Little Girl Lost (Detective Robyn Carter crime thriller series Book 1) Read online

  Little Girl Lost

  A Serial killer thriller that will have you hooked

  Carol E Wyer

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  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

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Also by Carol E Wyer

  Prologue

  Alice couldn’t shake the ominous feeling that had plagued her all evening, no matter how hard she tried. It was going to happen again – even though he wasn’t in the house. She just knew. Her anxiety made her grasp Mr Big Ears so tightly he grumbled. On the television, a cartoon bird ran off at high speed as a coyote wearing supersonic skates fell off a mountainside. Tonight she did not chuckle at the programme.

  Her mother bustled into the room, looking like a princess in her long gown.

  ‘See you in the morning, sweetie. Sleep well.’

  She bent to drop a gentle kiss on her daughter’s cheek then brushed a lock of hair away from the child’s face. As she did so she looked into the large pale blue eyes, fringed by impossibly long dark lashes, and was hit by a wave of love. She stroked Alice’s forehead and whispered, ‘Night, night, sweetheart,’ then drew away, leaving behind a familiar scent of lemon, bergamot and orange, which normally would have comforted the girl. Tonight, Alice was not comforted. She did not want to be left in the huge three-storey house with a fourteen-year-old goth who wore black eyeliner so thickly on her pale face that she looked like a zombie. She shrank further into the chair, one arm around her toy rabbit, Mister Big Ears.

  In a small voice she whined, ‘Do you have to go out?’

  Her mother’s mood changed instantly. ‘Of course I do. Paul is up for best actor award. You know all this.’ Her voice rose as it did when she was displeased. That was her mother, one moment happy and lovable, the next cold and bad tempered. ‘We talked about it earlier when you were in the bath. I know things have felt different since we moved here but you’ll get used to it. You’ll have to get used to it. It’s only been three weeks. It’s going to feel odd. Now stop being difficult and make an effort. This is where we’re going to live, like it or not. And Natasha may look a little bit strange but she really likes you. She’s not one to show her emotions. Paul told me she likes you a lot. She’s going to be your new big sister when Paul and I get married.’

  Alice hated the idea of someone replacing Daddy but, no matter what, she knew it was going to happen. She had sulked and cried about it but Mummy only got cross with her and said she was behaving like a spoilt brat. The wedding was going to take place very soon. ‘A whirlwind romance,’ her mother had said. Alice fumed quietly. How could Daddy be so quickly forgotten? Her mother had met Paul and fallen head over heels in love with him less than a year after Daddy had been killed. Paul was obviously keen on Mummy too. He had showered her with expensive presents, including the beautiful crystal bracelet she was wearing. It had taken only three months of dating before he had invited her to move into the Farmhouse with him and his two teenagers, Natasha and Lucas.

  ‘I don’t want to leave,’ she wailed when her mother told her they were moving. ‘This is home. This is where you, me and Daddy lived.’

  Her mother held her by the wrists and looked into her eyes.

  ‘I know this is hard for you, but it has been dreadful for me too. I miss your father. I miss him so much but I can’t carry on living alone, trying to make ends meet for us both. Paul is a good man. He’s kind and will look after us both. He’s very wealthy. He has a beautiful house near a lake and woods with a paddock. He even has ponies. What little girl wouldn’t want to live in a big house with a huge bedroom and ride ponies?’

  The truth was she didn’t care where they lived as long as she and Mummy were together. Ever since she had met Paul, Mummy hadn’t been so interested in her. She shooed her out of the room when Paul visited and instead of it being about what she and Mummy were going to do for the day, it became about what Mummy and Paul were going to do. She was losing Mummy day by day.

  She really wanted it to be just her and Mummy and Daddy again but that was never going to happen even though she had prayed and prayed for a miracle. She got a mini miracle when Mr Big Ears began to talk to her. He spoke to her just after Paul started coming around. He didn’t like Paul either. She understood the first time he spoke that somehow her daddy had worked out a way to come back and be with her. If only he could have found a way to be with Mummy. Life had been miserable without him, with Mummy crying all the time, and the flat getting dirtier and dirtier as she moped about the place. She knew Mummy liked Paul a lot. Too much. He had a nice smile and was very tall. He didn’t speak to Alice as if she was a little kid, and had told her he would never try to replace her father but he would always look out for her, and if she needed anything, she was to ask. Mr Big Ears didn’t believe him. Neither did she.

  She looked at her mother’s face, once again radiant at the prospect of going to a special film event, and she gripped Mr Big Ears tighter. He folded into her tiny frame, appearing to return the squeeze. Daddy had given her the toy rabbit and she adored him. Now, of course, since the mini miracle, he went everywhere with her. Mr Big Ears was her friend, her confidant and comfort when she was upset or had concerns. She spoke to him all the time and listened intently for her dead father’s voice coming from Mr Big Ear’s mouth. At the moment, he was keeping council and stared into the distance, ignoring the conversation.

  Her mother walked away, collected her evening bag with the long gold chain from the granite top in the kitchen and glanced back into the snug.

  ‘Now, you’ll be a good girl for Natasha, won’t you? She’s in the front room watching a film if you need her.’

  She nodded. ‘Lucas?�
� she asked in a small voice.

  ‘Lucas is in the village staying the night with his friend, Dan. Did you want him to be here too?’

  She shook her head. That was the last thing she wanted. Not after the last time.

  ‘Don’t go yet, Mummy,’ she shouted, panic rising in her small chest.

  Her mother hesitated at the kitchen door. ‘Don’t be silly. You’re a big girl now. You’ll have to get accustomed to me leaving you from time to time. We’ll be here when you wake up. Now, no more of this nonsense. Go straight up to bed when you’ve finished watching your cartoons and don’t play up for Natasha. Show her what a good girl you can be.’

  She wanted to call out again but her mother slipped through the door, leaving her curled up on the large chair, staring at the screen. She caught distant murmurings. Paul was telling Natasha to phone if she needed them. Natasha mumbled something in response. The heavy front door shut with a bang and she was left alone in the snug with only the sound of the Roadrunner beeping triumphantly as it ran away from Wile E. Coyote. How she wished she could run like that. If she could, Lucas wouldn’t be able to catch her. She brushed the thoughts of Lucas away. He was not here tonight. She need not worry.

  The snug was the friendliest room in the vast house. It was an extension of the kitchen filled with bouncy pale green settees that matched the decor and a large television screen that dominated one wall. She preferred to stay in here rather than the formidable sitting room with its large settees facing each other beside a huge fireplace, and china ornaments of pale women who stared into space. She did not like the wooden-floored Victorian conservatory either, with huge glass windows that made her feel like she was in a giant goldfish bowl, and she had no interest in the music room, although she had tried to play a couple of tunes on the piano once or twice.

  Her mother was usually in the kitchen and Alice preferred to be near her, even if she was just in the background watching television while her mother drank wine with Paul. Natasha was fourteen and spent most of her time skulking in her room, her dark-rimmed eyes full of resentment and teenage angst. Lucas hardly frequented the snug, preferring his own room where he played loud rock music whose beat could be felt resonating throughout the house. Both of them spent most of the year at boarding schools but were currently at home for the school holidays.

  She had not made up her mind about how friendly Natasha really was. Natasha rarely smiled and seemed to ignore everything going on around her, especially her and Mummy, yet just occasionally she seemed to regard them both with something of a wistful stare, much like a puppy who wants to be friends but is unsure how to instigate the relationship. However, before anyone could act upon it, the look would have vanished and Natasha would have retreated behind her white expressionless mask. She was probably not looking forward to gaining a little sister full-time.

  Then there was Lucas. A chill ran through her. He had seemed nice at first. A slight boy for his age who at almost sixteen had acne-scarred skin, eyes like dark coals and a cruel way of curling his lip when examining you. He had looked her up and down when she had first arrived then cocked his head on one side and announced it would be cool to have a kid sister. She had believed he was okay then. That was before. Before the horrible evening when he had done those things to her.

  The cartoon finished and she turned off the set. The Aga in the kitchen was alight and the place felt warm and cosy. The house was so different from where she and Mummy had lived before Mummy met Paul. Even though it had not been huge like this house, she had preferred the old flat with its shabbier furnishings and now she missed it. It was where she, Mummy and Daddy had lived before the accident. Clutching her rabbit, she headed to her room on the third floor away from the others. She preferred it that way. Up here she could hide from the life below and talk to Mr Big Ears.

  Her bedroom had been decorated for her in shades of pink with a princess theme. It was surprisingly neat for a young girl’s room but she liked order and all her toys and dolls were lined up on the shelf at the far end of the room next to the en-suite bathroom. Tall wardrobes filled the other wall and the room seemed bare apart from the bed, a dressing table on which were displayed various ceramic animals all in a neat line, and a bedside table. She tidied from her bed the pencils and colouring book she had been using earlier that evening, placing the pencils in order of size on the bedside table. She pulled down the duvet cover and tucked Mr Big Ears into bed before removing her slippers and sliding in next to him. She kept her night light on and stared at the shadows on the walls.

  Darkness had always been her friend. Before that night, she had always welcomed it and snuggled down in her bed next to the rabbit, listening to his soft voice until sleep overtook her. Since that night, she had been more wary, leaving on the owl-shaped night light and often burying herself deep under the pink duvet covered with large flowers.

  It wouldn’t happen tonight. Lucas was out. She was safe. She hugged Mr Big Ears goodnight. He whispered that he thought Mummy had looked beautiful tonight and that one day she, Alice, would wear an identical dress to a ball and would look like a princess. She gave him an extra squeeze. She was sure he would have preferred Mummy to stay at home too.

  Just as she felt the first drifts of sleep overtaking her body, a creak on the stairs startled her awake. Mr Big Ears seemed to sit upright in dismay. She shoved him towards the bottom of the bed to hide him. Blood rushed to her ears and thudded there, its drumming obliterating any further sound. Her mind raced. Someone was heading for her room. The fifth stair on the staircase to the top floor let out a little groan when it was trodden on. That had been the sound she had heard.

  She had the sudden urge to go to the toilet. She could not wet the bed. She was a big girl. She would be nine years old in three months. She fought to control her bladder as she heard the door to her bedroom ease open and a voice whisper, ‘I’m coming to play. Are you ready?’

  Her body began to tremble. It was going to happen again. She wormed her way down the bed to hide then let out an inaudible squeak of terror as she felt the duvet being tugged away from her. She screwed her eyes up and wound herself into a tight ball. She felt cold hands pull at her shoulders. She curled up tighter.

  ‘Come on, little sister. It’s time to play our secret game. Wake up. You know you enjoy it.’

  The same hands pulled at her nightdress and raised it high above her hips. She could feel the cool air on her buttocks. Tears filled her eyes as she tried to wriggle away. She received a sharp slap on her backside. ‘Shush! No one can hear you.’

  He grabbed at her and tugged at her legs, twisting and pulling until she was flat on her back looking up into the soulless eyes.

  ‘That’s better. Time to play nicely,’ Lucas said. He stroked her face with a finger. She could smell alcohol on his breath. Sometimes Mummy smelt of drink. It usually made her more affectionate and after a night of drinking wine downstairs, she would come to check on her daughter and plant a little kiss on her head before turning in for the night. This was nothing like that. Lucas’s breath smelt sour and she turned her head away. He didn’t care. He leant closer towards her, eyes slightly unfocused and mumbled, ‘You’re so pretty. You’re perfect. I’ll like having such a pretty sister.’

  She tried to hold her breath while he spoke. Her heart hammered against her chest. She could feel him pressing into her and she knew what he was going to do next. It would be like last time when Mummy had gone out for dinner with Paul. That time, Lucas had been forced to stop his actions because they had returned unexpectedly. He had threatened her as he left and she had not said a word about that night. Her mind had blocked most of it out and she had hoped it would not happen again but feeling his warmth on top of her thin nightdress she knew this time she was not going to be so lucky.

  ‘You know what you have to do, don’t you, or I’ll tear off your rabbit’s head and pull out all his stuffing and I’ll make you watch while I do it. You wouldn’t want to be without Rabbit, would you?’
A malevolent grin spread across his face.

  He had threatened the same last time he had come to her room. He was going to rip Mr Big Ears apart if she didn’t play his little game with him. She couldn’t lose her rabbit. It was all that remained of Daddy. She fought back tears.

  Without taking his eyes off her, Lucas dropped his hand to the waistband on his tracksuit trousers. ‘Ready, little sister?’

  He dropped his pants and bottoms in one movement, releasing his member in front of her, and climbed on top of her again.

  ‘Go on. Touch it.’ He grabbed her wrist and forced her hand towards it. ‘Hold it,’ he hissed. She opened her hand and grasped it. He groaned.

  ‘That’s it. Rub it like I told you last time.’

  She did as bidden.

  ‘No. That’s not right,’ he suddenly exclaimed as his erection began to wither. ‘You’re doing it wrong!’ He grabbed her by the waist and in one easy movement, rolled over onto his back, pulling her on onto his lap, clamping her there. He could feel her nakedness against his own. A smile played across his face as a new thought occurred to him.

  ‘It won’t hurt. It’ll be our special bond. Our brother and sister secret,’ he whispered.

  A finger found its way into her, pushed deeper into her, probing and searching. Too terrified to move, she allowed another finger to enter her, stretching her further. Large tears began to form. She wanted Lucas to stop but he was lost in his world muttering incoherent words.

  She squirmed and wriggled but he was too strong for her. He was hurting her. She was about to scream for him to stop then she heard Daddy’s voice. He was very cross with Lucas. Lucas should not be doing this. Mr Big Ears had moved and was now beside her leg. He looked up at her earnestly. He had something urgent to tell her about her bedside table. She listened. The tears stopped, to be replaced by a rush of something else – a force so great she had little control over it. She was not going to let Lucas do this to her. Lucas was now making guttural noises of pleasure, his eyes closed. She chose her moment and when Big Ears shouted ‘Ready!’ she reached forward for the object, breaking contact with Lucas and distracting him. His eyes flew open and he screamed in surprise as she raised the sharpened red pencil in her hand, and jabbed it hard into his left eye.