure you hear about new releases from LK Chapman!
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Information about issues covered in Into The Lake
UK
Suicidal feelings
Samaritans: samaritans.org or call 116 123
Mind: Information about suicidal feelings on mind.org.uk
Hoarding Disorder
Mind: Information about hoarding on mind.org.uk
Bullying
Access information on bullying & cyber bullying on bullying.co.uk
; US
Suicidal feelings
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: suicidepreventionlifeline.org or call 1-800-273-8255
Hoarding Disorder
Access information about hoarding on hoarding.iocdf.org
Bullying
Access information on bullying & cyber bullying on stopbullying.gov
Other books by LK Chapman
No Escape series:
Worth Pursuing (short story)
Anything For Him
Found You
Never Let Her Go
Psychological thrillers/suspense
The Stories She Tells
Sci-fi thrillers
Networked
Too Good for This World (short story)
Acknowledgements
Into The Lake certainly turned into a more complicated project than I expected. I began writing it in 2019, thinking it would be published in 2020. I think it’s safe to say that 2020 wasn’t a year that anyone could have foreseen, and there were many distractions with my young son in the house more than usual! Nevertheless, I got there in the end, and as always I would like to thank my husband Ashley for his support through every stage of the writing process.
For her brilliant feedback on early drafts of Into The Lake, thank you to Lucy Dauman, and for helping me whip Into The Lake into shape when it wouldn’t behave itself, thank you to my wonderful editor Carrie O’Grady. For yet another fabulous cover thank you to Stuart Bache at Books Covered.
A big thank you to my readers, and to all my family and friends who support me. It means such a lot to me to have people believe in me and in my books.
Also, as most of the work on this book took place during the coronavirus pandemic, I would like to include a special thank you to all of the key workers who continued going out to work during the pandemic.
About the author
LK Chapman writes psychological thrillers and suspense. She published her first psychological novel, Anything for Him, in 2016. A chilling thriller about obsession, jealousy and revenge, Anything for Him has now become a three book series with two sequels (Found You & Never Let Her Go) creating the No Escape trilogy. She has also written two standalone psychological novels, The Stories She Tells, and Into The Lake. LK Chapman’s books are inspired by her studies in psychology, and she has always been fascinated by the strength, peculiarities and extremes of human nature. As well as working as a psychologist, Chapman volunteered for mental health charity Mind before starting her journey as an author. It has been an incredibly exciting journey and she is so grateful for the support of her readers!
You can find out more about LK Chapman by visiting her website lkchapman.com.
Connect with LK Chapman
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The Stories She Tells
A psychological page-turner by LK Chapman
A heartbreaking secret. A lifetime of lies.
When Michael decides to track down ex-girlfriend Rae, who disappeared ten years ago while pregnant with his baby, he knows it could change his life forever. His search for her takes unexpected turns as he unearths multiple changes of identity and a childhood she tried to pretend never happened, but nothing could prepare him for what awaits when he finally finds her.
Rae appears to be happily married with a brand new baby daughter. But she is cagey about what happened to Michael’s child, and starts to say alarming things: that her husband is trying to force her to give up her new baby for adoption, that he’s attempting to undermine the bond between her and her child, and deliberately making her doubt her own sanity.
As Michael is drawn in deeper to her disturbing claims, he begins to doubt the truth of what she is saying. But is she really making it all up, or is there a shocking and heartbreaking secret at the root of the stories she tells?
Buy now on Amazon
No Escape Series
Anything For Him (Book 1)
Vulnerable and alone after the tragic loss of her parents, Felicity finds herself in a relationship with volatile and troubled Jay.
Against her better judgement, Felicity allows Jay to draw her in to a twisted revenge plan against his former best friend. Soon Felicity becomes trapped, and as Jay turns increasingly controlling and abusive, she questions everything he has told her about his past and his former girlfriend, Sammie. But when she tries to expose the truth, she comes up against an even greater threat. Someone obsessed and dangerous. Someone who has always been in the background of Jay’s life. Someone who will do anything for him.
Anything For Him is the first book in the chilling NO ESCAPE psychological thriller trilogy. It can also be read as a standalone psychological thriller.
Buy now on Amazon
Found You (Book 2)
She escaped. But he’s coming to get her.
After her imprisonment at the brutal hands of her ex, Jay, Felicity is slowly putting her life back together. She’s got a new name, a new hairstyle, and even a new partner: strong, supportive Scott, whose down-to-earth nature makes him the perfect stepfather to little Leo. Though the nightmares still haunt her, she’s starting to feel that her struggles are over; that she may, finally, be safe.
But Jay is still out there somewhere.
And Felicity can't shake the feeling she's being watched.
Buy now on Amazon
Never Let Her Go (Book 3)
All he wants is his family…
After escaping her ordeal at the hands of her obsessive ex, Jay, Felicity thought she was safe, building a new life with Scott and son Leo in a seaside town. Little does she know that Jay has tracked her down and wormed his way into the confidence of Vicky, a woman from Scott’s past who has her own very sharp axe to grind…
In the gripping final book of the No Escape trilogy, Jay’s obsession with Felicity pushes him to ever more desperate lengths to get her back. Felicity soon discovers that he’ll stop at nothing, and history begins to repeat itself as she finds herself terrified, alone, and at Jay’s mercy once again. Can she escape him before it’s too late, or will she be destroyed by his determination to never let her go?
Buy now on Amazon