She wouldn’t.

Even now.

The air chills around me as I wait. The rain lashes against my face.

I don’t hear footsteps. There is no sun to cast a shadow, but I feel her all the same.

My back instantly warmer as she shields me from the wind.

‘I knew you’d come,’ I say as her arms slip around my waist.

‘I’m—’

‘Shh.’ Now I’m the one taking charge. ‘It doesn’t matter. None of it. I’ve lost one sister, I won’t lose another.’ It’s my turn to look after my big sister. To find her the help she needs. She can heal. We both can.

I lean back against her and her chin rests on my shoulder.

Simultaneously I see it. Carly draws in a sharp breath. I know she has seen it too.

A small figure through the sheeting rain, twirling with her hands above her head.

I imagine it’s the ghost of Marie, singing and dancing and dreaming of her big future in Hollywood.

And for the longest moment I imagine we’re all together again.

If you enjoyed The Stolen Sisters, then don’t miss the latest tense and gripping psychological thriller from Louise Jensen, The Family! Available to buy now.

The following letter contains spoilers

Hello,

Thank you so much for reading my sixth psychological thriller, The Stolen Sisters. If you enjoyed it and have a spare few moments to pop a review online I’d hugely appreciate it. It really does make such a difference to an author.

I remember, with clarity, the moment the seeds of this story were planted.

It was a Saturday. The Date was newly published, and I was engrossed in writing The Family when my youngest son came hurtling into my study.

‘Mum!’ he clutched his laptop to his chest. ‘Do you know what Fregoli Syndrome is?’

I didn’t.

‘Watch this,’ he said.

We settled down on the sofa and he showed me what he’d found online. I was both intrigued and saddened by this unusual condition that I hadn’t heard of, instantly knowing it was a fabulous basis for a novel.

Too excited to wait until Monday, I called my agent and explained the concept to him.

‘You must write a book about it,’ he said.

I spent much time thinking about how frightening it would be to suffer from Fregoli, to be convinced you are seeing the face of your tormentor everywhere you turn. How terrifying it would be if you really were seeing them but, because of a medical diagnosis, nobody would believe you.

Leah, Carly and Marie Sinclair came to me time and time again and I pushed them away. As a mother of three children, I didn’t want to read about missing children, and I certainly didn’t want to write about them.

Blocking them out was fruitless. Those small girls became permanent residents in my head. Whispering their heart-wrenching story.

By the time I was ready to begin a new book, I knew Leah, Carly and Marie weren’t going to leave me alone. I also knew that the only way I could write about missing children was if we discover at the beginning they are adults, alive, physically unharmed, but mentally, emotionally damaged – that’s what I wanted to explore. To the outside word they had survived a horrific ordeal but Leah with her OCD, Carly with her inability to trust, and Marie with her drinking weren’t okay at all.

Since I’ve finished writing this book, I’ve written two more, but the Sinclair sisters are still very much in my head. In my heart.

They will stay with me. Always.

I’d love to hear what you thought. You can find me at www.louisejensen.co.uk and https://twitter.com/Fab_fiction and https://www.facebook.com/fabricatingfiction/

Do join me next autumn for the publication of my next thriller.

Louise x