We Used To Live Here
Steph and Grant Burgess think they've found their forever home - until a couple who used to live there shows up at the door. What begins as a friendly visit soon unravels into a chilling mystery hidden within the walls, forcing Steph to confront secrets that could destroy her family.
- Grant - Steph's husband
- Steph - Stay-at-home mom, Grant's wife
- Rose - Estate agent who sold Grant/Steph their new home
- Ken and Julie - Original owners of Grant/Steph's new home
- William - Ken and Julie's son
- Shortly after moving in, Steph and Grant are visited by Ken and Julie, who ask to look around the house to reminisce.
- A few weeks later, Grant has a brief affair with Rose before breaking it off, leaving her upset.
- During renovations, Steph and Grant discover hidden messages scratched into a wall, including: "help me" "they're trying to kill me" "I hate mom and dad" and "William"
- Steph learns that William was Ken and Julie's son, who vanished at age seven and was never found.
- Rose reaches out to Grant wanting to rekindle their affair, but he refuses.
- Curious about William's disappearance, Steph contacts the police, who insist Ken and Julie were thoroughly investigated and cleared. She remains doubtful.
- After visiting Ken and Julie herself, Steph believes their account and decides to stop digging into the past.
- Weeks later, plagued by dreams that William is buried in the garden, Steph tells police that Ken and Julie once asked her never to dig there - hoping this will prompt them to investigate.
- Police excavate the garden and uncover a body, but it's not William - it's Rose.
- It's revealed that while Steph was meeting with police, Rose confronted Grant again. Realizing she would never leave him alone, he killed her and buried her in the garden.
- Epilogue: The author reveals that William's body was in fact hidden under the playroom floorboards by Ken and Julie, where it remains.
- Rose - Dead - Bludgeoned to death with a rolling pin by Grant and buried in the back garden
- Grant - Alive - Imprisoned for Rose's murder
- Steph - Alive - Divorced from Grant and preparing to move into a new home
- Ken and Julie - Alive - Last seen when Steph visits them; their role in William's death is never exposed
- William - Dead - Hidden under the playroom floorboards by Ken and Julie, where his body remains
- Child death
- Infidelity
- Murder
- Child abuse
- Gaslighting
- Alcohol
Twist
Publisher: Catterall Press
ISBN: 9781919600567
Publication Date: February 17, 2022
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
