got there, he told her there’d been an accident and gave her the baby.’
Kate shakes her head. ‘Does that sound like Dad?’
‘No doubt we’ll find out. But I can see that he would have wanted to get the baby away from the scene.’
‘And she’s still claiming she left Jess at a church?’
Lauren nods. ‘She said that Dad told her to put the baby somewhere safe and the church was the first place she could think of.’
The gallery door opens and in walk Jess and Finn. Jess gives a polite nod and sits down on the back row.
‘Have you spoken to her yet?’ asks Kate.
‘Only briefly, this morning, after the jury were sworn in and the opening speeches had been made.’ Lauren sighs. ‘It’s funny, but despite everything that’s gone on, it’s good to see her. With each day that passes, the more I understand why she felt the need to do what she did, and if I’m really honest with myself, there’s a part of me that still misses her.’
‘Did she say what she’s doing with herself?’ asks Kate.
‘Finn’s moved in with her now, but I think that was always the plan, and she’s got a new job in a restaurant in town.’
‘Do you want to invite them over on Sunday?’ asks Kate. Lauren turns to look at her with a smile.
The court hushes as Rose shuffles into the dock, looking like a shadow of the woman she was; her shoulder-length auburn hair is cut short and greying at the sides; her once vibrant skin is sallow and pale; even her height seems to have diminished. Though when she looks up to the gallery and sees Kate, she instantly stands taller, buoyed by her daughter’s presence.
As soon as the judge is seated, the prosecution calls the forensic investigator to the witness box and after the formal introductions, the wigged barrister approaches the stand.
‘Can you confirm that the defendant Rose Alexander’s DNA was found at the scene of Julia Woods’ murder?’ he says.
‘Yes,’ says the bespectacled man, before leaning in closer to the small microphone perched in front of him and repeating himself.
‘And can you confirm that the same DNA was found close to the body of the deceased, even though the defendant claims in her written statement that she didn’t enter the house?’
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
‘Whilst we could allow the benefit of the doubt to some extent, it’s unlikely in this event, is it not?’
‘Highly unlikely,’ says the witness.
‘And can you explain why that’s the case on this particular occasion?’
The man clears his throat and Lauren squeezes Kate’s hand tighter. ‘Because the defendant’s DNA was found under the victim’s fingernails.’
There are audible gasps from the gallery and Kate and Lauren lock eyes.
‘And just for the record,’ the Crown Prosecutor goes on, twisting the knife until it has nowhere else to go. ‘Is it conceivable that anyone else was present at the time of the murder, apart from the defendant, Mrs Alexander?’
‘Absolutely not.’
‘Thank you.’ The barrister grins. ‘I have no further questions.’
Acknowledgements
Writing one book was a dream come true, and writing a second and third – with a fourth in the offing – is beyond anything I could have possibly imagined. And it’s all thanks to my agent, Tanera Simons at Darley Anderson, who spends her days mixing magic potions into life-changing concoctions. Her colleagues, Mary Darby, Georgia Fuller and Kristina Egan, have ensured that my novels have reached far and wide, having been translated into fourteen languages and counting. And Sheila David is the visionary who floats the idea of an altogether different format – thank you all.
Like most novels, this book is far removed from the first draft that I sent to my editors, Catherine Richards at Minotaur Books and Vicki Mellor at Pan Macmillan. Together they’ve helped me hone this final draft – for, in my eyes, it will always be a draft, as writing is so infinite – into the best shape it can possibly be. I am sure it could always be better, but there comes a point when you have to hand your baby over, as otherwise you will coo, fuss and fret over it for far longer than you should. Thank you both for guiding it through that difficult teething stage!
So much goes on behind the scenes to turn words into a book, and to get that book into retailers and to encourage readers to choose yours from all the thousands available. Many thanks to Nettie Finn, Natalie Young, Joseph Brosnan, Sarah Melnyk, Matthew Cole, Becky Lloyd and Fraser Crichton for all that you do.
Thank you to my wonderful friends and family for their patience and understanding, and for having the forethought to know that when I’m killing someone, I mustn’t be interrupted!
But the biggest thank you of all, as always, is to you, for taking the time to read my ramblings and enjoy them enough to write reviews, blog and recommend to others. I am eternally grateful.
PRAISE FOR SANDIE JONES
‘One of the most twisted and entertaining plots’
Reese Witherspoon
‘An absolute corker – wickedly relatable story, wonderful characters and a great twist. Should definitely be on your reading list for this summer’
T. M. Logan, bestselling author of Lies
‘A nice twist. I enjoyed the increasingly barbed exchanges between the mother and the prospective daughter-in-law – I think a lot of readers will probably identify with events in the book!’
Jojo Moyes
‘A twisty, deliciously fun read’
Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling author of The Wife Between Us
‘What an incredible read. Pammie was such a compelling and unique villain . . . It’s a definite must-read this summer!’
Hollie Overton, author of Baby Doll
‘Knocked my socks off! Psychological suspense at its most addictive, with a shocker of an ending. I couldn’t put it down!’
Michele Campbell, author of It’s Always the Husband
‘Thoroughly entertaining. Pammie is the mother-in-law from hell!’
Michelle Frances, number one bestselling author of The Girlfriend
‘Addictive . . . will keep you glued to the page’
Good Housekeeping
‘A compulsive, claustrophobic read. It made my heart rate climb, speaking to my darkest fears as a wife and mother’
Emma Kavanagh, author of The Killer on the Wall
‘A fast, easy read with skilful twists’
Sunday Mirror
‘Fun and fiendishly clever with a twist you will not see coming. Make room in your beach bag for this one’
Wendy Walker, bestselling author of All Is Not Forgotten
‘An absorbing thriller with a great twist. A perfect beach read’
Kristin Hannah, number one New York Times bestselling author of The Nightingale
‘Devoured this in two days. Compulsive, superbly plotted and all too believable! Earmark it now for your TBR pile’
Michelle Davies, critically acclaimed author of Gone Astray
‘A twisty, dark psychological thriller you’ll want to race through’
Best
THE HALF SISTER
SANDIE JONES is the author of the bestselling The Other Woman and The First Mistake. A freelance journalist, she has contributed to the Sunday Times, Daily Mail, Woman’s Weekly and Hello magazine, amongst others. If she wasn’t a writer, she’d be an interior designer as she has an unhealthy obsession with wallpaper and cushions. She lives in London with her husband and three children.
Also by Sandie Jones
The Other Woman
The First Mistake
First published 2020 by Pan Books
This electronic edition first published in the UK 2020 by Pan Books
an imprint of Pan Macmillan
The Smithson, 6 Briset Street, London EC1M 5NR
Associated companies throughout the world
ISBN 978-1-5290-3302-1
Copyright © Sandie Jones 2020
Cover Images © Shutterstock
The right of Sandie Jones to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damage.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
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