Scare Me to Death CJ Carver Copyright © 2021 CJ Carver The right of CJ Carver to be identified as the Author of the Work has been asserted by her in accordance to the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2021 by Bloodhound Books. Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may only be reproduced, stored, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, with prior permission in writing of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. All characters in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. www.bloodhoundbooks.com Print ISBN 978-1-913942-41-0 Contents Love crime, thriller and mystery books? Praise For CJ Carver Also by CJ Carver Sixteen years ago Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Sixteen years ago Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Ten days later Epilogue Author’s Note A note from the publisher Love crime, thriller and mystery books? You will also enjoy: Love crime, thriller and mystery books? Sign up today to be the first to hear about new releases and exclusive offers, including free and discounted ebooks! Why not like us or follow us on social media to stay up to date with the latest news from your favourite authors? Praise For CJ Carver ‘A shocking, complex and beautifully written thriller and another cracker from the pen of bestseller CJ Carver’ Reader’s Retreat ‘CJ Carver can do no wrong. Fabulous. Extremely fabulous. Read this series. It’s the best!’ Northern Crime ‘A fast and ingenious thriller that pits the brilliantly addictive Forrester and Davies against a tense and chillingly real conspiracy… I’m full of admiration’ Isabelle Grey, author ‘This is an extraordinarily tense, clever thriller. Don’t expect to sleep, because this is unputdownable’ Frost Magazine ‘A terrific page-turner. Heart-stopping action and a heroine with guile as well as guts’ Harlen Coben, author ‘Anyone who is a member of a book club should be recommending (Spare Me the Truth) to their fellow readers with great gusto’ Book Addict Shawn ‘Carver gives us strong heroines battling against the odds, fast-moving plots and a strong sense of place. She deservedly won the CWA Debut Dagger for Blood Junction’ Publishing News “I’m so glad this is the first of a series: I want more… and I want it now!’ Julia Crouch, author ‘Fast, smart and furious… it will have you clinging on by your fingertips. CJ Carver is one of the best thriller writers working today’ Tom Harper, former CWA Chairman ‘A complex tale of betrayal and deception. CJ Carver writes with compassion about characters she really cares about’ Parker Bilal, author ‘A top-notch thriller writer. CJ Carver is one of the best’ Simon Kernick, author ‘A high-wire act of a thriller, with a plot as ingeniously constructed as a sudoku puzzle’ The Lady Magazine ‘Powerful writing, a gripping plot and a unique setting… outstanding’ The Mystery and Thriller Club Also by CJ Carver THE HARRY HOPE SERIES Cold Echo Deep Black Lies THE LIA SHAN THRILLER The Snow Thief THE NICK ASHDOWN THRILLER Over Your Shoulder THE DAN FORRESTER SERIES Spare Me The Truth Tell Me A Lie Know Me Now Scare Me To Death THE JAY MCCAULAY SERIES Gone Without Trace Back With Vengeance The Honest Assassin THE INDIA KANE SERIES Blood Junction Black Tide OTHER NOVELS Dead Heat Beneath The Snow For Steve, with thanks for the opening sentence. Sixteen years ago There was a girl in my seat. A teenager. Ripped jeans, red tassel top, bangles on both wrists. Auburn hair twisted into a knot. Her hands had been painted with geometric henna designs. She was absorbed in her paperback which, I saw, was the bestseller of the year, The Da Vinci Code. ‘Excuse me,’ I said. ‘But I think this might be my seat.’ She didn’t look up. Even though I knew I hadn’t made a mistake, I double-checked my seat assignment: 27C. Aisle seat towards the rear of the aircraft. Near the rear exits. The safest place to be. ‘Anna asif sayidi…’ I’m sorry, sir… I backed up for the flight attendant wanting to pass, and tried again, this time moving so that I edged into the girl’s personal space. ‘Hello?’ She glanced up, obviously irritated at being interrupted. Her eyes were an extraordinary vivid green. I showed her my boarding pass. ‘Maybe we’ve been allocated the same seat. If that’s the case…’ ‘No, no.’ Her irritation immediately gave way to mortification. ‘It’s me, sorry.’ She was already closing her book and getting up. ‘I thought it might be free.’ Sliding out of the seat she glanced over her shoulder. ‘I was trying to get away from my extremely annoying little brother, that’s all. Sorry.’ Her accent was clear-cut English, and I assumed the small boy with tousled hair the same colour as hers, who’d suddenly appeared over the headrest behind her, was the brother. ‘Told you so.’ His face was triumphant. ‘Told you someone would come and kick you out. Now you’ll have to play with me.’ He vanished briefly to return with two toy cars which he proceeded to race along the headrest, making loud vroom-vroom noises. ‘You’re the Nissan. I’m the Ferrari.’ The girl gave a long-suffering sigh and rolled her eyes. ‘You think that’s a fair race?’ I asked the boy. He paused to look at me. ‘I’m assuming you’ve got the Nissan 350Z,’ I said. ‘Three and a half litre six-speed manual, naught to sixty in 5.3 seconds?’ The boy stared at me, round-eyed. ‘The Ferrari, however…’ I bent and had a closer look, ‘…is a lot older than the Nissan. It’s the 308 Dino. It does 7.7 seconds naught to sixty. If I were you, I’d have a rethink about which car you’re going to race against.’ ‘Are you a racing driver?’ he asked.
