Monday's Child Read Online Free Page A

before Wilcox turned to her. “Fine. You can go. Straight there, straight back, don’t let your escort out of your sight, and…”
    “And no talking to any strange men,” Sara finished. “Yeah, I know the drill. I’ll get my coat.”
    Sara went into the bedroom. She put on her coat and grabbed her bag. A light rain started falling as she left the chalet. DC Lomas joined them, and the two men led her to the car.
    Sara tuned out the men’s conversation as the car made its way down the narrow country lanes. She gazed out of the window. Rain trickled down the outside of the glass, and she rubbed her sleeve over the inside to clear the condensation. The scenery changed as they drove, from small beachside village to fields and wind farms, then converted to the built up resorts of the seaside town.
    Lomas parked the car off the High Street and then rounded the vehicle to open her door. She got out as Luke glanced around, obviously checking the area. She pulled the umbrella from her bag and put it up. “Do we go clothes shopping or have coffee first? There’s a nice café up here on the right.”
    Luke shook his head. “Clothes shopping. You were told straight here and straight back. You can have coffee at home.”
    This time Sara rolled her eyes. Shopping relaxed her. “Spoilsport.”
    She set off in the pouring rain, heading towards the mall. Christmas music spilled from the speakers, and tinsel and baubles hung from the ceiling. A huge tree sparkled and glittered with lights and decorations in the center of the mall. Sara paused to admire it. Christmas was less than a month away, though it wasn’t going to be much of a celebration this year. She was alone with only a fake husband and ten other cops to share it with.
    In the dress store, Sara picked out several outfits. She took them into the changing rooms, while the two men stood guard outside. She was two sizes bigger than she had been. She wasn’t sure how she managed that, despite the pregnancy, with all the meals she skipped since she started having morning sickness.
    Sara exited the mall into the High Street laden with bags. The rain had stopped, and a pale watery sun filtered through the clouds, reflecting off the wet streets. She checked both ways and crossed the road, drawn by the smell of coffee from the café, to the window of an expensive boutique next door. She gazed at the dress in the window and smiled. If I wore something that glamorous and revealing, Jamie would call me mutton dressed as lamb .
    She shifted her gaze and caught a glimpse of a reflection in the glass beside her. A man walked up at a slow pace and pushed his hood down. His eyes glittered with hatred it took only a second to recognize, and his long hair framed a face which sported cruel thin lips curled into a snarl. He raised his fingers and pretended to shoot her as he mouthed her name in slow motion. “Sara.”
    Sara gasped in terror. Blind panic filled her, but she kept her mind well enough to reach for Luke and grab his elbow. “Do something….That’s Austin.”
    She glanced back, but he’d gone. She looked around terrified.
    “Let’s get you inside and off the streets.” Luke wrapped an arm around her and spoke to Lomas as he guided Sara into the café. “See if you can get a location on him. Did you see him?”
    “Yeah, but I thought he was window shopping.” Lomas swore as he raised his radio and moved off to search. “This is Lomas. I need back up. Target spotted.”
     
     
     
     

3
     
    Sara sat at a table in the café, her hands shaking too much to drink the coffee Luke bought her. He sat next to her, his hand inches away from hers. Sara’s mind whirled. Austin had found her. She was no longer safe.
    Detective Inspector Wilcox came over, jerked his head in greeting to Luke, and sat opposite Sara. “Tell me what you saw.”
    “It was Austin.” She inhaled deeply, trying to calm her shattered nerves. “He stepped up to me, said my name, and pretended to shoot