No Stranger to Death: A Scottish mystery where cosy crime meets tartan noir: Borders Mysteries Book 1 (39 page)
Authors: Janet O'Kane
‘Where will you go?’
‘Don’t worry about me.’
‘They’ll find you.’
‘I’ll take my chances. They’ll be looking for a bald man and I won’t be that for long.’
‘This isn’t one of your films, Neil. People can’t simply disappear in real life.’
‘I’ll be okay. Trust me.’
She wanted to shout at him, make him see sense, but did not have the strength. All she could do now was play along with him. She didn’t have to take part in his crazy plan once he was gone.
The pain in her wrist was agonizing, but she could still move her hand enough to reach inside her trouser pocket to pull out her keys. ‘Take the hire car. It’s parked at the coach house. It isn’t as fast as mine, but – ‘
Neil held up his hand. ‘Can you hear something?’
Zoe listened. At first she could only hear the rasp of her own breathing, then a voice from downstairs called her name.
‘It’s Kate. I’m supposed to be having tea with her.’ Zoe looked towards the window; it was dark outside.
‘Shit.’
‘If you really are going, you must do it now. Before it’s too late,’ Zoe said. ‘Hide in one of the other rooms and leave once you see her come in here.’
‘Zoe, I’m so sorry. If only – ‘
‘There’s no time. Look after yourself.’
Neil took the keys and kissed her.
For the last time
.
Zoe felt overwhelmed by emotions she could not have named.
A few minutes later, she could at last close her eyes, while Kate texted Mather to come quickly and bring an ambulance.
Just before losing consciousness she thought she heard the front door slam.
Zoe unlocked the Jeep and leaned in to put her briefcase on the passenger seat. She could not have chosen a vehicle less like her beloved sports car, but buying it had felt like an affirmation that she planned to stay in the Borders.
Despite everything
.
A voice came from behind her. ‘Doctor Moreland?’
She frowned. At this rate she would be late for her appointment with the estate agent handling the sale of the coach house. They were due to meet at Keeper’s Cottage in about ten minutes, where he would also advise her on the market value of that property. When Douglas Mackenzie first offered to sell it to her she had rejected the suggestion, but given time to consider and coaxing from Kate, she was coming round to the idea.
The tall, slightly stooped man in his sixties looked vaguely familiar, so perhaps they had already met. It was hard to tell these days. Everyone behaved as though they knew her, thanks to the photographs the local and national newspapers had splashed across their front pages.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, ‘surgery’s finished. If you’d like to call in at reception they’ll fix you up with an appointment.’
‘It’s you I need to talk to. On a personal matter.’ The man was well spoken, with just a trace of a Borders accent. He stared at her, though not at her neck like they usually did. Instead, he explored her whole face, as though trying to memorise every feature.
‘What do you want?’
‘Forgive me. This is probably not the right way to go about things.’
‘What do you want?’ Zoe repeated, massaging her wrist. Its plaster had only come off a few days earlier.
‘I knew your mother. You look very much like her.’
She took a step back. ‘Really?’
‘May I ask you a question?’
‘All right.’
‘Your middle initial,’ the man said, gesturing towards the health centre’s front door where the brass plate continued to display Zoe’s name and qualifications, ‘does it stand for “Kelso”?’
Zoe put her hand out to the Jeep for support. ‘Why do you want to know?’
‘Because if it does, I think you’re my daughter.’
The End
THANK YOU FOR READING
If you have enjoyed this novel, please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads. If you think a friend or relative would enjoy it, why not buy them a copy? It’s available as a paperback too.
Due to the wonders of modern technology, you can also contact me direct to tell me what you thought of
No Stranger to Death
.
Tweet me: I’m
@JanetOKane
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The sequel to this book, called
Too Soon a Death
, will be released as an ebook and a paperback in autumn 2015. Sign up to be notified when it is available:
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.
***
Here’s a taster of what’s in store for Zoe Moreland in
Too Soon a Death
.
It’s the hottest summer ever in the Scottish Borders, and Doctor Zoe Moreland is asked to identify the body of a teenager found on the banks of the River Tweed. The only clue to his identity is a note of the local health centre’s address, and his injured hand seems to have been professionally bandaged. However, Zoe doesn’t recognise him and, still living with the aftermath of her escape from a vicious killer six months earlier, she vows to stay clear of the police investigation. Until, that is, one of her patients admits to witnessing the boy’s plunge from the historic Chain Bridge. Is this connected with the mysterious phone calls and regular sightings of a vehicle that make Zoe fear she’s being stalked? She would like to confide in her friend Kate Mackenzie, but Kate has problems of her own, both personal and professional. And neither of them realises delving into the past on behalf of a client will endanger Kate in ways that even Zoe has never had to face.
Janet O’Kane grew up in an age before YA literature, so she went straight from reading Enid Blyton to what her Mum liked: crime novels. And despite occasional dalliances with other types of fiction, that’s where she has happily stayed.
Her career before turning to writing fulltime included selling underpants to Roger Moore in Harrods and marketing nappies for Boots. It was when she helped run a GP surgery that she decided a doctor would make an excellent main character for a crime novel.
Janet lives in the Scottish Borders with her stonemason husband and two cats, two dogs and nine chickens. She is now working on the sequel to
No Stranger to Death
.
This novel may have my name on it, but a host of other people helped make it the book you have just read.
I received invaluable help and advice from many knowledgeable individuals in my efforts to get my facts right, in particular, Dr Petrina Moralee and Phil O’Kane. Any factual errors in this book are mine.
The term ‘self-publishing’ is a misnomer in my case. I and my book have benefited greatly from the professional services of Kim McGillivray, who designed the splendid cover; Caroline Smailes at BubbleCow, whose editing was both insightful and encouraging; and Jo Harrison from Writer’s Block Admin Services who saved me considerable stress by taking on some of the essential IT tasks.
Without the camaraderie of co-workers and away from the beady eye of a boss, a writer’s life can feel solitary and unproductive. So I want to thank my friends – those in real life and those I’ve so far only met on Twitter but who are no less real – for their patience and encouragement during the writing of this novel.
And finally, reaching the top of my list of supporters, I pay tribute to my lovely husband John. It was he who threw down the challenge, ‘Write it then!’ when we stood in front of a bonfire on Guy Fawkes night and I suggested that would be an excellent way to dispose of a human corpse. He has always believed, perhaps more than I dared to myself, that
No Stranger to Death
would be published. I’m delighted to have proved him right.
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