BooksBarbecue
Back The Open House
Chapters (118)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR SAM CARRINGTON
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. Chapter One
  6. Chapter Two
  7. Chapter Three
  8. Chapter Four
  9. Chapter Five
  10. Chapter Six
  11. Chapter Seven
  12. Chapter Eight
  13. Chapter Nine
  14. Chapter Ten
  15. Chapter Eleven
  16. Chapter Twelve
  17. Chapter Thirteen
  18. Chapter Fourteen
  19. Chapter Fifteen
  20. Chapter Sixteen
  21. Chapter Seventeen
  22. Chapter Eighteen
  23. Chapter Nineteen
  24. Chapter Twenty
  25. Chapter Twenty-One
  26. Chapter Twenty-Two
  27. Chapter Twenty-Three
  28. Chapter Twenty-Four
  29. Chapter Twenty-Five
  30. Chapter Twenty-Six
  31. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  32. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  33. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  34. Chapter Thirty
  35. Chapter Thirty-One
  36. Chapter Thirty-Two
  37. Chapter Thirty-Three
  38. Chapter Thirty-Four
  39. Chapter Thirty-Five
  40. Chapter Thirty-Six
  41. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  42. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  43. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  44. Chapter Forty
  45. Chapter Forty-One
  46. Chapter Forty-Two
  47. Chapter Forty-Three
  48. Chapter Forty-Four
  49. Chapter Forty-Five
  50. Chapter Forty-Six
  51. Chapter Forty-Seven
  52. Chapter Forty-Eight
  53. Chapter Forty-Nine
  54. Chapter Fifty
  55. Chapter Fifty-One
  56. Chapter Fifty-Two
  57. Chapter Fifty-Three
  58. Chapter Fifty-Four
  59. Chapter Fifty-Five
  60. Chapter Fifty-Six
  61. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  62. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  63. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  64. Chapter Sixty
  65. Chapter Sixty-One
  66. Chapter Sixty-Two
  67. Chapter Sixty-Three
  68. Chapter Sixty-Four
  69. Chapter Sixty-Five
  70. Chapter Sixty-Six
  71. Chapter Sixty-Seven
  72. Chapter Sixty-Eight
  73. Chapter Sixty-Nine
  74. Chapter Seventy
  75. Chapter Seventy-One
  76. Chapter Seventy-Two
  77. Chapter Seventy-Three
  78. Chapter Seventy-Four
  79. Chapter Seventy-Five
  80. Chapter Seventy-Six
  81. Chapter Seventy-Seven
  82. Chapter Seventy-Eight
  83. Chapter Seventy-Nine
  84. Chapter Eighty
  85. Chapter Eighty-One
  86. Chapter Eighty-Two
  87. Chapter Eighty-Three
  88. Chapter Eighty-Four
  89. Chapter Eighty-Five
  90. Chapter Eighty-Six
  91. Chapter Eighty-Seven
  92. Chapter Eighty-Eight
  93. Chapter Eighty-Nine
  94. Chapter Ninety
  95. Chapter Ninety-One
  96. Chapter Ninety-Two
  97. Chapter Ninety-Three
  98. Chapter Ninety-Four
  99. Chapter Ninety-Five
  100. Chapter Ninety-Six
  101. Chapter Ninety-Seven
  102. Chapter Ninety-Eight
  103. Chapter Ninety-Nine
  104. Chapter One Hundred
  105. Chapter One Hundred and One
  106. Chapter One Hundred and Two
  107. Chapter One Hundred and Three
  108. Chapter One Hundred and Four
  109. From Amazon Charts bestseller Sam Carrington comes an utterly tense and taut thriller that will have you gripped.
  110. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  111. Keep Reading …
  112. You think you know those closest to you.You are wrong …
  113. ‘My name is Alice. And my son is a murderer.’
  114. If you play with fire …You’re going to get burned.
  115. AN INNOCENT GAME. A SHOCKING CRIME. A COMMUNITY FULL OF SECRETS.
  116. About the Author
  117. BY THE SAME AUTHOR
  118. About the Publisher

I log on to Totaljobs, Kent, and over five thousand results appear on the laptop screen. Only four hundred and fifty are in the Maidstone area, but this could still take some time. I make a cup of coffee and set up on the kitchen table. There are lots of support workers, customer services and IT jobs listed. A knot of anxiety grows. Can I really up sticks and take the boys to start again in a new county? It’s a worry I’d already had and discarded early on when Richard first asked me to move to Kent with him. But it’s one that’s rearing its ugly head with more frequency these past few weeks. I think it could merely be the jitters – made worse by the open house and key fiasco. I need to put my big-girl pants on.

Although that thought bolsters me and makes me carry on my search, something else now bothers me. The fine hair on my forearms become erect as ice-cold fingers of fear touch the back of my neck.

I’m suddenly sure I’m being watched.

My muscles freeze as I hear a banging noise; I listen intently. Am I going to turn around and find someone standing behind me? Sucking in my breath, I slowly turn my head. A shiver violently judders my body. There’s no one there. But I’m sure I heard the bang. Upstairs? Or was it outside? Willing my limbs to move I get up and take a knife from the block then walk to the back window. There’s nothing untoward outside that I can see. I take tentative steps towards the hallway, listening the entire time for further noises. With my free hand I click on the SmartRing app on my mobile. There’s nothing but darkness. That’s odd. Something must be obstructing the camera. A person? My mouth dries. I don’t want to open the door now to check. It’ll alert whoever might be upstairs that I’m coming – and what if it’s one of those awful con tricks burglars use, where one person distracts the owner at the door, while the other raids the house? I edge my way up the stairs, knife held out in front of me. It shakes.

A knocking sound.

Definitely upstairs.

Or is it my own heartbeat?

I punch in 9 … 9 … 9 on my mobile – but don’t hit the call icon yet. It could be nothing but my own imagination.

I hear it again.