Lottie stood at the bar holding a glass of Sauvignon Boyd had bought for her. She watched as he sat down beside Kirby, who was nursing a pint of Guinness. He was so un-Kirby-like that she thought he could be a different person. Grief did that to you, she knew. She bit her lip so sharply, she could taste blood.
The throng was pushing against her. She noticed Cynthia Rhodes talking to someone just inside the door. That was one woman she did not want to talk to tonight. Or any night.
‘Hello there. You must be Lottie. Cynthia pointed you out to me.’
Turning around, she stared into a pair of green eyes an exact replica of her own. His hair was wild, and she could see that it had once been red but was now a scorched blonde.
‘Do I know you?’ Confusion raced through her as she tipped her head to one side, appraising the rugged-faced stranger who didn’t look like a stranger.
He held his hand out to her. Instinctively she took it in her own. His shake was slick and quick, but firm. She noticed his nails were clean and cut in straight lines, as if he filed them regularly.
‘You look just how I imagined you to be in real life,’ he said. ‘Your photos don’t do you justice at all.’ A smile broke across his face, flaming his eyes with light. He ran a finger inside the collar of his shirt before putting both hands into the pockets of his navy chinos.
‘I don’t mean to be rude,’ she said, though she knew that was exactly how she sounded, ‘but who are you?’ A tease of unease tickled the base of her skull. Jesus, it was like looking into a mirror and seeing herself as a man.
‘I believed I had more of my father’s genes than my mother’s,’ he said, ‘but seeing you, I believe my mother’s must have been the stronger.’
‘Look, I have no idea who you are or what you’re talking about, and I’m with company, so if you’ll excuse me …’ She made to move away from him, but his hand covered hers again.
‘Two minutes of your time. Please? I’ve come a long way to meet you.’
She should just go. Leave. Walk away. But curiosity stalled her and she waited. She wanted to hear what this man had to say.
‘I spoke to you on the phone. A few months ago. You wouldn’t talk to me then. I was afraid I’d made a mistake, so I did some more research.’
‘Research?’ Immediately Lottie felt like a lab rat in a cage. His eyes were scrutinising her, travelling over her face, her hair, down to her hands. She followed his gaze, thinking that if he stared at her legs, he was getting a kick in the crotch. And then she recalled McMahon and Rose’s words. And she knew exactly who he was.
He said, ‘My mother was quite ill at the time. Not really my mother, but she’d imposed herself in that role, so I knew no other. While she was in hospital, I went through all her things. Her files, computer stuff, boxes in closets. I even raided her office.’
Lottie noticed that his eyes were swimming in tears, drawing in loss. She knew that look well. It was reflected back at her every morning when she washed her face.
‘I’m a cop. I know how to search properly. Eventually I found the evidence.’
‘I really have no idea what you’re talking about.’ But Lottie did know. That phone call. The day after her house had burned to the ground. Kneeling in a pool of rainwater swimming in ash, the phone locked in her hands. The same voice. His voice.
‘You’re Leo Belfield,’ she said.
He nodded. ‘Alexis believed she was doing right, separating me from my twin sister. But now I think she was just being plain selfish. She wanted a new life in the United States. She wanted a child. She took me. And left you behind.’
‘Wait a minute. You have it all wrong.’
‘No, I haven’t. You’re my half-sister, Lottie Parker. We share the same mother. With no idea of who our father was.’ He dipped his head.
‘I know who my father was. And I believe that this Alexis was instrumental in him taking his own life. I’ve seen first-hand what her madness can do. And no matter what you think you found in the stuff she hid from you, you have it all wrong. Very wrong.’
When he looked up at her, all trace of tears had disappeared. His eyes were questioning, his mouth screwed in disbelief. His demeanour suddenly became defensive as he clenched his hands into tight fists.
‘I have it completely right. I’ve seen it all. The photographs. The documents. Don’t try to deny it. You are my sister.’
‘I’m not denying you might be related to me.’ Why was she even having this conversation with a man she had never met before? ‘But I’m not your twin. Though I will admit that it may be possible I’m your half-sister.’
His face clouded as if a shadow had fallen over it. ‘I don’t understand.’
‘You think you have it all worked out. But nothing is as simple as it appears. Alexis Belfield spent a lifetime covering up her sordid past. She might have succeeded if it weren’t for the inquisitiveness of Marian Russell, another half-sister you may or may not have found out about. She’s dead by the way. Murdered. At the hands of …’ No, she couldn’t shatter him this soon. ‘Suffice to say, our family history is shrouded in layers of obscurity. The only people who know the whole truth are either dead or … How is Alexis?’
‘Out of her coma but unable to speak. Other than that, she’s in good health.’
‘Is she hospitalised?’ I hope so, Lottie thought. She couldn’t deal with having that evil woman on her doorstep.
‘For the moment. I’m making arrangements to bring her home. But I needed to make this journey first. I had to find the truth for myself before I confronted her.’
‘The truth? Ha, don’t make me laugh.’ Lottie snorted her derision. ‘My life was built on so many lies that I’m surprised I can ever believe a word out of anyone’s mouth. And I imagine yours has been the same. So don’t come looking to me for answers. I don’t have them. Go home and ask Alexis.’
‘She can’t talk.’
‘I’m sure she’ll be able to write out your family history for you.’ She drained her wine and put down the glass. ‘We’re done here. Go home.’
‘I’m not leaving Ragmullin until I find out everything.’
‘Good luck with that, then. And don’t go near Rose again.’ She turned and had begun to push through the crowd when she felt her hand being grabbed. He turned her to face him.
‘If you’re not my twin sister, then who is?’
‘You’ll have to find that out for yourself.’
‘Tell me.’
‘Try the central mental hospital. She’s incarcerated there.’
‘I don’t believe you.’
‘I don’t really care one way or the other.’
Lottie shook her head. Released her hand. Left him there. And walked over to Boyd and Kirby.
‘Who was that?’ Boyd asked.
Lottie put her hand into his. ‘Nobody,’ she said.
Epilogue
Three weeks later
Toby kicked the ball into the goal. He didn’t celebrate. He walked slowly up to the goal mouth, picked up the ball and turned to do it again. Easy when there were no defenders. No goalkeeper. Just him and the green grass.
He reached the spot where he had stood a moment ago and put the ball down. Booted it into the goal again, then began his solitary walk to retrieve it.
‘Want someone to kick around with?’
He turned. The tall, blonde-haired boy stood there. The one who had been nice to him.
‘Where’s Barry?’ Toby said.
‘No need to be scared of him any longer. My mother has him locked up.’
‘What happened to you?’ He noticed a stitched scar along the boy’s forehead, just below the sweep of his hair.
‘Nothing much. I was fighting the devil, but I won. What about that game?’
‘I prefer FIFA,’ Toby said. He saw the look on the teenager’s face. ‘But we could kick the ball for a little bit.’
He looked over to the wall. Hope sat there beside Max, who held his daughter, Lexie, on his k
nee. Max hadn’t left Toby’s side since he’d been released from hospital.
Toby couldn’t stop the smile from spreading over his face. He put the ball down and kicked it as hard as he could.
‘Goal!’ He ran forward, Mikey’s medal on its piece of green ribbon swinging around his neck in the evening breeze.
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Also by Patricia Gibney
The Detective Lottie Parker series:
1. The Missing Ones
2. The Stolen Girls
3. The Lost Child
4. No Safe Place
5. Tell Nobody
A Letter from Patricia
Hello, dear reader,
I wish to sincerely thank you for reading my fifth novel, Tell Nobody.
I’m so grateful to you for sharing your precious time with Lottie Parker, her family and team. If you enjoyed Tell Nobody, you might like to follow Lottie throughout the series of novels. To those of you who have already read the first four Lottie Parker books, The Missing Ones, The Stolen Girls, The Lost Child and No Safe Place, I thank you for your support and reviews.
I would love it if you could post a review on Amazon or Goodreads. It would mean so much to me. And thank you for the reviews received so far.
You can connect with me on my Facebook author page and Twitter. I also have a blog, which I try to keep up to date. If you would like to join my mailing list to be kept informed of my new releases, please sign up here:
www.bookouture.com/patricia-gibney
Thanks again, and I hope you will join me for book six in the series.
Love,
Patricia
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www.patriciagibney.com
The Missing Ones
Detective Lottie Parker Book 1
Buy it now!
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The hole they dug was not deep. A white flour bag encased the little body. Three small faces watched from the window, eyes black with terror.
* * *
The child in the middle spoke without turning his head. ‘I wonder which one of us will be next?’
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When a woman’s body is discovered in a cathedral and hours later a young man is found hanging from a tree outside his home, Detective Lottie Parker is called in to lead the investigation. Both bodies have the same distinctive tattoo clumsily inscribed on their legs. It’s clear the pair are connected, but how?
* * *
The trail leads Lottie to St Angela’s, a former children’s home, with a dark connection to her own family history. Suddenly the case just got personal.
* * *
As Lottie begins to link the current victims to unsolved murders decades old, two teenage boys go missing. She must close in on the killer before they strike again, but in doing so is she putting her own children in terrifying danger?
* * *
Lottie is about to come face to face with a twisted soul who has a very warped idea of justice.
* * *
Fans of Rachel Abbott, Karin Slaughter and Robert Dugoni will be gripped by this page-turning serial killer thriller, guaranteed to keep you reading late into the night.
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Get it here!
The Stolen Girls
Detective Lottie Parker Book 2
Order it now!
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The young woman standing on Lottie’s step was a stranger. She was clutching the hand of a young boy. ‘Help me’ she said to Lottie. ‘Please help me’.
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One Monday morning at dawn, a young woman and her son visit the house of Detective Lottie Parker, begging for help to find a lost friend. The same day, the body of a young pregnant woman is found.
* * *
Could this be the same girl?
* * *
When another victim is discovered by the same man, with the murder bearing all the same hallmarks as the first, Lottie needs to work fast to discover how else the two were linked. Then two more girls go missing.
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Detective Lottie Parker is a woman on the edge, haunted by her tragic past and struggling to keep her family together through difficult times. Can she fight her own demons and catch the killer before he claims another victim?
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The Stolen Girls is a gripping and page-turning thriller that will leave you breathless. Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Karin Slaughter and Robert Dugoni.
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Get it here!
The Lost Child
Detective Lottie Parker Book 3
Order now!
* * *
They placed me in here and threw away the key. I look down at the gown they’ve put on me. I want my own clothes. I don’t know how long I’ve been here.
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An elderly woman is found murdered in her own home, and Detective Lottie Parker and her partner Detective Boyd are called in to investigate. When they discover that the victim’s daughter is missing as well, they start to fear for the safety of the whole family…
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Two days later as a nearby house is set on fire and with the body count rising, Lottie and her team begin to unpick a web of secrets and lies, as the murders seem to link back to a case investigated by Lottie’s father before he took his own life.
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With little knowledge of what really happened to her father, Lottie knows this is a case that could give her some answers. But how much does she want to know? And how far is Lottie prepared to dig to uncover the truth?
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The Lost Child is a thrilling page-turner from the bestselling author of The Missing Ones and The Stolen Girls that will have you guessing right to the very last page. Perfect for fans of Rachel Abbott, Angela Marsons and Robert Dugoni.
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Get it here!
No Safe Place
Detective Lottie Parker Book 4
Buy it now!
* * *
Her bare feet stuck to the frost as she ran. She wanted to scream out loud, but she knew he’d find her if she made a noise. As she stopped to listen for his heavy footsteps, she wondered if she would ever make it out alive …
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As funeral mourners stand in silence at Ragmullin cemetery, a deafening cry cuts through the air. Lying crumpled at the bottom of an open grave is the bloodied body of a young woman, and Detective Lottie Parker is called in to investigate.
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Knowing the body can’t have been there long, Lottie wonders if it could be Elizabeth Bryne, a young woman who vanished without trace just days earlier. And with a new boss who seems to have it in for her, Lottie is under pressure to solve both cases quickly.
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As two more women go missing from Ragmullin, Lottie and her team fear there is a serial killer on the loose. And the disappearances are strikingly similar to a cold case from ten years earlier. Could history be repeating itself?
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As journalists begin to interfere with Lottie’s investigation, she fears the killer is about to strike again. Lottie is in a race against time to find the missing women, but the killer is closer than she thinks. Could Lottie be his next target?
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If you love Angela Marsons, Robert Bryndza and Rachel Abbott, you’ll love the latest pulse-pounding thriller from Patricia Gibney. No Safe Place will keep you guessing until the very last page.
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Get it here!
Acknowledgements
To you, my reader, thank you for your continued support.
As a
writer, I am dependent on many people, and I’m grateful to have a great team working with me. I wish to thank Lydia Vassar Smith for her tremendous editorial input on Tell Nobody. Special thanks to Kim Nash and Noelle Holten, for their incredible media work, organising blog tours and publicity. Thank you also to those who work directly on my books: Lauren Finger (production) and Jen Hunt (publishing), Alex Crow and Jules Macadam (marketing), Jane Selley for her excellent copyediting skills.
Tell Nobody: Absolutely gripping crime fiction with unputdownable mystery and suspense Page 33