‘I appreciate your use of “we”, Mack, that’s very gracious of you.’
‘We were working together. It was we.’
Lindsay gave a weak smile.
‘And Daniel Pearce?’
‘Well, that was more me than you, Boss. I had him tagged as a strange one from the off, yet poor lad was merely an unwitting pawn in that psycho’s poisonous game. Jason Watkins was a master manipulator, that’s for sure.’
‘Hmm. Yes.’ Lindsay rubbed at her eyes.
‘I’ll leave you to it,’ Mack said, ‘I’ve got some paperwork to fill.’ He put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
‘Sure,’ Lindsay placed her hand briefly on top of his. ‘Yes, get cracking on it, Detective Sergeant Mack, I don’t want you pulling another all-nighter. You look rough enough; some beauty sleep is long overdue.’ She raised one eyebrow and smiled. ‘Oh, and thanks, Mack. You did a great job on this case.’
Mack left, the door closing quietly behind him, leaving Lindsay alone.
She could’ve done more, she knew that. Questions would be asked as to how the outcome had been so devastating. They’d have to be faced. Erin Malone’s parents would gain an element of closure. That had always been her goal, so that was the positive part.
But it was the negatives of this case that would stay with her for a long time.
Epilogue
The noise of the letterbox, a crashing against metal.
Loud. Like a gunshot.
She jumped, her hand flying to her chest.
Breathe in … and out. In … and out.
She crept to the window, pulling the edge of the curtain back an inch to peek outside. She blinked, the bright light stinging her eyes.
He was there again. The third time this week.
How long would he stay this time?
Had she locked all the doors, windows?
Get the bag, must get the bag.
She sat on the floor, her back against the sofa. She’d wait it out. She wasn’t letting him in. He’d leave. He always did. Eventually.
The darkness of the room settled her. The shaking subsided. She was okay.
Alone. How she liked it.
Her mum had been right. You could only be safe indoors.
Leaving the house would kill you.
Acknowledgements
Huge thanks to my agent, Anne Williams, for seeing my potential and giving her expertise and guidance in shaping this novel and finding it a home. That home is with the wonderful team at Avon, who have all been so enthusiastic and delightful to work with. My special thanks to Natasha for championing it and for her insightful editing, and Ellie, whose hard work and passion – not to mention patience – has helped make this book one to be proud of.
I’d like to thank my friends, Tracey and Tara, whose belief I could do this made me believe too. Thanks also to my book club girls and early readers (too many to mention, but you know who you are) and my online writing group, Writers United – your critique and feedback was invaluable. Special thanks to Lydia Devadason and Libby Carpenter – you’ve both read this so many times now that you know it better than me. It’s been one hell of a journey, and one I wouldn’t have wanted to go on without you both. Your friendship has come to mean so very much to me. The writing community is amazing and I’ve been lucky enough to gain support and encouragement from a lot of authors. In particular, I want to extend my gratitude to Jane Isaac and Elizabeth Haynes.
I couldn’t have done any of this without my family’s support – I didn’t make it easy. Danika – without you there’d have been no beginning; Louis – without your nagging voice forcing me to be brave, there’d have been no ending; Nathaniel – without your genuine interest in my writing and its progression there’d have been no middle; Doug – without your constant support I wouldn’t have been able to write in the first place. I thank you all for your patience, for accepting that I’m not listening, for your forgiveness when I forget to pick you up – and for loving me regardless. And I want to thank my sister, Celia. It’s been an incredibly tough few years. I couldn’t have made it through without your love and support.
If you enjoyed Saving Sophie, turn the page to find out more about Sam Carrington and her writing in an author Q&A
Author Q&A
What was your inspiration for Saving Sophie?
The start of the novel was inspired by a real-life, personal incident. At the time, my thoughts and emotions were all over the place and although my experience ended well, I couldn’t let go of the ‘what if?’ questions. It was these that I expanded on and the novel grew from there. As for the setting, I love living in Devon and I’m relatively close to the moors and the sea, so I wanted both of these to feature in the story.
What did you enjoy most about writing this novel?
I enjoyed developing the characters of Karen and Sophie. They became part of my life and I’d think about them even when I wasn’t writing about them. It also brought my relationship with my own daughter into sharper focus and sparked a lot of interesting discussions!
What advice do you have for aspiring authors?
There’s so much advice readily available for writers! I spent a lot of time online searching for tips and ‘How To’ books, and I attended some workshops which were really useful. Social media is also an amazing source of support that I would advise writers to tap in to, because writing can feel a lonely process at times, particularly when you’re first starting out.
Joining a writing group can also be beneficial, as gaining feedback is invaluable. I would say, however, that you might receive a lot of differing advice, so in the end it’s about learning what will work for you and what won’t – I think there’s an element of trial and error here!
One major piece of advice is DO NOT rush to submit your work to agents. It’s so exciting to have finished a novel, so much so that it can be hard to hold back! But agents receive so many submission packages you don’t want to give them an easy reason to reject yours. Make sure you read the individual agent’s requirements, have a strong covering letter, a succinct synopsis to the length they ask, and make sure your opening chapters are polished, polished, polished! I DID send my work too early and received a number of rejections quite quickly. Then I was lucky enough to have my work edited by a newly qualified editor and afterwards I began getting requests for my full manuscript.
I’m also a big advocate of entering competitions. I entered my opening chapters of Saving Sophie (then titled Portrayal) in to the CWA Debut Dagger award and was longlisted. It was an amazing feeling to have my work recognised. Being placed in a competition validates you as a writer and gives a huge boost to your confidence. Even though my agent was already interested in my writing, I believe that being able to tell her I’d been longlisted was a factor in her decision to sign me.
Oh, and learn the art of patience – you’ll need a lot of it (although I’ve yet to master this myself!).
Where do you write your novels?
I do change my writing area and I’m not sure I’ve found the perfect spot yet! I first started writing at my breakfast bar with a view to the moors, then due to a need for more space, I moved to the dining-room table. But my notes and books and general clutter became too much to move each time the family wanted to eat, so I now have my son’s hand-me-down computer desk. This is currently in the lounge, mainly so I can also keep an eye on my border terriers! My dream is to eventually have a summer house that’s all mine.
Can you describe a typical working day?
I try to get up between 6 and 7 a.m. and the first thing I need is coffee. Then I fire up the laptop and trawl through Facebook and Twitter while eating breakfast, replying to messages, tweeting and retweeting. I’m a bit of a sucker for social media and this is one area I need to curtail – it’s easy to get stuck there and not start writing otherwise!
I’m an edit-as-you-go writer which means I don’t always get a lot of words down. I might write a page then I’ll go back ov
er it. Sometimes I might even manage a whole chapter before reading back through it and tweaking. Although this makes writing a slower process, it does make editing quicker when the novel is complete.
I have a few coffee and snack breaks and I’ll also stop writing around 2pm to take the dogs for a walk. Often my eldest son walks with me and we’ll have some great discussions about what I’m writing and we brainstorm ideas and he helps me iron out plot problems.
I’ll either carry on writing when home, or do other writing-related things, like blog posts or research. I don’t tend to write in the evenings unless I’m nearing a deadline. Likewise, I don’t generally write at the weekends, spending time with the family instead. So, I’m afraid I don’t take heed of the ‘write every day’ advice!
Can you tell us a bit about your next novel?
My next novel focuses on forensic psychologist, Connie Summers. After she recommends a prisoner’s release, he commits a serious offence which Connie feels responsible for, so she trades her role working with offenders for running her own counselling consultancy helping the victims of crime. One of her newest clients is Steph, a troubled young woman relocated by the Protected Persons Service, who is fearful for her and her son’s life. When Connie begins to unpick these fears, she uncovers the tragic circumstances that led to the death of Steph’s dad sixteen years ago. Meanwhile, DI Wade and DS Mack pay Connie a visit to tell her that an absconded prisoner has been murdered and his body dumped outside the prison gates. Initially, Connie thinks they are asking for her expert opinion and help in profiling the perpetrator. But then they tell her who the victim is, and that her name is written on the dead man’s hand. Suddenly the past catches up, threatening to reveal Steph’s true identity and ruin Connie’s new career – possibly even her life.
About the Author
Sam Carrington lives in Devon with her husband and three children. She worked for the NHS for fifteen years, during which time she qualified as a nurse. Following the completion of a psychology degree she went to work for the prison service as an Offending Behaviour Programme Facilitator. Her experiences within this field inspired her writing. She left the service to spend time with her family and to follow her dream of being a novelist. Saving Sophie is her debut psychological thriller novel.
Readers can find out more at http://www.samcarrington.blogspot.co.uk and follow Sam on Twitter @sam_carrington1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street
Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia
http://www.harpercollins.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Canada
2 Bloor Street East – 20th Floor
Toronto, ON, M4W, 1A8, Canada
http://www.harpercollins.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollins Publishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollins.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London, SE1 9GF
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
195 Broadway
New York, NY 10007
http://www.harpercollins.com
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