Heartlands Read online

  Ben had written four letters to Louise, none of which Louise had opened yet, but she had kept them, despite finding them in the bin. Jason’s exasperation that she needed to keep them was an unspoken reality in the life they still shared. His struggle to understand her reasons he discussed only with Heather, his counsellor, for now.

  Louise squeezed the pink roses she didn’t recognise over to push the carnations into the vase after pouring the bottle of fresh water in. She knew who the roses were from. They weren’t Eric’s style. His family had provided the bronze elephant statue, which he explained was a private joke between them. Shannon would understand it and find it hilarious, apparently. Andrew Foster visited regularly, Louise knew that. She’d recognised his handwriting on a card.

  ‘Eric came by today,’ Louise began as she knelt on the frozen ground. ‘We’ve got the place ready for Christmas, the way you would have liked. He said I’m not as good at it as you, but it’ll do, apparently.’ Louise laughed softly and pulled a tissue from her jacket pocket to blow her cold nose. ‘He’s going to Germany for Christmas. It will be nice for him to see his grandma, won’t it? He says she makes gingerbread stars that are legendary in the street.’

  Louise touched the headstone and closed her eyes.

  ‘Oma,’ a voice chirped from behind her. ‘In Germany they call her Oma.’

  Louise snapped her head round to see Andrew Foster standing over her. His body cast a long shadow in the dimming light. The white snow-filled sky illuminated the space above his head, making him almost angelic in appearance.

  ‘Andrew, I didn’t see you there, sorry.’ Louise sighed. ‘I thought I was alone.’

  Louise stood to wipe powdery snow from her jeans.

  ‘I talk to Shannon.’ Andrew nodded. ‘I miss her, too. She was a good girl.’

  ‘Thank you,’ Louise whispered. ‘The roses are beautiful, thanks.’

  Andrew stamped his feet against the cold. ‘Roses were Mum’s favourite.’

  Louise removed her scarf and wrapped it around his neck, then held out her hand to him.

  ‘Come on, I’ll treat you to a coffee. Warm us up a bit.’

  Andrew put his hand in hers as they walked through the churchyard and out towards Maria’s cafe.

  Chapter Seventy-Six

  Everything inside Dan Holland screamed that this was a bad idea, but he was compelled by an inner voice that would not let it go. He wondered if Jessie found Perth boring compared to the hustle and bustle of south London. His probation officer had explained that Dan had to stay away from her, but he couldn’t leave things like this. They were married for just shy of ten years. That had to mean something. Yes, he’d made mistakes, but didn’t everyone mess up sometimes? If he could just get Jessie to listen, she might understand how sorry he was. How much he was hurting. How the loss of his son affected him, too.

  He watched the light blink off from his hiding place behind an overgrown beech hedge, then turned to walk in the opposite direction. He pulled the collar of his leather jacket further up his neck, then slipped his leg over his bike and revved the engine before disappearing into town. An increasing flurry of snowflakes followed him under a heavy, snow-laden sky. The moon was invisible behind a cloud.

  If Kerry Watts’ Heartlands had you gripped, be sure to sign up to her mailing list to be the first to know about her new releases!

  Sign up here!

  Hear More from Kerry

  If you’d like to keep up to date with my latest releases, just sign up at the link below. We’ll never share your email address and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Sign up here!

  A Letter from Kerry

  Thank you so much for investing your time in Heartlands and Detective Inspector Jessie Blake. If you would like to sign up for information on further books, then please subscribe to my newsletter. Your email address will never be shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

  Sign up here!

  Jessie and this story have been living inside my head for so long now that it has become part of me. Sharing her with the world was not easy. For a long time she was locked away, protected from the big bad world, but like all parents, I had to believe I had equipped her to the best of my abilities when the time arrived to let her go and make her own way in the world.

  I hope you have enjoyed this book as much I have enjoyed writing it, and have come to love Jessie and Dylan as much as I do.

  If you do, I would be grateful if you could leave me a review and perhaps recommend Heartlands to your friends and family. Writing can be a lonely business, so it would be lovely to hear your thoughts on Facebook or Twitter.

  Thanks again for your support. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

  Kerry

  Acknowledgements

  First, my heartfelt thanks go to Bookouture, and, in particular, to Helen Jenner for her initial enthusiasm and continued belief in Detective Inspector Jessie Blake. I still pinch myself on a regular basis to check I’m not dreaming this fantastic adventure.

  It goes without saying that I couldn’t do all this without the love and support of my husband Mark, alongside the copious amounts of tea he willingly provides without complaint.

  Hannah and Flynn’s excitement for my books inspires me every day, and pushes me when it might be easier to give up. They have shown me that I am so much stronger than I think I am.

  To my sister Denise, for her words of encouragement and enthusiasm for the crime genre.

  I think it’s important to thank those others who have been with me every step of the way, too. Encouraging me to keep writing when I wondered whether my writing was good enough. Susan Hunter, Dee Williams, Craig Gillan, Norma Ormond, Carol Broadfoot, Irene Foster, Louise Mullins and, especially, Sarah Markbride. From the bottom of my heart, thank you, all.

  A massive thank you to book lovers everywhere, because without you none of this would be possible.

  Finally, a huge thank you to Richard Marx, whose music has kept me company for all the hours I have spent at the keyboard, as well as the past thirty-plus years of my life.

  Published by Bookouture in 2019

  An imprint of StoryFire Ltd.

  Carmelite House

  50 Victoria Embankment

  London EC4Y 0DZ

  www.bookouture.com

  Copyright © Kerry Watts, 2019

  Kerry Watts has asserted her right to be identified as the author of this work.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-78681-791-4

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.