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Mask Wars

Joy Ellis
Chapters (39)
  1. Cover
  2. Mask Wars
  3. Dedication
  4. Contents
  5. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
  6. CHAPTER ONE
  7. CHAPTER TWO
  8. CHAPTER THREE
  9. CHAPTER FOUR
  10. CHAPTER FIVE
  11. CHAPTER SIX
  12. CHAPTER SEVEN
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT
  14. CHAPTER NINE
  15. CHAPTER TEN
  16. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  17. CHAPTER TWELVE
  18. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  23. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  24. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  38. EPILOGUE
  39. Copyright

Cover

Mask Wars

Joy Ellis

Dedication

For Graham and Stacey Brown.
For your courage, plain and simple.

Contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Dedication
  3. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. EPILOGUE
  37. Copyright

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would never had started writing if Cynthia Rigby had not given me the advert for the writing course. I would never have signed up without Susie Johns spurring me on. And without Sue Townsend, my long-suffering ‘Teacher’, I would never have had the courage to put pen to paper. So to her, and my inspiring class-mates, I say thank you for getting me to the start line.

Throughout the marathon I have been staunchly supported by a small army of friends, but particular thanks go to Rose Keywood and Rachel Appleby, Linda Howard, and Jacqueline Parish, my own in-house police-procedural and judicial advisor, who makes exceedingly good tea!

And finally to Carolyn Whitaker, my agent, who gives new meaning to the word determination, and who has seen me through to the finish line. To you, Carolyn, and to the fantastic team at Robert Hale, I can only say, ‘You made it happen!’. And you have no idea how much that means to me.

Thank you all, Joy

CHAPTER ONE

A NIGHT WIND blew along the narrow alleyway, bringing with it the smell of ozone and red diesel. Nikki Galena leaned back against the rough brickwork of the derelict warehouse and wondered how many other women of thirty-six would feel quite so comfortable in such unpleasant surroundings. The backstreets that skirted the docks were no place for a lone female at any time of the day, but after midnight they were a definite no-go area. Nikki smiled in the darkness. Right now there was nowhere else she’d rather be.

She pushed the light button on her watch. He’d be here soon. She knew exactly what he’d look like, even though she’d never met him before: well-worn denim jeans, a hooded jacket and trainers. It was like an unofficial uniform, except the jeans were sometimes swapped for joggers, dark ones with stripes down the sides and a designer logo.

Nikki stared unblinkingly towards the entrance of the alley. The rain had stopped, but somewhere water was falling from a broken gutter, beating an uneven tattoo on the already wet flagstones. It was July, but summer meant nothing these days, and right now Nikki didn’t give a damn about the weather. She would have stood there and waited for Darren Barton if it had been a searing heatwave, or below zero.