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Back Brutal Save as PDF
Chapters (56)
  1. Cover
  2. BRUTAL
  3. Dedication page
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. Prologue
  6. PART ONE
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. PART TWO
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. PART THREE
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. Epilogue
  55. BRUTAL
  56. By Mandasue Heller

Yvonne’s cats swarmed in from the hall when they heard him, and he almost lost his balance when they circled his ankles. The stench was even stronger in there, and he grimaced when he switched the overhead light on and saw little piles of shit dotted around the floor. Their bowls were empty, so he took a couple of tins of food out of the cupboard and quickly shared them out before making his way into the hall.

Yvonne’s bedroom was at the front of the cottage, overlooking the lane. A heap of unopened letters was sitting on the hall table beside the front door, and he wondered if maybe Yvonne had been kept in hospital, after all. Deciding that he’d best check, just in case, he tapped on the door and slowly opened it, but the bed was empty, and the air smelled musty, as if no one had been in there for a long time.

Coughing when the dust he’d disturbed tickled the back of his throat, Evan closed the door and went back to the kitchen. The cats had finished eating, and the stench of fresh shit made him gag, so he rushed out through the back door, pulling it firmly shut behind him to prevent the cats from escaping.

23

The petrol station was still open when Evan reached the village, so he pulled in and filled his tank. Going inside to pay, he added forty cigarettes to the bill, and, on impulse, a wilting bunch of roses out of a bucket that was standing on the counter. It had taken a while for things to get back to normal between him and Marie, but they’d been getting on a lot better since they’d both committed to putting the effort in, and he figured she deserved a treat.

Back in the car, Evan laid the flowers on the passenger seat and lit a fag before starting the engine. About to set off, he hesitated when he spotted a white Transit van driving past. Sure that it was the one he’d seen parked outside his dad’s place, he frowned when he glimpsed a girl’s face through its grimy back window. It wasn’t Irena, because she was blonde and the girl he’d seen had been dark-haired, and that made him wonder how many more strangers his dad had invited into his home.

Curious to know where the van was going, he hopped out of the car and removed the England flags before setting off after it. Whoever was in the van, he doubted they’d recognize his car if he stayed a few vehicles behind, but those flags would be a dead giveaway.