‘It’s very sad,’ Jennifer said, finding it difficult to feel animosity. ‘I read the diary. Very sad indeed.’
‘I know. We found it in her bag. She gave me a diary exactly the same, about a month after she arrived. She told me to fill it in to help with the stress. I tried a couple of times, but just ended up with a blank page.’ She shook her head as the memory returned. ‘I feel sick at the thought of what my father did to her. I knew something was wrong, but I wasn’t strong enough to face it.’
‘Mmm,’ Jennifer mumbled. She had given it plenty of thought since reading the jagged words, strewn across the paper, ingrained into the pages underneath. Fiona, now revealed as Doreen, had viewed Joanna’s denial as the ultimate betrayal. To Jennifer, Joanna’s response had just been a ten-year-old girl using repression as a method of coping because she was unable to comprehend her father’s acts. Just how was Joanna coping with the fact her husband was gay? It was a question Jennifer lacked the courage to ask. And with the investigation complete, it really wasn’t her business.
‘Look at me, look at me!’ Olivia cried to Jennifer, waving as she encouraged the pony to trot in a circle.
‘Well done,’ Jennifer cheered, before lowering her voice and turning to Joanna. ‘What about their telepathic skills? Has there been any further communication between them?’
Joanna looked at her thoughtfully. ‘No. Well, not really. We’re trying to keep everything low-key. I don’t expect the next year or two to be easy, but we’ll get through it.’
‘I’m sure you will,’ Jennifer said, a chill creeping over her as the sun lowered in the sky.
She said her goodbyes to the family, after staying for one last cuppa, and pushed the front door of the house firmly shut on her way out. Her eyes crept back to the cold stone building, and she felt grateful that she did not have to spend any more time within its walls. Adjusting her eyes to the twilight, she walked the lonely path to her car. Evening fell quickly in Haven, and she turned her eyes back to the lands as a mist descended. Jennifer. The word was whispered in a haunting voice that only she could hear. Haven was a living, breathing entity of its own. She had felt its presence deep in the soil when she had hung in the damp, dark well, surrounded by rotting bricks and burrowing insects. It had allowed her to escape with her life that day, but she knew that many more incidents lay ahead. And the next time she might not be so lucky.
Chapter Seventy-Four
Diary Entry
I would have given up and gone home, if it weren’t for DC Knight. She was a crow on my shoulder, constantly pecking for information. Leaving in the midst of the investigation would have looked very suspicious, so I stuck it out, enjoying watching my so-called sister fall apart. Not that it was easy to keep up the pretence. It took every ounce of my self-control to act natural, and sometimes it felt as if she saw right through me. When the medium came, it was my voice she picked up, pleading with my father to stop his cruel acts. A ghost of a memory that never left me, it made my skin crawl to hear the words out loud. Slowly my love for the house, the land, Nick, it all turned to hate. Joanna and her family needed to die, and take our secrets with them. Now, as I look back, I can see how close I came to getting what I wanted.
But it was a house made of cards. Nick and Joanna weren’t the perfect couple, and the twins were strange and wild. The house was crumbling, and filled with something so dark there were times I could barely breathe within its walls. I am not sorry the monster is dead. I’m only sorry they caught me. But without solid proof of murder, I’m confident I’ll get off. I’ll serve a few years for perverting the course of justice, if that. My prison bed is mildly more comfortable than the one in my grotty flat, and I know how to handle my inmates. I’ll get regular meals, cockroach-free. Best of all, I’ll have time on my hands. Time to plan the next birthday surprise.
Letter from Caroline
I can’t quite believe I’ve finished book three of the DC Knight series already. Each book has stretched the realms of my writing skills, bringing me deep into an imagination I didn’t know I possessed. Thank you so much to everyone who has bought, reviewed, shared, tweeted and supported my books. I truly value my readers, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the various journeys my writing has taken you on. There’s lots more to come, so don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter to ensure you are kept updated for each new release:
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I’d like to invite you to join me again with my forthcoming novels featuring DS Ruby Preston. She has been standing in the shadows for some time now, waiting for her story to be told. She doesn’t always play by the rules, but as she says herself, she’s a ‘real copper and gets things done’. Based in London, this new crime series is gritty, fast paced, and features some rather dubious characters. I can’t wait to introduce you to them.