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Back The Little Lies Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. Love crime, thriller and mystery books?
  3. Also by Valerie Keogh
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
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  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. Acknowledgements
  54. A note from the publisher
  55. Love crime, thriller and mystery books?
  56. You will also enjoy:

‘So, he no longer has to inform the police where he is living… and he is no longer forced by law to keep his distance from his victims… from me.’ Jodie saw the confirmation in Emma’s suddenly kinder expression. ‘I suppose, I don’t have to wonder anymore why I’m hearing from him now, do I?’

18

All Emma Carlton could do was advise Jodie to report the baby shoes to the police. ‘As for your theory that he may have planted the medication to incriminate you–’ she shrugged ‘–I think you’d have a hard job proving that.’

Jodie got to her feet and extended her hand. ‘Thank you for your help and for being kind to me all those years ago, I’m not sure I ever did thank you then.’

A smile transformed Emma’s face and Jodie saw the woman she was before life had left its mark. ‘Actually,’ Emma said, ‘you thanked me a number of times. You were a sweet child. You were also unbelievably malleable, it was easy to see why Hill had chosen you.’ She stood, took Jodie’s hand, and held it in a firm grip. ‘I wondered what would become of you. It looks to me as though you’ve turned out very well. Take my advice and don’t let… whatever this is, ruin that.’

Whatever this is. That was the problem. Jodie had no idea and her hope that she’d get some answers here had been swept away. But life had also left its mark on Jodie; she may have been a biddable girl but she’d developed a core of steel since then. ‘No, I won’t,’ she said and with that, she turned and left the office.

She’d no intention of taking Emma’s advice to report the baby shoes to the police. Even if she went into detail about her past, about the baby shoes mirroring the shoes Victor had given her all those years before, she couldn’t see them taking any action against him. Leaving a gift hanging from her doorknob would hardly be classified as a threatening act.

Emma had been correct too, Jodie would have had an impossible job convincing the police that Victor was involved in planting the medication. She’d no proof apart from a gut feeling and although she knew gut feelings were beloved of crime writers she guessed, in real life, they would tend to rely more on facts.