Psychological Thriller Series: Adam Stanley Boxed Set: Behind Shadows, Positively Murder and Mind Bender

by Netta Newbound

  “Sorry to be a nuisance, but I’ve been away for a while.” I touched the bandage. “I’d appreciate it if you told me all about your relationships with both suspects.”

  “Nigel is my stepdad, as you well know. I hate him, always have. I hated what he did to my dad and how he treated my mother.”

  “Ah, yes. Your mother. You said you think he used to hypnotise her. Is that correct?”

  “Yes. I know he did.”

  “Did he turn her against you?”

  “Why are you asking me this?” She turned to Frances. “Why is he asking me this?”

  Frances shrugged and shook her head, as she eyeballed me.

  “Did your stepfather turn your mother against you?” I repeated.

  “Yes. She left him everything in her will, even the things she’d promised me. He got everything. I got nothing.”

  “Do you hate him, Miss Smith?”

  Charlie nodded.

  “If you hate him so much, why would you work for him? That must’ve been a kick in the teeth when she left him everything. I think I’d have been long gone by now.”

  She wiped her hands on her jeans, and I noticed two dark marks appear.

  The hair rose on my neck.

  “Why would you work for someone you hate? After all, he’s ruined your life hasn’t he?”

  “Damn right, he’s ruined my life. I wanted him to leave me the business. Wanted to prove I could be a good therapist, just like my dad, but instead he stuck me on reception.”

  “That was a nasty thing to do, especially after all your training.” I pointed to the wall behind her desk and the framed certificates hung in pride of place.

  “I know, right? Four years I trained, hoping he’d give me a chance to take over from him when he retired, but what does he do? Hand it all over to that wanker nephew of his.”

  I glanced at Frances who was staring at the younger woman, her eyes wide open.

  “So you thought you’d teach them both a lesson, and who can blame you?”

  Charlie, still nodding, suddenly stopped and turned to face me. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, come on. Of course you do. You set it all up. Killed those people to frame your stepdad and his nephew, get them both out of the way. Didn’t you?”

  Charlie moved so fast, I didn’t see it coming. She launched a cardboard file at my head and bolted for the door.

  “Hey!” Frances yelled, before running after her.

  They got outside, and I could hear a commotion but couldn’t see anything. The pain in my head was intense, and I touched my forehead with tentative fingers. They came away covered in blood. “Oh, no, not again,” I whispered, as I dropped to my knees.

  The door slammed open and Frances appeared holding Charlie with one arm pulled up her back, and reading her her rights. Then she called for backup and an ambulance.

  Chapter 55

  “Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?” Amanda asked as she came out of the private bathroom adjoining the hospital room.

  Mary smiled. “Oh, you’re still here,” she said, her voice very low and scratchy. The doctor said it was from all the screaming.

  “I told you, I’m going nowhere.”

  Tears filled Mary’s eyes, and Amanda’s chest tightened. She knew she shouldn’t be promising her anything, especially until Adam told her what he intended to do.

  “Did they find Daddy?”

  Amanda considered lying to her but knew it was only a matter of time before one of her school mates blabbed, so she took a deep, bracing breath and picked up her daughter’s hand.

  “Your daddy had an accident, sweetheart. I’m sorry, but he died.”

  She nodded and turned away. “I thought he must have, otherwise he’d have come back for me.” A tear ran down her cheek.

  “Of course, he would. He loved you so much, sweetheart.”

  Mary’s eyes flickered.

  “He did. You’ve got to believe me.”

  “I don’t think he did. He got angry with me for talking to some boys. That’s why he locked me up.”

  “He was scared, that’s all. But your daddy thought the world of you, and so do I.”

  She stroked Mary’s hand until she slipped back to sleep.

  ***

  Back in the hospital as an inpatient, I felt useless. The consultants had gone berserk at me for signing myself out and coming back less than two hours later with yet another head injury. But I was lucky. Only the stitches needed attention.

  The nurse didn’t say a word as she cleaned and redressed the wound. She just pursed her lips and shook her head every time I winced.

  Frances had accompanied Charlie to the station, but arrived back at the hospital less a couple of hours later.

  “I didn’t expect to see you for hours yet,” I said.

  “I left her to Karen, once she’d confessed to everything.”

  “Well done! What did she say?”

  “That she blamed him for her dad’s death. All she’d already told us was true about her mum and the hypnosis. But her plan was to set her stepfather up in order to get rid of him and get her hands on the business. However, she didn’t plan on him getting sick and bringing his nephew into the mix.”

  “But how did she manage to pull it off?” I asked.

  “That’s the first question I had. She was responsible for making the appointments for the clinic, so for anybody arranging a hypnotherapy appointment she would book them in for an out-of-hours appointment. She’d say it was a pre-check to see if they were open to suggestion.”

  “Crafty.”

  “Yes, very. She played them some music, ‘Pop Goes The Weasel,’ and told them what she wanted them to do, gave them the gun and the rest is history. All she had to do was call them and play the music for the hypnosis to kick in.”

  “She could have set up by herself and made a mint with that kind of talent,” I said.

  “But she didn’t want just any clinic, she wanted that clinic. I still can’t believe I hadn’t noticed the certificates on the wall. Some detective I am.”

  Frances’ phone buzzed in her pocket.

  “Hey, Cal,” she said, ducking into the corridor.

  Feeling guilty for ruining the highlight of her career, I watched her pace up and down for a few minutes before she came back in.

  “James Cassidy has landed back in the country. They picked him up at the airport, and he’s being brought in for questioning as we speak.”

  “Oh, great. You’ve got him pretty much tied up by all accounts. Haven’t you?”

  “I’ve learned a valuable lesson today, boss. Never count your chickens.”

  “Very wise, indeed. But get off and prepare for him. This would be a huge feather in your cap if you pull it off.”

  “If I don’t arrest the wrong person this time,” she said as she headed out the door.

  Once alone again, I slid my mobile from the waistband of my pyjamas and dialled Cal’s number.

  “Boss, what are you doing? I thought you were under strict orders.”

  “I’m here, aren’t I? Stuck in bed and doing as I’m told. I just need you to do me a favour, but keep it quiet.”

  “Anything, boss.”

  It didn’t take long for Cal to get me the information I asked for.

  “Thanks, Cal. Anything else to report?”

  “Yep, good news. Grayson Phelps is out of the woods. He should make a full recovery.”

  “That’s a relief. Could you tell Frances when she gets back. Someone will need to interview him. Not that any charges will stick, but we’ll need to get his side of the story.”

  “Will do, boss. Take it easy and I’ll see you when I see you.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Frances said you won’t be back to work for two weeks, maybe longer.”

  “Let’s see Frances stop me, shall we?”

  “I don’t like your chances, boss. She’s really stepped up since you wer
e injured.”

  “We’ll see. And Cal, thanks for doing that for me.”

  *

  A short time later, dressed in my own clothes again, I shuffled into the children’s ward and found Mary’s room quite by chance.

  Mary was asleep, and Amanda sat on a chair beside her, her head on the mattress.

  I tapped on the door.

  A look of terror filled Amanda’s eyes when she saw me standing there.

  I beckoned for her to join me.

  “How is she?” I asked, once she’d stepped in to the hallway.

  “A lot better. Still sleepy, but she’s eating and drinking now.”

  “Why don’t you get off home? I’ll take over from here.”

  “You mean ...” Her hand flew to her throat.

  “I mean ... go and get some sleep, and I’ll sit with Mary until you get back.”

  “So you haven’t told anybody yet?”

  I shook my head. “Nobody. Although I did do a bit of checking. It seems Mary’s adoptive parents had split before Mary was taken.”

  “Like Andrew said?”

  “Yes. And the father did a stretch for dealing drugs.”

  “What about the mother?”

  “Died of a heroin overdose. So, it seems there’s nobody looking for Mary after all.”

  “What about the authorities?”

  “Missing Persons have enough to be getting on with, don’t you think?”

  Amanda took a deep breath as her eyes filled with tears. “So you mean ...?”

  “I mean ... when is our eldest daughter allowed to come home?”

  A cry caught in Amanda’s throat as she rushed towards me.

  “Easy, easy.” I laughed. “I’ve only just managed to con my way out of a hospital bed for the second time today. I don’t want to be admitted again.”

  “Second time?” She looked shocked.

  “It’s a long story. Maybe I’ll tell you over a tasteless, hospital canteen supper later.”

  “Oh, Adam, I can’t tell you how happy I am. What about Frances, though? She knows the truth.”

  “She won’t say a word. Mary’s your daughter and is better off living with you. Although if you want to make it official, we’ll have to adopt her legally.”

  Epilogue

  “The cars are here, Amanda,” Sandra shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

  “Coming,” she said, taking one final glance in the mirror. The white, full-length gown fitted each curve to perfection, including the large baby bump in front. She stroked her hands over the top of it and smiled.

  “Come on then, junior. We have a wedding to go to.”

  As she walked down the stairs, Sandra began blubbering into her hanky. She looked stunning, dressed in a lime green mother-of-the-bride trouser suit and matching hat.

  “I thought we’d agreed no more tears. You’ve only just done your makeup.” Amanda laughed.

  “I know, but you look so beautiful.”

  “So do you,” Amanda said, as she reached the bottom of the stairs. She hugged her foster mother.

  “I look beautiful, too!” Emma said, jumping up and down in the kitchen doorway, delighting in the way her pink taffeta dress swished with every movement.

  “We all look beautiful,” Amanda said, patting Jacob on the head. He was wearing a suit identical to the one Adam had bought. She held out her other hand to Mary who was dressed in a similar style dress to Emma. Amanda almost levitated with pride over her stunning family.

  The day would be different from the norm. Amanda and Sandra would arrive with the children and walk down the aisle together. Sandra was going to give them all away.

  Adam’s vows would name them individually.

  As they pulled up at the quaint stone church, Amanda’s heartbeat was like a big bass drum.

  “No regrets?” she asked.

  “No!” they all squealed, laughing.

  “Anyone changed their minds?”

  “No!” they chanted again.

  “Then let’s do this.”

  The music began playing as they converged in the doorway. Sandra busily straightened all their dresses and Jacob’s tie.

  “Ready?” Amanda asked, holding her arm out.

  “Ready.” Sandra linked hers through it.

  Mary held hands with the two littlies and followed behind.

  As they reached the end of the aisle, Adam turned and Amanda’s heart did a humungous somersault. She could honestly say she’d never been happier in her life.

  The End

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Netta Newbound, originally from Manchester, England, now lives in New Zealand with her husband, Paul and their boxer dog Alfie. She has three grown-up children and two delicious grandchildren.

  For more information or just to touch base with Netta you will find her at:

  www.nettanewbound.com

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