Damaged Goods

Damaged Goods
Helen Black

A daughter accused of murder. And unable to defend herself… A dark, gritty thriller, perfect for fans of Kimberley Chambers and Jessie Keane.When a prostitute is found butchered on a notorious Luton council estate, the finger is immediately pointed. The prime suspect? Her 14-year-old daughter, Kelsey.But Kelsey is unable to defend herself. After an attempt to take her own life, Kelsey has been left horrifically scarred and mute – unable to even utter the words ‘not guilty’.It’s down to Lilly Valentine – a tough-talking Yorkshire lawyer – to prove Kelsey’s innocence. Prostitution, paedophilia, drugs and blackmail: Lily must put her own life at risk to save a silent, terrified child and find the real killer…

DAMAGED GOODS

Helen Black

Copyright (#u408cc69d-2115-5adc-aec7-193070fda858)

AVON

A division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd. 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk (http://www.harpercollins.co.uk)

First published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers 2008

Copyright © Helen Black 2008

Helen Black asserts the moral right to

be identified as the author of this work

Extract from A Place of Safety © Helen Black 2008. This is taken from uncorrected material and does not necessarily reflect the finished book.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

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This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9781847560704

Ebook Edition © JANUARY 2006 ISBN: 9780007281862

Version: 2018-05-24

Dedication (#u408cc69d-2115-5adc-aec7-193070fda858)

To Andrew

There are over 60,000 children being ‘looked after’ by the state in the UK.

One third of the homeless in this country were raised in care.

Sixty per cent of young offenders in this country have been through the care system.

Dear Mum,

I can’t believe you did this to us. You always said thatno matter how bad it got we’d have each other.

You said we’d always be together.

We did everything we had to.

I even kept my mouth shut when I knew I shouldn’t.

And what was it all for? You’ve thrown us away likerubbish so that’s how they treat us. We’ve been split upand I’m not even allowed to see the babies.

I can’t tell you how much I hate you for what you’vedone, and if I ever see you again I’ll cut you to pieces.

Kelsey

Contents

Cover (#ue6e16d71-8cd9-5765-8dda-2f6e6fc1a03d)Title Page (#u0d43f801-a29f-5c89-ab62-096e683211eb)Copyright (#u2b595d70-5d45-5df9-a4fb-a9da77cece50)Dedication (#u65a615a8-5445-5ba4-94dc-3acf46c03c5a)Epigraph (#u6cb19629-63a5-5711-b2ec-9d5437667d37)Prologue (#ub383c83d-6283-53dc-a458-863f3407080f)Chapter One (#u912bd23d-7b9f-5261-a17c-9dcb8f77c354)Chapter Two (#u5603219a-cebe-5890-a74d-3fa6644a55cf)Chapter Three (#u6f73bff2-083c-51cc-9742-bca9dace7189)Chapter Four (#ua301100f-e23f-5616-8341-ec7555756c64)Chapter Five (#u3231060c-95fe-5989-ad09-bb2718854e83)Chapter Six (#u39451d6f-efb8-5496-aba6-0ecf0824eca8)Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)Chapter Twent-one (#litres_trial_promo)Acknowledgements (#litres_trial_promo)About the Author (#litres_trial_promo)About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)

PROLOGUE (#u408cc69d-2115-5adc-aec7-193070fda858)

Grace worried the kitchen surface with the corner of a J-cloth, trying once again to remove a mark made years before by a hot spoon. The phone call had unnerved her and her hands shook. She bent over the cooker and lit another cigarette on the gas ring, hoping it would calm her. It didn’t. What she needed was a hit. A £10 bag would do, just enough to put her in a better place, just enough to allow her to explain things properly. To make herself clear. Just one hit to get through this.

She checked her watch. Five past eight. That should give her ten minutes, enough time to race downstairs to the dealer on the ground floor. He charged over the odds but what could you do?

The tap on the door was soft but Grace jumped all the same. No time to get the brown now, this was one conversation she would have to do straight.

She took a last deep drag on the cigarette and answered the door. ‘Oh, it’s you.’

‘Who were you expecting?’

Grace shrugged.

Outside, a dog scratched and barked.

‘Get out of it,’ Grace yelled.

‘It’s probably hungry.’

‘Aren’t they all,’ said Grace, and turned on her heels. ‘Shut it behind you, it’s fucking freezing.’

‘Hardly. Are you clucking?’

Grace rubbed her arms, their skin barely able to support the scars that ran like the rungs of a ladder from shoulder to wrist. ‘Not really.’

‘I thought you’d be back on the gear.’

‘Sorry to disappoint you.’