The Stolen Girls Quotes
"It was the dark that frightened her the most. Not being able to see. And the sounds. Soft skittering, then silence."
"Street lights and the moon had cast shadows through paper-thin curtains, birthing the wallpaper to life."
"Her voice didn’t sound like her own. High-pitched and quivering, no longer laced with her usual teenage swagger."
"The cloying odour clinging to her uniform all day long."
"She wished she had her phone, with her life attached to it – her cyber friends on Facebook and Twitter."
"‘Jesus! What are you doing?’ Lottie held out the two euros. ‘Here, take this.’"
"‘It’s too hot for a jumper, but Chloe had been in such a state she hadn’t been able to find her long-sleeved uniform shirt.’"
"‘But at least in the Dead House it was cold.’"
"‘Sometimes I think there’s nothing left to surprise me,’ Lottie said, ‘but there’s always one more horror awaiting discovery.’"
"‘I wonder if our murdered girl is this missing Kaltrina,’ Lottie said, walking behind Boyd, trying to make conversation."
"‘Strong Lottie, that’s me,’ she said to the steamed-up mirror."
"‘Why go to the bother of installing all that equipment and then not maintain it? It’s beyond me.’"
"‘Thought we were told to keep her for—’ ‘Don’t question me!’ Russell ceased pacing and stood toe to toe with the crooked-toothed man."
"‘God damn you, Adam Parker!’ she cried aloud."
"‘I’m home,’ Lottie said, feeling relief flood her cheeks."
"‘Sometimes you had to sell your soul to the devil and hope he would rent it back to you.’"
"‘I don’t know her.’ His voice was as sharp as his appearance."
"Lying in the dark, Mimoza quelled her tears and tried to figure out what was going on."
"I ask for one thing, and you mess it up."
"The big plan could not be jeopardised at this stage – not by a snivelling whore and her snot-nosed brat."
"She welcomed the pain if it could save her son."
"You break my heart, Lottie Parker. You know that."
"I’m going mad, she thought. Stark raving mad."
"She smelled the sourness of his breath."
"I do not like to be crossed. I do not like liars."
"She stamped her feet to the floor, halting the chair’s movement."
"Blood and a bullet hole. So where’s the body?"
"He owed her nothing. I’m going mad, she thought."
"Let my son be okay, she pleaded silently in the darkness."
"Who are you? Why has no one reported you missing? Why did the killer wash your bullet wound?"
"You epitomise the understatement, Boyd. Every time."
"She would deal with it herself. She only needed to get her fixer mojo back."
"Sidestepping the barrier, Lottie instructed Lynch to calm Petrovci down."
"Someone shooting rats? Probably Bob Weir himself."
"He might wait until after dark, so nobody could see him, unless of course he had an official reason to return."
"I’m not so sure this is a good idea," she said.
"Dear God, I hope not," she whispered to herself but she knew it was more than probable.
"I have no idea. But it’s a bit odd that the note’s written in Albanian and the guy who found the body is from Kosovo."
"But you know the history with that agency. I can make him see my point of view."
"There are things you should know about your late dear husband. Things you might not want anyone else knowing."
"I don’t know. But wouldn’t her family notice?"
"The woman laughed then, breasts wobbling under the knitted ribs of her T-shirt, cheeks flopping up and down."
"Don’t be an arsehole." Kirby shuffled his feet into his sandals and bent down to buckle them.
"Rows of desks and chairs were lined up in perfect symmetry, a silent testament to order in a world of chaos."
"Detective Inspector Lottie Parker’s handshake was firm, a subtle assertion of strength in a field dominated by men."
"‘It’s a language project,’ he said simply, yet there was an undercurrent of something more, something unsaid."
"‘That’s nice, Emily,’ George said, a hint of sadness in his voice that spoke of unfulfilled dreams."
"‘I don’t think they would describe their experiences as adventures,’ he said, a stark reminder of the reality behind the facade."
"The rain thundered down, like nature’s own symphony, indifferent to the drama unfolding beneath."
"‘Another murder victim. Do you know her?’ she asked, her voice a mix of hope and dread."
"The photograph lay on the desk between them like a weapon, silent yet powerful."
"His smile didn’t reach his eyes, a mask worn too often and too well."
"‘Don’t you dare threaten me. The absolute cheek of you to even—’ her voice trailed off, her anger unspeakable."
"You have no idea what you're talking about."
"It's okay so. I think he was trying to tell us to back off."
"I’m not letting you out of my sight again."
"Stay here where you can’t get into any more trouble."
"Ten minutes in this traffic. It’s madness."
"He’d lived dangerously all his life. No need to change now."
"It’s like the end of the fucking world."
"He couldn’t let her find anything. It would be endgame for sure."
"Her hands swiped down a spider web, its gossamer trail hanging from the wheelie bin to her right."
"Damaged bird, your wings are broken but I can set you free and let you fly again."
"Jesus Christ, Boyd. Watch where you’re going."
"Dear God in heaven, whom I don’t always believe in, don’t let there be a train."