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Back The Missing Wife Save as PDF
Chapters (64)
  1. THE MISSING WIFE
  2. PRAISE FOR SAM CARRINGTON
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. THE EPILOGUE
  58. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  59. Prologue
  60. Chapter One
  61. Chapter Two
  62. About the Author
  63. By the same author
  64. About the Publisher

With her legs still shaking, Louisa walked to the sink and ran the tap. Bending over she put her mouth to the running water and gulped a few mouthfuls to dilute the bitter taste of bile and to lubricate her dried throat. With her hands on the side of the sink steadying her, she took some long, slow breaths. An icy sensation swept over her skin as she stared out of the kitchen window, knowing Tiff’s lifeless body lay behind her.

What had made her drop the bottle? Why didn’t she just step around the water?

Oliver’s face popped into her mind – his words from earlier in the day reverberating in her head:

‘I wouldn’t bother with Tiff.’

He’d been adamant that Tiff was out, that she’d be wasting her time going over there. Because her car wasn’t in the drive.

But it must’ve been.

Louisa shook her head, trying to rid the thought that he somehow knew about this. It was just an accident – an awful, stupid accident. Oliver couldn’t be involved.

But the niggle at the back of her mind didn’t fully agree.

Without looking at Tiff again, Louisa skirted around the side of the kitchen and walked out of the house.

Noah.

She’d left her poor baby parked in front of Tiff’s car. What kind of mother was she?

He gurgled happily as she poked her head around the pram. She ran a finger across his cheek and forced herself to smile. This wasn’t how the sit-in was meant to end.

Louisa let out a long sigh, then took her mobile from the changing bag and with trembling fingers dialled 999.

38

THE AFTERSHOCK

‘Are you going to be all right getting home from here?’

Louisa lifted her head to see who was speaking. The paramedic, a stocky woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties, with the bluest eyes she’d ever seen, was bending over her offering a lopsided, sympathetic smile.

Louisa hesitated, not because she wasn’t sure if she was all right, but because she couldn’t process the words she needed to use; they failed to form on her lips. She stuttered random noises instead, drawing a frown from the woman.

‘You need to get checked out – you’ve had a terrible shock. Have you any history of heart problems, or any other medical issues?’

Louisa silently shook her head and watched in a dazed bubble as the paramedic jumped inside the ambulance and came out with a small black bag.

‘I’m going to take your blood pressure,’ she said as she pushed Louisa’s sleeve up and began folding the blood pressure cuff around her upper arm. Louisa stared back at Tiff’s house. The perfect show home now cordoned off, with numerous police officers coming and going.