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Back Cross and Burn Save as PDF
Chapters (74)
  1. About the Author
  2. Also by Val McDermid
  3. COPYRIGHT
  4. CROSS AND BURN
  5. Dedication
  6. Acknowledgements
  7. Epigraph
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  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. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. 59
  67. 60
  68. 61
  69. 62
  70. 63
  71. 64
  72. 65
  73. 66
  74. 67

Until it wasn’t. He didn’t know how or why, but she started to stand up to him. In small, almost imperceptible ways at first. But then she’d outright contradict him when he was commenting on the TV news or something in the Daily Mail. He confronted her with her betrayal of their love, but even though he punished her, she persisted. He reached the point where he knew he would have to put a stop to her behaviour once and for all.

That was when she paid him the ultimate insult. She deprived him of what was his right.

And now he had to replace her. And if those replacements didn’t come up to scratch, then he’d have to make sure they didn’t dodge what she should have had.

39

By the time Paula made it to Skenfrith Street, Fielding was in the middle of briefing the squad on Bev’s murder. Paula expected a bollocking for being gone so long, but when they eventually convened in her boss’s office, Fielding simply asked whether Torin had remembered anything useful.

‘I don’t think there’s anything useful to be remembered,’ Paula said. ‘There’s no reason to believe the killer knew Bev ahead of the abduction.’

‘You think it’s random? He chooses women who look similar, who both work in the pharmaceutical business, both in car parks? You don’t think he’s maybe been planning this a while? Maybe stalking them?’ There was a sarcastic edge in Fielding’s voice that pissed Paula off. She wondered whether that was intentional, designed to spur her on to greater efforts.

‘Even if that’s the case, everything we know about this killer is that he’s careful. I can’t see him behaving in a way that would catch the attention of your typical self-absorbed teenager.’

‘Don’t assume, McIntyre. It makes an ass out of you and me.’

Paula couldn’t believe Fielding had actually uttered such a dismal cliché. ‘I’ll talk to him again. See if he noticed anybody hanging around.’

Fielding nodded her approval. ‘Any strange cars parked near the house. We’ve got a line in to the boy through you. We might as well make the most of it.’ She moved papers across her desk then looked up. ‘What about the lab? What did Dr Myers have to say for himself?’

‘He wanted to run more tests. I dropped off the evidence bags from this morning’s crime scene and he’s got a team working on them as a priority.’ Well, it was almost true. She was getting good at finding a path between truth and lies with her new boss.