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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

‘Why would I want to go to Bristol? All me mates are here. I go to school here. I sing in a band here. Tell her, Elinor. I belong here, in Bradfield. It’s bad enough losing my mum without you making me lose everything else as well.’ Now he was on the verge of tears again. He rubbed his nose vigorously with his fist. ‘I’m stopping here.’

‘You can’t stop here. You’re only fifteen —’

‘Actually, he’s fourteen,’ Elinor said.

Rachel looked momentarily cross, but she quickly reversed into sympathy. ‘Torin, you can’t live by yourself. You have to see sense. A clean break’s best all round. You can make a fresh start.’

Now tears were spilling down his face. ‘I don’t want a fresh start. I want to be where I belong, where the places I go remind me of her and me and our life. I don’t want any kind of break. My dad said I could stop in Bradfield. If you make me go to Bristol, I’ll run away, I swear.’ He banged his mug down so hard that tea slopped over the table.

‘I understand why you’re so upset. I am too. I’m tearing up just sitting here. She was my sister, and my heart’s broken.’ Rachel delicately wiped a tear away with a tissue. ‘I want you with us because you’re part of her.’

‘What do you care? You don’t know me. You hardly see us from one year’s end to the next. You came for exactly one weekend last year, you and my gran. If Mum hadn’t dragged me down to bloody Bristol for half-term, that would have been it. So don’t pretend we’re close, because we’re not. You don’t know anything about me.’

‘We’ll learn,’ Rachel said softly. ‘We should have spent more time together, you’re right. But you always think there’ll be time, down the line. You never think it’ll be too late, just like that. You never think. I can’t make it up to Bev, but I can make it up to you.’

‘I don’t want you to,’ Torin said plaintively. ‘I need to be here. This is all I’ve got left.’

‘But you’re too young to be on your own, Torin.’

Elinor knew it was coming before he turned to her. ‘You’d let me stay, wouldn’t you, Elinor? I could rent out our house and pay you the rent. It wouldn’t cost you owt.’