Discarded by M. Hunter (the reading list .txt) 📕

told us either, given the passage of time, so I don’t see any benefit in formalising his statement.’

‘What about the photographs sent to me?’

‘I’ll call by your agent’s office and see if she’s still got the envelopes and request forensic examination of them; if we’re lucky there could be a clue there somewhere. Otherwise, I don’t know what else to tell you.’ He stifles a yawn but I can see how much today has taken out of him too.

‘It’s getting late, Jack, and it’s pitch black outside. Why don’t you come in and crash on my sofa? You look exhausted, and driving in that condition isn’t safe for you.’

‘I’ll be all right,’ he says, yawning again. ‘I’ll grab an energy drink from the first petrol station I pass.’

I lift the keys out of the central tray and press the off button to kill the engine. ‘I’m not taking no for an answer. Come in, get some sleep, and then you can drive back first thing. If you’re lucky I might even throw in a bacon sandwich before you go.’

I’m relieved when he nods in acknowledgement and doesn’t argue. ‘I meant to tell you the other day, I got stopped by one of the parents in the playground when I was dropping Mila at school and she asked for my autograph.’ He chuckles gently, and the tension in the air eases fractionally. ‘Turns out she’s been reading your books and knows all about me apparently.’

I know how awkward those situations are and I’m inwardly cringing just thinking about it. ‘What did you do?’

‘What else could I do? I signed her book. Seems she’d brought it with her on the off-chance I’d be dropping Mila in, and I didn’t want to disappoint. Came as a bit of a shock, to be honest, and I think I have a better understanding of why you dislike that recognition thing so much.’

‘You ought to try sitting behind a table and having fan after fan approach asking for autographs and selfies, and telling me how wonderful a writer I am. If I believed half of what I’m told, my head wouldn’t fit in this car.’

‘And now you have a new fan in Rick… Sorry if I made things a bit awkward turning up like I did. He seems nice.’

I’m grateful it’s so dark that he won’t be able to see the Belisha beacon my face has transformed into. ‘There’s nothing going on between me and Rick; it was strictly professional.’

‘Yeah, but I think he probably wants it to be a bit more than that. Honestly, I think you should give him a chance.’ He pauses. ‘I know you and I have this chemistry, but I don’t want you putting your life on hold for me. Okay? If you like this Rick, then I think you should go for it. I only want to see you happy.’

If only he could read my mind, he’d know what would make me happy. Instead, we exit the car and head inside, and I fetch blankets and a spare towel from the airing cupboard, finding him already passed out on the sofa when I return.

Chapter Thirty-Four Then

Newbury, Berkshire

The leather seats in the back of Mr Brown’s car were cold to the touch, and even though they’d been travelling for some time, the material still felt cool against Joanna’s bare legs. She’d tried to whisper to Precious to check she was okay, but had been summarily dismissed with a finger jabbed at her lips and a sullen shake of the head. Mr Brown had always given off an uneasy vibe, but Precious’s submissiveness to him alarmed Joanna more than she wanted to admit. The thump-thump-thump in her chest was all she could hear as they continued through the darkness. Thick trees lined both sides of the narrow road so even if she dared to look out of the window, she wouldn’t see much beyond her reflection in the glass.

Aside from the occasional glance up at the rear-view mirror, Mr Brown did little to acknowledge their presence. By contrast, Grey hadn’t stopped jabbering since they’d left the campsite, and judging from the nervous energy laced in every sentence they had to be nearing their final destination.

A large spotlight pointed at the gated entrance caught the corner of the sign as they pulled past, but Joanna didn’t recognise the name Pendark. Driving past one large building after another, they finally stopped at what looked, from the outside, like a modern estate but on closer inspection was merely a fascia stuck to the front of a brick box.

‘When we get inside, keep your head down and don’t speak,’ Precious whispered, as her door was thrust open by Grey and he helped her out. Mr Brown made no effort to open Joanna’s door, so she slid along the leather and slipped through the open door.

There was no sign of Mr Brown when Joanna emerged, but she soon fell into line behind Precious and Grey as he led them not through the entrance but around the back of the building, where two men dressed head to toe in black were smoking cigarettes and talking about football. They hushed the moment they saw Grey, who nodded at each of them as he passed and went into the property.

‘Ladies,’ one of the doormen acknowledged as Precious and Joanna entered, but neither responded.

Grey led them to a door, unlocked it, and ushered them inside. ‘Make yourselves comfortable. Precious, explain to Kylie what happens from here, and give her something to drink. The deer-in-the-headlights look isn’t attractive.’

‘Remember our deal, Grey,’ Precious whispered back.

‘Yeah, yeah, I know,’ he said, closing and locking the door behind him.

The room looked more extravagant than Joanna had expected, with a rich ruby-coloured thick-pile carpet, gold-patterned wallpaper covering every wall, and a large chandelier dangling from the centre of the ceiling. A large leather chaise-longue was positioned in front of the small curtained window. The drapes too were golden, adding a sense of