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Back Broken Hearts Save as PDF
Chapters (79)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright
  3. Dedication
  4. Prologue
  5. PART ONEEdinburgh November 2008
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. PART TWOLondon November 1988
  24. Chapter Eighteen
  25. Chapter Nineteen
  26. Chapter Twenty
  27. Chapter Twenty-One
  28. Chapter Twenty-Two
  29. Chapter Twenty-Three
  30. Chapter Twenty-Four
  31. Chapter Twenty-Five
  32. Chapter Twenty-Six
  33. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Chapter Thirty-Four
  41. Chapter Thirty-Five
  42. PART THREEEdinburgh November 2008
  43. Chapter Thirty-Six
  44. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  45. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Chapter Forty-Two
  50. Chapter Forty-Three
  51. Chapter Forty-Four
  52. Chapter Forty-Five
  53. Chapter Forty-Six
  54. Chapter Forty-Seven
  55. Chapter Forty-Eight
  56. Chapter Forty-Nine
  57. Chapter Fifty
  58. Chapter Fifty-One
  59. Chapter Fifty-Two
  60. Chapter Fifty-Three
  61. Chapter Fifty-Four
  62. Chapter Fifty-Five
  63. Chapter Fifty-Six
  64. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  65. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  66. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  67. Chapter Sixty
  68. Chapter Sixty-One
  69. Chapter Sixty-Two
  70. Chapter Sixty-Three
  71. Chapter Sixty-Four
  72. Chapter Sixty-Five
  73. Chapter Sixty-Six
  74. Chapter Sixty-Seven
  75. Epilogue
  76. Acknowledgements
  77. About the Author
  78. By the Same Author
  79. About the Publisher

Sam nodded and DI Davies stared off into the distance. His eyes glazed over and he bit his bottom lip.

‘Birmingham University did a study that proves a path between a violent home and offending,’ said Gerry. He was trying to be helpful. Sam and the other officers in the vicinity all suddenly became interested in the papers on their desk, the stills from the CCTV footage, or their shoes–anything to avoid being sucked into DI Davies’s next diatribe, which they could see coming a mile away. ‘So Birmingham Uni did a study, did they?’ he asked Gerry, his voice heavy with sarcasm. ‘And they found out that crap homes breed crap adults? Bloody hell–how much did they get paid to do that? Christ, ask any cop or teacher and they’d have been able to tell you the same for free. Stupid bastards.’

Sam sought out Gerry’s eyes, warning him to leave it alone, say nothing. Answering Davies back would be like pouring petrol on a bonfire. They’d be at the station all night as it was. The neighbourhood would be ready for a lynching as soon as the first arrest was made, and they all needed to save their energy and stick together when that happened.

‘Williams, Brown, prepare the paperwork, and make sure there are no mistakes,’ Davies shouted at two officers standing nearby. ‘We need a search warrant for the homes of Kevin Milne and Renee Smith. We’ll need a social worker. I want to be there at daybreak. If they get wind of it they’ll scarper.’

A dawn raid seemed inflammatory, but it was the only way to enter Acacia Avenue, which for several years had been a no-go zone for the police. The residents of the avenue were not early risers, unless they had a court appearance or a benefits interview. The police team could get in and out without waking the neighbourhood.

It was the only way to avoid bloodshed–they hoped.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The sirens were silent as they stole into Edmonton Green housing estate. The locals called it Shank Town. Three concrete tower blocks dominated the skyline. A stolen car abandoned in a patch of waste ground was still smouldering. It was the least of their problems. Many of the windows in the flats were boarded up. No matter how desperate families were, no one wanted to move there, and Sam didn’t blame them. It was easier to get into Shank Town than get out.