The Silence

THE SILENCEKaterina Diamond CopyrightPublished by AVONA Division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd1 London Bridge StreetLondon SE1 9GFwww.harpercollins.co.ukFirst published in Great Britain by HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2023Copyright © Katerina Diamond 2023Cover design by Claire Ward © HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd 2023Cover photographs © Lyn Randle/Trevillion ImagesKaterina Diamond asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.A catalogue copy of this book is available from the British Library.This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.Source ISBN: 9780008361822Ebook Edition © June 2023 ISBN: 9780008361839Version: 2023-04-11 Praise for Katerina Diamond‘Diamond is the master of gripping literature’ Evening Standard‘All hail the new Queen of Crime!’Heat‘A web of a plot that twists and turns and keeps the reader on their seat … don’t read it before bed if you’re easily spooked!’Sun‘A page-turner with a keep-you-guessing plot’ Sunday Times Crime Club‘Packed with twists until the last page’Closer DedicationFor Nikki – who emotionally blackmailed me into dedicating this book to her. ContentsCoverTitle PageCopyrightPraise for Katerina DiamondDedicationPart OneChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Part TwoChapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Chapter 17Chapter 18Chapter 19Chapter 20Chapter 21Chapter 22Chapter 23Chapter 24Chapter 25Chapter 26Chapter 27Chapter 28Chapter 29Chapter 30Chapter 31Chapter 32Chapter 33Chapter 34Chapter 35Chapter 36Chapter 37Chapter 38Chapter 39Chapter 40Chapter 41Chapter 42Chapter 43Chapter 44Chapter 45Chapter 46Chapter 47Chapter 48Chapter 49Chapter 50Chapter 51Chapter 52Chapter 53Chapter 54Chapter 55Chapter 56Chapter 57Chapter 58Chapter 59Chapter 60Chapter 61Chapter 62Chapter 63Chapter 64Keep Reading …About the AuthorAlso by Katerina DiamondAbout the Publisher Part One Chapter 1June 11th – Three years agoWithin twenty minutes of walking through the front door, I am showered and sitting in pyjamas on my sofa, hair knotted Chapter 2DS Shona White ate her third KitKat of the day before ten in the morning, making a promise to herself to eat something green and leafy