The Runaway

By Lesley Thomson

An exclusive short story from the bestselling author of The Detective's Daughter.

Stella Darnell understands that her mum and dad don't want to live together anymore. But she wishes she didn't have to say goodbye to her bedroom, or pack her hateful pink suitcase that bangs against her legs. Her mum says she'll have special weekends just to see her dad – but Stella knows that when her dad is solving crimes, there's no time for her.

And so, aged seven and a half, the detective's daughter decides to run away...

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jul 1, 2015
• ISBN: 9781784970710

Lesley Thomson

Lesley Thomson grew up in west London. Her first novel, A Kind of Vanishing, won the People's Book Prize in 2010. Her second novel, The Detective's Daughter, was a #1 bestseller and the resulting series has sold over 750,000 copies. Lesley divides her time between Sussex and Gloucestershire. She lives with her partner and her dog. Visit her website at www.lesleythomson.co.uk.

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THE RUNAWAY

A Detective’s Daughter Short Story

Lesley Thomson

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About this Book

About the Author

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About The Runaway

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An exclusive short story from the bestselling author of The Detective’s Daughter.

Stella Darnell understands that her mum and dad don’t want to live together anymore. But she wishes she didn’t have to say goodbye to her bedroom, or pack her hateful pink suitcase that bangs against her legs. Her mum says she’ll have special weekends just to see her dad – but Stella knows that when her dad is solving crimes, there’s no time for her.

And so, aged seven and a half, the detective’s daughter decides to run away...

Contents

Cover

Welcome Page

About The Runaway

The Runaway

Stella’s School Reports

Reviews

About Lesley Thomson

About The Detective’s Daughter Series

An Invitation from the Publisher

Copyright

Wednesday, 14 November 1973

Bang.

Stella crept to the door and cupped her ear to it. From the other side came a huff, then a sigh. She spun round and scanned the small bedroom as if looking for somewhere to hide.

At five feet, Stella was tall for her seven years, but surely wouldn’t have been able to clamber through the hatch in the ceiling even standing on a chair. The single bed in the corner opposite the door had been stripped to the mattress. The Noddy duvet was packed with the rest of Stella’s things. Had it been Stella’s intention to hide she was out of luck. The doors to an oak wardrobe were open to reveal a lone hanger, bright blue and emblazoned with the words ‘Bo Peep’ painted round some fluffy white shapes, presumably sheep. The wardrobe had been emptied, Stella’s clothes stowed away in cases and boxes and driven off in a van a few minutes ago. Stella herself had packed her few toys and her Thomas the Tank Engine money box, filled with carefully saved pocket money, in a new pink suitcase that was waiting by the front door.

The blue hanger, given to Stella by her nana, was the only item in the room that offered a clue to the age and gender of the occupant. The salmon-pink walls were now bare and dotted with white Sellotape marks from where Stella’s mum had pulled off her posters. These, rolled and fastened with an elastic band, had gone in the van and been crushed by a box of crockery. A patch of richer pink above a melamine shelf shadowed where Stella’s books and dolls had been. Apart from the encyclopaedia, Stella hadn’t read any of the books, which were a handful of Enid Blytons and a hardback of Black Beauty illustrated in colour. She didn’t like made-up stories or giving tea parties for the dolls as if they were real.

Stella Darnell had learnt at an early age to face real life head on.

When her dad had suggested that she leave some clothes and toys behind for when she came for her ‘Access Weekends’, her mum had shaken her head and said Stella could bring what she needed in the ‘ghastly pink suitcase’; it was better that she had all her familiar things around her in Barons Court.

Stella’s dad had explained about Access Weekends. They would not be every weekend because of his work. His work, her mum had chipped in, was the cause of the Matrimonial Troubles.

Another huff. Stella marched over and snatched open the bedroom door. Immediately she was assailed by an orange and white spaniel. Tail thrashing, standing on hind legs, he pawed at her stomach and nosed at the bagging wool of her tights.

There were voices coming from along the landing.

‘You care more about your criminals than you do about your family. You don’t deserve children.’

‘They’re not my criminals. I do it for my family!’

Stella’s lips worked silently. Her parents’ arguments kept to strict tramlines,

Reviews for The Runaway

[cassprout · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another great Peter Ash novel. This time he helps a pregnant young woman. The action seldom slows down. June and Lewis show up to help. Nick Petrie is an excellent author, and write females characters especially well. The dedication made me cry. Just wonderful.

[norinrad10 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Grown weary of Jack Reacher books because Lee Child's brother sucks as a writer? (Someebody had to say it) Ifvso, I urge you to check out Nick Petrie's latest The Runaway. Petrie's Peter Ashb series may be the perfect antadote those in need of action tales and feeling disatisfied as of late. Like Reecher, Ash is a former soldier who lives slightly off the grid. Early books had the protagonist dealing with claustraphobia issues, but as of late that story line has faded to the back much like depression issues did for Lucas davenport in the Prey series by John Sandford. What we are lef,t with is compelling protatgonist who constantly fin ds himself tangled up in others lethal problems..Petrie's Peter Ash is a dangerous man who can't help but apply his considerable skills to helping those bin need. This time out it's 20 year old girl trapped in a ded end job in Mntana who takesthe wrong ride with the wrong guy. Preductably things quickly head in the wrong direction for the yound lady, but luckily she crosses paths with peter Ash. The pkot is origonal and the story telling crisp. The Runaway focuses less on Ash's supporting staff and more on the sometime anti-hero himself, hopefully that bwill change in the nextouting as both his reporter girlfriend and reformed outlaw friend are interesting in their own right. . Fun read and not to be missed.

[randall6hansen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've read and enjoyed all the Peter Ash novels. This novel takes an interesting approach of being in the present and flipping back in time as the story builds to a climax -- with the main character, a military veteran on a mission to help people in need, trying to protect and save a pregnant 19-year-old woman who is trying to escape an abusive husband. Miss more of Lewis and June, Peter's two sidekicks, but they do get into the story toward the end -- finally!

[vicki_weisfeld · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fans of award-winning author Nick Petrie’s high-octane action adventures won’t be disappointed in his latest, seventh in the series. The Runaway again features knight-errant Peter Ash, a U.S. Marine no longer serving in the military, who, over the course of these thrillers is gradually learning to manage a debilitating case of PTSD. At the same time, Petrie’s writing shows ever-increasing skill and confidence with no sign of flagging.The sparsely populated countryside of several Great Plains states—Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska—features heavily in this story. The area has its beauties, but it’s remote. A stranger sticks out. Mostly, there’s not much help around if and when you need it. And he will.Driving across Nebraska, using one of the back roads he prefers, Ash encounters a small white car parked by the side of the road. Out of gas? Mechanical problem? It’s in Ash’s nature to stop and help—part of his atonement for Iraq and Afghanistan—but it seems no one is around. Then a heavily pregnant woman emerges from behind a cottonwood tree.Helene is terrified and trying to escape her husband, but the car she’s appropriated broke down. Husband Roy is a high-end thief, robbing empty vacation homes. He used to be a Minneapolis police officer and has cultivated connections with cops across multiple states, which makes going to the police a risky option. Yet he’s said he’ll help her, and he’s determined to do it. Though a controlling spouse is a familiar plot idea, Petrie’s skill in developing Helene’s character keeps you caring about her fate.Roy’s hunt for Peter, Peter’s hunt for Helene, and his strategies to keep them both alive make for a page-turning, stay-up-late adventure. The story’s not just about the difficulty of escaping a wily and determined spouse. It’s about the internal resources you need to actually go through with it. Helene is very young. Can she do what needs to be done? For his part, Peter is not only clever about resolving difficult situations, he displays a strong streak of humanity, as well.