The Perfect Daughter: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist by Kerry Wilkinson

Author:Kerry Wilkinson [Wilkinson, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bookouture

Twenty-Three

The car parking bay next to the green is still free and there’s a new wave of déjà vu as I pull in and turn off the engine. It’s quieter now; colder, too. The sun is almost set and the curtain of darkness is beginning to wash across the village.

I head along the path to the phone box and then reach for the Bible. I know before picking it up that the envelope of money has gone. It’s substantially thinner than when I left it. I check anyway, opening the book and holding the broken back cover in place, only to see confirmation of what I already knew. Even though the cash has been taken, I have no new messages from the anonymous texter.

I’m on the way back to the car when I notice the poster that’s been pinned to the nearest telegraph pole. It wasn’t here earlier, so must have gone up in the last couple of hours. The words at the top read ‘WITNESSES WANTED’ and there’s a brief description of the collision, naming Green Road and listing the time as 6.50 p.m. to 7.05 p.m. on Tuesday. There is a phone number for potential witnesses to call. Underneath is a picture of a silvery-grey car that, with mine parked on the road behind, looks similar without being exact. It could be my car – but it could also be one of many models and makes. There’s a similar vehicle parked in one of the bays on the far side of the war memorial. There is no manufacturer listed on the poster and no mention of a registration plate. If this is all the police have, then it’s nothing damning. The worry is the way the separate pieces of information link together. Gary already knows about my argument with Sharon. He’ll also know I have a silver car – and that I was picking up Katie from football practice, which isn’t too far from where Sharon was hit. There must be suspicions. It’s not one thing, it’s the totality of them all.

It takes me a few seconds to realise that all those thoughts are about myself. There’s a woman and her baby in hospital – with family members and friends devastated and concerned. Is it normal to think of myself first?

As I get back into the driver’s seat, my phone rings. There is no name listed – but it’s a different number to the one that has been texting me. When I answer, there’s a brief pause and then a man’s voice asking for ‘Mrs Hughes’. The ‘Mrs’ makes me wince. It’s only after something like a divorce when a person realises how many things they are signed up to. I still get letters most days addressed to ‘Mrs’ – plus these marketing calls.

‘That’s me,’ I reply. ‘I’m a bit busy, though.’

‘It’s Luke from Prowley MOT. Do you still own the silver Ford Focus?’

There have been so many moments from the past couple of days in which it’s felt as if time has momentarily stood still.

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