‘You’re the one that did in that detective, right?’ the woman pushed, cutting into Charlotte’s thoughts.
She wasn’t surprised to hear the question. Amongst the criminal fraternity of prison, Charlotte enjoyed notoriety.
‘Yeah,’ she answered. ‘That was me.’
Charlotte shrugged, going back to her task of folding sheets and thinking of how her vengeance had capped a story of crime and love that had gone viral across the world, attracting the attention of a generous benefactor who’d been moved to cover the costs of Tony’s treatment.
‘I read about it in the paper,’ the woman said, struggling to fold her own pile of clothing. Charlotte noticed that her tiny hands were shaking. Funny, she thought, how people’s attitudes had changed towards her.
‘Leave the clothes,’ Charlotte said, trying to sound pleasant. ‘I’ll just have to do them again anyway.’
‘I’m sorry,’ the woman said quickly.
‘No. It’s fine.’
‘I’m just a bit nervous,’ she explained. ‘My husband, he’s not well. He’s quadriplegic, actually. I don’t know how he’s getting on without me.’
‘I’m sorry to hear that,’ Charlotte told her, her prison mask slipping. ‘I know how that must feel.’
‘I know. I read the stories. About you and your husband. That’s why I asked them to put me with you, down here.’
‘Oh. How long are you in for?’
‘They gave me a couple of months, but I think it’s going to be a lot longer than that,’ the woman whispered.
‘A couple of months?’ Charlotte asked, confused – her prison catered to long-term inmates only.
‘I knew some people – through my husband – guards, judges. They made it happen.’
‘You wanted to come here?’ Charlotte asked, taking a half-step back.
‘Because I said I’d do something really bad.’
‘What’s your name?’ Charlotte asked, suddenly uncomfortable. ‘I’m Charlotte Scowcroft.’ She tried to smile, putting out her hand.
‘Deborah.’ The woman grinned back, lifting her own hand from her pocket. ‘But my husband called me Deb. Deb Hill.’
Too late, Charlotte saw the blade.
STORIES AT THE SPEED OF LIFE
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ALSO BY JAMES PATTERSON
ALEX CROSS NOVELS
Along Came a Spider
Kiss the Girls
Jack and Jill
Cat and Mouse
Pop Goes the Weasel
Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Four Blind Mice
The Big Bad Wolf
London Bridges
Cross
Double Cross
Cross Country
Alex Cross’s Trial (with Richard DiLallo)
I, Alex Cross
Cross Fire
Kill Alex Cross
Merry Christmas, Alex Cross
Alex Cross, Run
Cross My Heart
Hope to Die
Cross Justice
THE WOMEN’S MURDER CLUB SERIES
1st to Die
2nd Chance (with Andrew Gross)
3rd Degree (with Andrew Gross)
4th of July (with Maxine Paetro)
The 5th Horseman (with Maxine Paetro)
The 6th Target (with Maxine Paetro)
7th Heaven (with Maxine Paetro)
8th Confession (with Maxine Paetro)
9th Judgement (with Maxine Paetro)
10th Anniversary (with Maxine Paetro)
11th Hour (with Maxine Paetro)
12th of Never (with Maxine Paetro)
Unlucky 13 (with Maxine Paetro)
14th Deadly Sin (with Maxine Paetro)
15th Affair (with Maxine Paetro)
DETECTIVE MICHAEL BENNETT SERIES
Step on a Crack (with Michael Ledwidge)
Run for Your Life (with Michael Ledwidge)
Worst Case (with Michael Ledwidge)
Tick Tock (with Michael Ledwidge)
Gone (with Michael Ledwidge)
Burn (with Michael Ledwidge)
Alert (with Michael Ledwidge)
PRIVATE NOVELS
Private (with Maxine Paetro)
Private London (with Mark Pearson)
Private Games (with Mark Sullivan)
Private: No. 1 Suspect (with Maxine Paetro)
Private Berlin (with Mark Sullivan)
Private Down Under (with Michael White)
Private L.A. (with Mark Sullivan)
Private India (with Ashwin Sanghi)
Private Vegas (with Maxine Paetro)
Private Sydney (with Kathryn Fox)
Private Paris (with Mark Sullivan)
NYPD RED SERIES
NYPD Red (with Marshall Karp)
NYPD Red 2 (with Marshall Karp)
NYPD Red 3 (with Marshall Karp)
NYPD Red 4 (with Marshall Karp)
STAND-ALONE THRILLERS
Sail (with Howard Roughan)
Swimsuit (with Maxine Paetro)
Don’t Blink (with Howard Roughan)
Postcard Killers (with Liza Marklund)
Toys (with Neil McMahon)
Now You See Her (with Michael Ledwidge)
Kill Me If You Can (with Marshall Karp)
Guilty Wives (with David Ellis)
Zoo (with Michael Ledwidge)
Second Honeymoon (with Howard Roughan)
Mistress (with David Ellis)
Invisible (with David Ellis)
Truth or Die (with Howard Roughan)
Murder House (with David Ellis)
NON-FICTION
Torn Apart (with Hal and Cory Friedman)
The Murder of King Tut (with Martin Dugard)
ROMANCE
Sundays at Tiffany’s (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)
The Christmas Wedding (with Richard DiLallo)
First Love (with Emily Raymond)
OTHER TITLES
Miracle at Augusta (with Peter de Jonge)
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