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Back The Missing Wife
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

‘Okay. Look, Louisa.’ DI Wade now sat forward, and offered the first smile since she’d walked through the front door. ‘I know you said you’d consumed a lot of alcohol that evening, but we were really hoping something may have come back to you by now. Out of everyone at the party, you are the only person who knew Oliver. And you remember speaking to him, you told us that, so I find it difficult to believe that you didn’t see Melissa too, at any point.’

‘No. I really don’t remember seeing her. Nothing has come back to me about that night, I’m afraid.’ Louisa purposely made direct eye contact with DI Wade, and didn’t waver. If she was going to tell a lie, she had to make sure she didn’t display any of the ‘tells’.

‘And you have not met her previously?’ DS Mack took over again. It was like a game of ping-pong between the two detectives. Louisa was reminded of the crime shows she’d watched over the years – the good cop, bad cop routine. At the moment, they were both being relatively ‘good cop’, but staring into the eyes of DI Wade gave her the uncomfortable feeling that it would be her who turned ‘bad cop’ if the circumstances called for it.

‘No.’ Louisa tore her eyes from the woman and turned to face him. ‘Oliver left Devon over twenty years ago. My party was the first time I’d set eyes on him since then. I had no clue as to where he’d been, what he’d been doing. He told me at the party that he was newly married, and that was the first time I even knew about Melissa.’

‘But he didn’t introduce you to her?’

Louisa was beginning to feel agitated. She’d gone over this already. Twice. Why was he asking the same things again? It was like he was determined to catch her out.

‘No. It was a brief conversation and then I got up and went to mingle with the other guests.’

‘Weren’t you the slightest bit intrigued? To see the woman who married your childhood sweetheart?’ DI Wade raised her eyebrows.

‘No. Why would I be? I’ve told you, I was seventeen when I was with him, eighteen when he left. It was my fortieth birthday party, so I think it’s fair to say that I’d moved on with my life by that point. I’d forgotten all about him. Trust me, I’m really not bothered about Oliver Dunmore.’ She instantly regretted her words. ‘Bothered’ was exactly how she’d sounded by saying that.

‘Okay, I understand. Only sometimes, those we loved first are those we never quite let go of.’ She stared intently into Louisa’s eyes.

Her blush was impossible to control.

28

THE SECRET

Monday p.m.

‘I have to speak with you, Lou-Lou. It’s urgent.’