But Ralph hadn’t been so sure. He’d started ranting about endless police questions, about his involvement with Jay Knapton and what he actually did for him. He told her the net was closing and something had to be done, the focus needed to be on something else. Someone else. Like her mother.
Olivia had left the caravan crying. She’d hung around the forest, trying to gather her thoughts. What was she going to do? She needed to go back and persuade Ralph not to say anything. Convince him he’d heard it wrong. Her mother would never be involved with Jay. If he wanted to blame someone then let him blame Jay Knapton, not her mother. It wasn’t fair to use her as a scapegoat. But he’d been unusually aggressive and high when she returned, and he’d rounded on her when she challenged him. She hadn’t set out to kill him. Picking up the rock and striking him as he walked away had been a reflex.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she says now, tears staining her cheeks. She’ll feel guilty for the rest of her life.
It had all been for nothing. Her mother was arrested and charged anyway.
She’d only seen Wesley once after he was arrested. He rang her, begging her to visit him in prison, and she’d relented. He’d looked surprisingly well, sitting opposite her, and she was shocked when he apologized to her for everything. ‘I did love you, you know,’ he’d said sadly, hanging his head. ‘I still do. I always will. I know I didn’t always show it in the right way but I wanted a better life for us. That’s why I got involved with Jay. I’d lost my job at the bank and I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.’ He then explained how he’d been getting up every day and putting on a tie and driving to the next town to pretend to go to work. No wonder he’d told her never to call him at the bank and always seemed to be taking sickies. ‘When Jay came up with another way to make money I thought it was so easy. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I was scared I was losing you.’ She appreciated his words, not that she’d ever forgive him. She never wanted to see him again. Just before their time was up he’d leant across the table and quietly, so that only she could hear, mouthed, ‘I told the police Jay killed Ralph.’ She’d stared after his retreating back, too shocked to move.
Did he suspect? She’ll never know for certain. Secrets. She’d kept so many and now she had another to take to the grave.
She thrusts her hands into the pockets of her yellow raincoat and, with one last regretful look towards Ralph’s caravan, she trudges out of the forest towards home.
Acknowledgements
The Girls Who Disappeared was one of my more complex books to write and I’d spent months alone with it until I’d finished the first draft and sent it to my wonderful editor Maxine Hitchcock. I knew it was a messy, out-of-control beast and I am so grateful that Maxine saw exactly what I was hoping to achieve with this book and whipped it into shape, along with the brilliant Clare Bowron. Once I had their notes back I could see more clearly what I needed to do to make the book sharper, pacier and tighter, and I ended up cutting out nearly fifteen thousand words. The book is so much better for their edits and I can’t thank them enough for their wisdom, intelligence and advice.
Also a huge thank-you to the rest of the brilliant Michael Joseph team: Rebecca Hilsdon, Ellie Morley, Vicky Photiou, Ella Watkins, Beatrix McIntyre, Deirdre O’Connell, Hannah Padgham and Katie Corcoran. A special mention to Lee Motley for the beautiful and striking book jackets, and to Hazel Orme for her meticulous copy-edits, as well as her enthusiasm and kind words. I’m so grateful to you all.
I am so lucky to have Juliet Mushens as my agent. Her advice, determination and talent has meant my books are published in more than twenty countries and I can’t thank her enough for all her support and friendship over the years （and the shared love of floofy – and sometimes naughty – cats!）， for making me laugh, for keeping me sane and for being simply the best! I’m also indebted to Liza DeBlock, Kiya Evans and Rachel Neely – the rest of the wonderful team at Mushens Entertainment.
Thank you to my foreign publishers, particularly Penguin Verlag in Germany, and Sarah Stein, Kristin Cipolla and the rest of the Harper team in the US and Canada.
A special thank you to my fellow West Country writer friends, Tim Weaver, Gilly Macmillan and Cally Taylor, for their support, advice, meet-ups and laughs. I wrote this book at the same time Cally was writing her recent thriller, The Guilty Couple so we decided to work in tandem, supporting each other every day with word races and encouragement, and it was so motivational.
Thank you, as always, to my wonderful family, especially to my mum, Linda, and sister, Samantha, for reading my drafts before they are published, and to my dad, step-parents, step-siblings and in-laws.
To my husband, Ty, and children, Claudia and Isaac, who have to put up with me droning on about plots and deadlines. Love you so much.
A massive thank-you to all the bloggers and reviewers who have been so supportive to me over the years. I’m so grateful for everything you do. You are amazing.
And finally, this book is dedicated to you, my readers here in the UK and abroad. Without your support I wouldn’t be able to do this job, which – messy first drafts aside – is my dream job. So thank you. Thank you for buying, borrowing and recommending my books. It means the world.