In Safe Hands: A D.C.I Anna Tate thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat
How far would you go to save the ones you love? The first book in a stunning new crime series featuring DCI Anna Tate.When nine children are snatched from a nursery school in South London, their distressed parents have no idea if they will ever see them again. The community in the surrounding area in shock. How could this happen right under their noses? No one in the quiet suburban street saw anything – or at least that's what they're saying.But DCI Anna Tate knows that nothing is impossible, and she also knows that time is quickly running out. It’s unclear if the kidnappers are desperate for money or set on revenge, but the ransom is going up by £1million daily. And they know that one little boy in particular is fighting for his life.It’s one of the most disturbing cases DCI Anna Tate has ever worked on – not only because nine children are being held hostage, but because she’s pretty sure that someone close to them is lying…
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Published by AVON
A Division of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd
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London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by Avon Books 2019
Copyright © J.P. Carter 2019
Cover design © Cherie Chapman 2018
J.P. Carter 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 authorâs 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: 9780008313272
Ebook Edition © November 2018 ISBN: 9780008313289
Version: 2018-11-22
This one is for my loving wife Catherine
Contents
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
Tasha Norris loved her job as a nursery school teacher. Watching the children at play always filled her with a deep sense of wellbeing.
Today was no exception. There were only nine of the little mites in this morning, but their squeals and laughter had already lifted her spirits. They were so entertaining, so happy, and so excited to have been let loose in the nurseryâs bright and airy playroom.
Tashaâs colleague, Paige, was trying to get them together so that they could listen to the first story of the day. But as usual, they werenât taking any notice.
Four-year-old Grace was lost in a world of her own as she pretended to cook a meal on the toy stove, concentrating hard as she boiled a wooden egg in a little saucepan. And five-year-old Sahib was too busy racing around the room on a red fire engine to pay the teacher any attention. Meanwhile, Daniel and Liam, both aged three, were fully focused on seeing who could build the highest tower using wooden bricks. Little Molly sat at a table next to them, seemingly oblivious to her surroundings as she worked on her latest masterpiece â a painting of her entire family, including mum, dad, brother and pet goldfish Flipper.
Just being here with them made Tasha realise yet again how much she wanted a child of her own. She and Steve had been married for less than a year, so she had to try and be patient. Aged twenty-three, Tasha knew she had plenty of time to keep trying, and in the meantime she would enjoy looking after other peopleâs children. She couldnât imagine doing anything else for a living, and she was so grateful to Sarah Ramsay for taking her on seven months ago. Tasha had loved every minute of every working day. And sheâd learned so much about toddlers, tantrums and those tearful confessions that challenge you to keep a straight face.
Paige was now clapping her hands to get the childrenâs attention. But the only one who responded was four-year-old Simone, who rushed into the large plastic playhouse while shouting, âYou canât catch me, you canât catch me.â
As always, getting all the kids to stop what they were doing became a team effort. Emma, the other teacher on duty, tried to coax Sahib off the fire engine after he rammed it into one of the doors. And Tasha played her part by trying to convince Molly that her picture was finished and she should leave it to dry.
Sarah emerged from her office to help out. She was the owner of the Peabody Nursery chain and the most experienced at dealing with groups of pre-schoolers. To Tasha she was the perfect role model. Sheâd built up a successful business doing what she enjoyed and went to great lengths to make the staff as well as the children feel comfortable.
