by C. L. Taylor
‘Cold drinks. And putting a fan in front of the window. Only way to survive it.’ She pauses. ‘I don’t suppose you heard the news this morning did you? On Three Counties radio?’
Edward shakes his head. ‘I listen to CDs in the car.’
‘Music? Oh, well you won’t have heard then. Do you remember the murder case last year? The one where young Chloe Meadows stabbed a man in the park. Mike Hughes he was called.’
‘Yeah, I do.’ He passes a box of eggs in front of the scanner. ‘Deserved what he got by all accounts.’
‘Quite.’ Mavis feels a fizz of excitement building. She’s approaching the climax of her story. She mustn’t mess it up or get her words in the wrong order and spoil the impact. ‘Well they found his van. In a lake not far from here. The family who own the lake went for a swim and one of the children discovered it.’
‘What’s a dead man going to want with a van—’
‘Anyway,’ Mavis says, not appreciating the interruption. ‘They got the van taken out of the lake and transported to a scrapyard, but when the proprietor looked it over he discovered …’ she pauses for effect ‘… a secret panel in the back. Between the … the … what’s it called … the floor of the van and the underneath. You’ll never guess what was in there.’
Edward shakes his head, one hand holding the plastic bag open, the other poised in the air with the box of eggs.
‘The body of a young girl,’ Mavis says with a flourish. ‘Fourteen they think she was. Horribly decomposed apparently, but they could tell she’d been strangled. Do you know what the police think?’
Edward shakes his head again. He looks enrapt. So does the woman standing behind Mavis in the queue. And annoying Brenda on the next till. They’re all staring at her, waiting for her to finish her story. Mavis feels amazing, like she’s on stage.
‘That she’s not the only girl he’s killed,’ Mavis says. ‘They’re looking into the cases of half a dozen teenagers who’ve gone missing in Gloucester, Birmingham and Somerset over the last eighteen years or so. They think he travelled round the country in his van when he was supposed to be off doing deliveries.’
Edward’s jaw drops and a woman at the back of the queue gasps.
‘Do you know what’s really strange?’ Mavis breathes.
‘What’s that?’
‘The dead girl had a dark bob with a heavy fringe, a round face and hazel eyes.’
Edward frowns. ‘So?’
‘She looked just like that one that stabbed him, Chloe Meadows. The psychologist on the radio was saying that he thought it was all sparked off by the one Mike ran off to France with back in the eighties. What was it the psychologist called her? The one that got away.’
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Huge thanks to my amazing editor Helen Huthwaite for being such a support during the writing of this book, for her insightful and spot-on (as always) editorial comments and for her enthusiasm and encouragement. Thank you Phoebe Morgan for the seamless takeover when Helen went on maternity leave. I couldn’t have asked for a safer pair of editorial hands and I really appreciate all the time and energy you put into getting The Fear ready for publication. Thanks also to Jade Craddock for doing such a great job with the copyedit, Henry Steadman for the amazing cover, Hannah Welsh for being a sales goddess, Sabah Khan and Deborah Elliot for being PR mavens, Elke Desanghere for digital marketing magic, and Kate Elton and Oli Malcolm for steering the good ship Avon. Thanks to Simon Cowell, I mean, Charlie Redmayne for his support and bonhomie.
Thanks, as always, to my amazing agent Madeleine Milburn who didn’t run shrieking when I told her I wanted to write about the power play between a female captor and a male prisoner, but instead asked questions that helped the idea take shape. Also for taking all of my moans, tears, frustration and jubilation in her stride and supporting me every step of the way. Thanks to the rest of Team Milburn – Hayley Steed, Alice Sutherland-Hawes and Giles Milburn for all their hard work and general loveliness.
Huge thanks to ex-detective Stuart Gibbon for his police procedural expertise (he has a book out on the subject, all crime writers should buy it) and to Rebecca Bradley and Neil White for patiently answering my questions about sex offender legislation and what happens after they get out of prison.
A big high five and ‘oh my god I can’t believe you did it’ to my friend Scott James. For years Scott’s asked when I was going to dedicate a book to him. I told him I’d only do it if he got a tattoo of one of my books (thinking that would never happen). He got the tattoo – the cover of The Accident on his calf – and, as promised this book is dedicated to him. Scott, you’re a loon but we wouldn’t have you any other way.
All the love in the world to my amazing family – Reg and Jenny Taylor, David Taylor, Sophie Taylor, Rose Taylor, Rebecca Taylor, Lou(bag) Foley, Sami Eaton, Fraser, Oli, Great Nan, Steve and Guin Hall, Ana James, James Loach and Angela and Nick Aspell. You keep me sane, you make me laugh and you share my books all over social media. Thank you! Sadly we lost two members of our family this year. Derek (Sam) Griffiths and Margaret Harris you are hugely missed.
Big love to my second family – the huge army of authors that make me laugh on a daily basis and constantly wow me with their generosity, kindness and ability to drink until the sun comes up. The loss of Helen Cadbury, one of our own, is still so keenly felt. Massive hugs in particular to Julie Cohen, Rowan Coleman, Miranda Dickinson, Kate Harrison and Tamsyn Murray for being the best friends I could ever ask for.
Then there’s my own little family – Chris and Seth. I love you both ridiculous amounts. Thank you, for everything.
Finally, a HUGE thank you to the tireless bloggers who promote my books, turn up to my events and cheerlead every step of the way (and without being paid). You guys are AMAZING. You’re like book fairies – spreading the reading magic all over the web (was that cheesy? Sorry, it was a bit). And you my readers. You’re the reason I do what I do. Your emails, letters and social media comments mean the absolute world to me. Knowing that I entertained you, scared you, moved you or kept you gripped is such a huge compliment and when you tell me you can’t wait for another C.L. Taylor book it spurs me on to write more. Thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed it.
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READING GROUP QUESTIONS
1. How culpable were Lou and Chloe’s parents in what happened to their daughters?
2. Lou admits that she actively pursued Mike, even when he refused to kiss her and that she didn’t give his wife a second thought. She was fourteen years old. Sixteen is the age of consent. Would you have judged her actions differently if she were fifteen and a half?
3. How do Lou, Wendy and Chloe change over the course of the book?
4. Why do you think Lou pushes Ben away from her even though she knows he’s a good person?
5. Do you think Lou does the right thing when she re-opens her past by trapping Mike? What would you have done in this situation?
6. How important is the fact that Mike was Lou’s teacher?
7. How do you think Wendy feels about Lou by the end of the book?
8. Who do you think is the real victim of this story?
9. Do you think the authorities dealt with the issues in this book appropriately? Could they have done anything more to help the girls?
10. Why do you think people like Mike behave in the way that they do?
About the Author
C.L. Taylor is a Sunday Times bestselling author. Her psychological thrillers have sold over a million copies in the UK alone, b
een translated into over twenty languages, and optioned for television. C.L. Taylor lives in Bristol with her partner and son.
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