by Kylie Kaden
‘God, we’ll be plaiting each other’s hair soon!’ Gwen said.
Molly had a lot to figure out. But in that moment, she felt an anticipation, a feeling she couldn’t name, but she thought it was something like hope.
Chapter 40
THE DAY OF THE MOON FESTIVAL
Eadie did what she was told to do if she ever got lost. She walked back to her house. But when she got there, nobody was home.
Her picnic from earlier was still scattered on the back lawn. She’d fished the tea set out of the charity box her mum had stacked in their shed earlier. Her mum had told her she’d outgrown it, but Eadie proved her wrong, laying each cup and saucer out carefully for one-eyed Gemma, Doc McStuffins and the scruffy-looking Seaworld dolphin that used to be pink. Every guest had their own napkin, one grape, two sultanas and a star-shaped sandwich, which Eadie personally fed them before munching her own. The crusts were a little dry by then, but she didn’t care.
Darkness threatened. She hoped they’d be back soon.
‘Eat up, Gemma,’ Eadie ordered, pressing the sandwich to her bunny’s sewn-on mouth.
Its contents oozed from between the bread onto her fingers, dripping down her crossed legs. ‘It’s cwunchy, better than smooth.’
The grumpy cat Eadie chased but never caught poked its head through the missing paling in the fence and skulked through the overgrown dandelions towards the tea party and snatched a peanut-butter sandwich from the plate.
‘Kaos, no! That’s Gemma’s,’ Eadie scolded. The cat startled and skittered home through the gap in the palings. Regretting scaring her off, Eadie followed, determined, despite the darkness, to catch that cat.
She found the feline eating the stolen sandwich by the boat ramp.
The cat saw the girl in her light-up shoes scampering towards her, and darted inside the garage to safety.
Eadie was a few steps behind, pausing only a moment to wipe the icky peanut butter on her dress.
‘There you are, Kaos,’ Trevor said. He paused his sanding and encouraged the cat up on his shoulder and she nuzzled in, a satisfied purr rattling. The cat’s raspy tongue licked the corner of her owner’s lips as he saw the girl enter his shed, and closed his eyes.
Acknowledgements
My heartfelt appreciation to the following legends who supported me and my imaginary friends on the long and windy road to publication.
The delightful star-studded team at Pantera Press, who really do make you feel like a rock star, and to James Read and Lex Hirst in particular for their unwavering enthusiasm for this story.
My literary agent Margaret Kennedy for her confidence, class, and commitment.
Detective Sergeant Andrew Self, Queensland Police Service, for expert procedural, arrest and crime scene knowledge (with bonus points for amusing anecdotes).
Forensic pathologist extraordinaire, Dr Nathan Milne, for making my fictional foot-work feasible in real life. Any balls-ups on the facts of this fiction are my own.
Superhero social worker (and cherished friend) Sophie Smith for skilful advice on the impact of sexual assault on survivors.
My valued friends at Brisbane Book Authors who cheer the highs and support the lows – particularly my skilful beta readers Carolyn Martinez, Deborah Disney, and Davide Cottone.
My virtual cheer-squad – Lily Malone and Louise Guy – two more great authors and even better people who also provided insightful advice on my dirty drafts (including how un-Australian it was to get the spelling of Weet-Bix wrong!).
My awesome readers – making you feel something is the reason I write, so thank you for your messages and support. It means the world.
My lifelong bestie, Leanne Keane, for offering wine on the deck as required.
My wonderful mum, who believed I’d write a book since the day I started forming sentences, and for loving all my drafts (even the unlovable ones). Landing you as a mum is the best luck I’ve had.
My husband, Jamie Kaden, (who, like Dr Will, is a truth-teller) and our three boisterous boys, Finn, Nate and Josh, without whom this book would have been completed a year earlier (lol).
And last but not least, thank you to my companions, caffeine and sugar – faithful supporters of writers everywhere.
About Kylie Kaden
Kylie Kaden knew writing was in her blood from a young age when she snuck onto her brother’s Commodore 64 to invent stories as a child. Raised in Queensland, she spent holidays camping with her family on the Sunshine Coast.
With a surfer-lawyer for a husband and three spirited sons, she stays sane (and avoids the housework) by making things up for a living. Kylie can typically be found venting the day’s thoughts on her laptop (sometimes in the laundry so she can’t be found). She is also a columnist at My Child Magazine, but is the first to admit that despite having an honours degree in psychology, the wheels fall off at her place on a daily basis.
She followed up her debut novel, Losing Kate (2014) with a second critically acclaimed novel, Missing You (2015). The Day the Lies Began marks Kylie’s launch into the domestic noir-thriller market.
www.KylieKaden.com.au
Facebook.com/KylieKadenAuthor
Twitter.com/KylieKadenAU
This is a work of fiction, though it is based on some real events. Names, characters, organisations, dialogue and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, firms, events or locales is coincidental.
First published in 2019 by Pantera Press Pty Limited
www.PanteraPress.com
Text copyright © Kylie Kaden, 2019
Kylie Kaden has asserted hermoral rights to be identified as the author of this work. Design and typography copyright © Pantera Press Pty Limited, 2019 Pantera Press, three-slashes colophon device, Lost the Plot, and sparking imagination, conversation & change are trademarks of Pantera Press Pty Limited We welcome your support of the author’s rights, so please only buy authorised editions. This is a work of fiction, though it may refer to some real events or people. Names, characters, organisations, dialogue and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, firms, events or locales is coincidental or used for fictional purposes. Without the publisher’s prior written permission, and without limiting the rights reserved under copyright, none of this book may be scanned, reproduced, stored in, uploaded to or introduced into a retrieval or distribution system, including the internet, or transmitted, copied, scanned or made available in any form or by any means (including digital, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, sound or audio recording, or text-to-voice). This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent recipient.
Please send all permission queries to:
Pantera Press, P.O. Box 1989 Neutral Bay, NSW 2089 Australia or [email protected]
A Cataloguing-in-Publication entry for this book is available from the National Library of Australia.
ISBN 978 1 925700 38 1 (Paperback)
ISBN 978 1 925700 42 8 (eBook)
Cover design: Christa Moffitt, Christabella Designs
Cover images: Arcangel/Janet Matthews
Publisher: Lex Hirst
Editorial team: James Read, Lucy Bell, Anna Blackie, Claire de Medici
Typesetting: Kirby Jones
Author Photo by Anna Gilbert Photography
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