Nowhere Girl (33 page)

Ellie looked up at Olivier. “And will he?”

“I don’t know, Ellie. There’s not really a precedent for things like this. But I hope so.” Cate felt how Ellie’s body was shaking. She looked exhausted, dirty too, and there was dried blood on her t-shirt. But she was here. That was what mattered.

“What happens now?” Cate asked, placing her arm around the teenager.

Olivier gazed at Cate, for a long time there was only the two of them in the world. In that moment there was love enough, without the anger and blame that could follow. Despite the trust that had been destroyed. Then he looked at Ellie, to the girl who was patiently waiting to see her mum for the first time in ten days.

“We go home,” he said. “All of us.”

Dear Ellie
,

In that instant, when I saw the police officer walking into the hospital waiting room, in his navy Luxembourg uniform, I knew. I knew it was finally all over. And I felt something like relief, that I could stop pretending
.

I was clutching the boy’s teddy, he had left it behind when they led him to the treatment room. Amina was with him, and I knew he was safe. I had done my part, just as I’d promised Jak. Fahran will be treated
.

They drove me back to the same police station I visited just three days ago, they put me in a different cell though. This one, I think, is for special prisoners. It has cardboard furniture so I can’t harm myself. As if it was even possible, for me to do any more damage
.

I was allowed one phone call. It was enough, to hear Achim say that you are home. Showered and fed and tucked into your bed. Safe
.

It is enough, to know that you came home, eventually. And so I have just one question for you, one thing I need to know: have you learned your lesson?

Are you going to be a good girl now?

They sent a psychiatrist to see me and he has said I am sick. I could have told him that! Sick with worry for my little girl, whom I have not seen for ten days! Tomorrow he will tell the judge about my illness, and then they will see about getting me some treatment. And soon, very soon my solicitor says, I will be home
.

Because none of this was my fault, I was sick and soon I will be well
.

And you were bad but now you will be good
.

Everything is okay, Ellie
.

Mummy will be home soon. I promise
.

I am indebted to the following people who gave their time so willingly, and answered so many of my questions:

Firstly, thanks to Laurence Hever, Assistante Sociale at the Association de Soutien aux Travailleurs Immigres (ASTI), whom I found through a Google search, and thank goodness I did. When I was exploring the subject of illegal immigration, and the difficulty of finding medical assistance for a sick child, I called her up, asking, “Could this scenario happen in Luxembourg?”

Laurence replied, “Ruth, I had a family in my office just today, with exactly this issue.” Whilst I was reassured that my plot is therefore authentic, it saddens me that such a wealthy country as Luxembourg is not providing for the most needy. Laurence, and the work she does at ASTI, is both essential and admirable.

Thanks also to Joseph Sadler, Commissaire en Chef with the Police Judiciaire, who gave me an alternative perspective on human trafficking and also an insight into how Luxembourg faces the challenge of organised crime, as well as answering several random questions on police procedure.

I am grateful to the Association Luxembourgeoise des Visiteurs de Prison (ALVP) who, despite my terrible French and non-existent Luxembourgish, welcomed me into their ranks. I am in awe of the voluntary commitment they offer prisoners in Luxembourg, visiting regularly for months or years. Their stories and insights gave me an additional viewpoint on crime in the city.

For my research into Algeria, I am indebted to Kheira Si Larbi. Thank you for a pleasant afternoon looking at photos of the Djudura mountains, and chatting over what it means to live in Tizi Ouzou. The prayer mat, the gallet stone, all derive from this conversation.

And to Kamilla, who made our weekly waits in the driving range car park so much more interesting, and who answered my questions with such vigour.

As always, thanks go to the wonderful team at Legend Press, especially my editor, Lauren Parsons.

And to my writing group, Lizzie Ferretti, Morag Liffen (got it right this time!), Jane Bailey and Sophie Green. Thanks to my probation colleague and friend, Janet Wood, for her eagle eyes and advice on current practice.

Finally, thanks to my husband, Andrew, and children, Amber and Eden, who were frequently press-ganged into strange outings to places such as Heidelberg hospital, Mertzig wolf park, and the dodgier parts of Luxembourg. I love you all.

The character name “Achim Scheen” was supplied by its original owner, who won the right to have it featured in
Nowhere Girl
during a charity auction to raise funds for Make-A-Wish Foundation, Luxembourg.

Achim, thank you for having such an interesting name, and I hope you like the book!

Print ISBN 9781909593619

Ebook ISBN 9781909593626

They came for me, just like I knew they would. Luke had been dead for just three days
.

Rose Wilks’ life is shattered when her newborn baby, Joel, is admitted to intensive care. Emma Hatcher has all that Rose lacks. Beauty. A loving husband. A healthy son. Until tragedy strikes and Rose is the only suspect.

Now, having spent nearly five years behind bars, Rose is just weeks away from freedom. Her probation officer, Cate, must decide whether Rose is remorseful for Luke’s death, or whether she remains a threat to society. As Cate is drawn in, she begins to doubt her own judgement.

Where is the line between love and obsession? Can justice be served and, if so… by what means?

W
INNER
of the CWA Debut Dagger

W
INNER
of the Luke Bitmead Bursary

S
HORTLISTED
for the People’s Book Prize

S
HORTLISTED
for the Brit Writer’s Novel Award

L
ONGLISTED
for the New Angle Book Prize

‘Authentic...diverting debut’
The Daily Mail

‘Intelligent and gripping... Ruth is a huge talent’

Sophie Hannah

Print ISBN 9781908248008

Ebook ISBN 9781908248152

What I want to say is that suicide is my choice. No-one else is to blame. Man seeks beautiful woman for the journey of a lifetime: will you help me to die?

When probation officer Cate Austin is given her new assignment, she faces the highest-profile case of her career. Alice Mariani is charged with assisted suicide and Cate must recommend a sentence.

Alice insists her story is one of misinterpreted love, forcing those around her to analyse their own lives. Who is to decide what is normal and when does loyalty turn to obsession?

Investigating the loophole that lies between murder and euthanasia, Cate must now meet the woman who agreed to comply with her lover’s final request. Shocking revelations expose bitter truths that can no longer be ignored.

‘Utterly chilling and enthralling from the first line to the last’

Karen Maitland

‘An unflinching journey, chilling and insightful’

Michelle Spring

Print ISBN 9781910394595

Ebook ISBN 9781910394601

A blur in the sky, a brick – no, a trainer, red – falls to the water… There seems to be a scuffle… a hand grabbing at the dangling child. Then, with the awfulness of inevitability, the hanging child drops, gravity takes him
.

A child is killed after falling from the Humber Bridge. Despite fleeing the scene, two young brothers are found guilty and sent to prison. Upon their release they are granted one privilege only, their anonymity.

Probation officer Cate Austin is responsible for Humber Boy B’s reintegration into society. But the general public’s anger is steadily growing, and those around her are wondering if the secret of his identity is one he actually deserves to keep.

Cate’s loyalty is challenged when she begins to discover the truth of the crime. She must ask herself if a child is capable of premeditated murder. Or is there a greater evil at play?

‘Twisty, profound and completely convincing, it grips the reader by the heart. Unputdownable.’
Erin Kelly
. ‘Sad, chilling and horrifying, Humber Boy B is extraordinary...’
Elizabeth Forbes

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