BooksBarbecue
Back The Village Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. PROLOGUE
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  62. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

‘After what happened today, you should be grateful that I’m keeping an eye on the place. Put the ornament down. There’s nothing to fear here.’

Grim-faced, Naomi placed it on the dresser, never taking her eyes off him. Her hands free, she tightened her robe. ‘I’d like you to leave now.’

‘What’s wrong?’ The voice came from behind her. It was Morgan, rubbing her eyes.

Naomi did a double-take. ‘Morgan?’

Lloyd relaxed. It would be OK. He had been stupid, getting caught. Lingered a little too long. But who was she going to report him to – his superiors? He was simply doing his job. All the same, he had booze on his breath. He needed to be on his guard.

‘I couldn’t sleep.’ Morgan’s eyes rested on Lloyd. ‘Why are the cops here? Is Dad OK?’

‘He said the door was left unlocked,’ Naomi said, shepherding Morgan to her side.

‘Well, it wasn’t me,’ she said.

Lloyd watched doubt cloud Naomi’s face. Her chest was rising and falling faster than it should. He tore his eyes away. It was time for him to go.

‘This place is always going to be of interest to ghouls, especially coming up to the anniversary. The best thing you can do for your personal safety is to pack up your things and go back to London.’

This was his final warning. His gaze flickered back to Morgan, her hair shadowing her face as she watched him with interest. Grace used to watch him with the same curiosity . . . such a sweet and innocent girl.

‘This is our home . . .’ Naomi said, but her words lacked conviction. ‘I’d like to get back to bed now, so if you wouldn’t mind . . .’ She gestured towards the back door.

‘Indeed.’ Lloyd pulled it open and a sudden blast of cold wind threatened to take it off its hinges. ‘Best you lock up after me. You never know who’s prowling about.’

As he leaned into the biting night air, he exhaled a long, frosted breath. Tonight, he had been lucky. Had the man of the house been at home, things could have gone a lot worse. He trudged down the snow-lined path, just as he had done so many years before. This family – this house – would be his undoing.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

Naomi didn’t know how much time had passed before Morgan opened the door. She was sitting in her new office, surrounded by folders and newspaper clippings: the evidence of a curiosity that had grown since childhood. Instead of playing with dolls, she had played detective and there was always a Nancy Drew or Enid Blyton novel in her Christmas stocking.