When I Wasn't Watching

When I Wasn't Watching
Michelle Kelly

Every parent’s worst nightmare… Eight years ago, Lucy and Ethan Randall’s little boy, Jack, was abducted and murdered by teenager Terry Prince. A moment’s distraction had ripped a family apart – and with the loss of their son came the collapse of the Randalls’ marriage. Tortured by memories, Lucy was left to battle her grief while raising her remaining son alone.Now, Jack’s killer has walked free, giving him the second chance at life that little Jack never had. Lucy’s wounds newly opened, her world is turned upside down a second time when another child goes missing – and she can’t shake the suspicion that Prince has struck again.When DI Matt Winston, the same officer who found Jack’s body, is assigned to the case, the echoes of Lucy’s past grow ever more insistent. Bound by their tragic shared experiences, Matt and Lucy grow closer – and become fixated on bringing the culprit to justice. But now history has repeated itself, answers seem even further out of reach. And for Lucy, it’s time to face her ghosts, and ask the most terrible question of all: can she ever really forgive herself?For fans of Linda Green and Sue Fortin

At the tender age of fourteen, Terry Prince is sent to prison for the horrific abduction and murder of toddler Jack Randall. The marriage of Jack’s parents, Lucy and Ethan, crumbles under the strain of losing their child, and Lucy is left with her grief and the struggle of raising her seven-year-old son Ricky alone.

Eight short years later, Terry Prince is released on parole. Lucy’s world is turned upside down and all her pain rushes back to the surface. And when another young boy, Ben, goes missing in similar circumstances, she fears Prince has struck again.

Ben’s case is assigned to newly single DI Matt Winston, the same officer who found Jack’s body all those years ago. A chance encounter with Ricky renews his connection with Lucy, and they embark on a relationship. But with the memories of Jack’s murder suddenly so fresh in their minds, the line between hard and circumstantial evidence starts to blur. Matt is desperate to find the culprit before it’s too late this time, and Lucy is desperate for some kind of justice. But will catching Ben’s abductor really bring them the closure they seek?

When I Wasn’t Watching

Michelle Kelly

Copyright (#ulink_3d4ca660-e830-5b9f-bb8d-71debd4c7d7c)

HQ

An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2014

Copyright © Michelle Kelly 2014

Michelle Kelly asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.

E-book Edition © June 2014 ISBN: 9781472096432

Version date: 2018-09-20

MICHELLE KELLY is a mother, writer and teacher from the West Midlands in the UK. She began writing for a living in 2013 and is the author of three historical romances for Harlequin Mills and Boon, including the Regency story 'The Rake of Glendir' the Paranormal Investigations Agency series for Xcite Books, and a forthcoming cozy mystery series for St Martins Press in the US. 'When I Wasn't Watching' is her first crime novel, and she is currently working on her second, to be published by HQ Digital in 2015.

For my son, Callum Michael Ian Bird. You make me proud every day.

Contents

Cover (#ua0be7dd9-700b-59d8-8d6f-693def8c4efd)

Blurb (#uca224466-1c9e-59e3-8045-fe048b8bee13)

Title Page (#ufea1041d-e5e4-5705-9f5f-7c560779e6ac)

Copyright (#u6a8d6075-cf03-5831-82dc-f283c4216580)

Author Bio (#u477f1823-cc38-5377-a9e7-4a469d797b19)

Dedication (#u156be5b2-3e24-5db4-af55-97d71869898d)

Part One

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Part Two

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Part Three

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Epilogue

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Endpages (#litres_trial_promo)