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.
