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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

The time for bridge-building banter was over. Now it was time to cut to the chase. ‘I’m here because DCI Fielding has arrested Tony for the murder of two women.’

Carol stared, open-mouthed, the cup halfway to her lips, disbelief growing on her face as the words sank in. She craned her head forwards as if she was straining to hear. ‘Come again?’ she said, full of obvious scepticism.

‘We interviewed him under caution this evening and then she decided to charge him. And it’s mad. I know it’s mad, you know it’s mad. But there’s evidence. And Fielding can’t see past that to the man. He needs your help.’

Carol put her coffee down and held her hands up. ‘Whoa. Back up there. I’m not a cop any more, Paula.’

‘You think I don’t understand that? That’s exactly why he needs you and not me. I’m on a knife edge here. I shouldn’t be telling you this stuff. If Fielding finds out, it’ll be all over for me. I’ll have a dazzling career in Traffic.’

Carol frowned. ‘So why are you here?’

‘I told you. Tony needs your help. He’s hopeless. Carol, you know better than anybody else what he’s like. He thinks just because he’s innocent that nothing bad will happen to him. And we both know how naïve that is.’

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ Carol said, her voice the epitome of chilly reasonableness. ‘But why would you think I’d leap to his defence?’

Now it was Paula’s turn to be shocked. ‘Because…’ She couldn’t bring herself to use the l-word. ‘Because he’s your friend?’

Carol’s face had grown bitter. Now her tone matched it. ‘Look around you, Paula. I know you didn’t see what happened here, but imagine the scene. Now imagine two people you love at the heart of that scene. That’s what I went through because Tony failed them. He failed me. He didn’t do his job and we paid the price. Me and my parents and my brother and the woman he loved.’

Paula shook her head in dismay. ‘You can’t blame Tony. He’s a psychologist, not a psychic. How can you expect him to know the details of what Vance had planned? What Vance did was off the scale of vengeance. None of us, not one of us imagined for a moment that the people we loved were at risk. Carol, I know you’re hurting. And I know how grief messes with our heads. Believe me, I know. But it was Vance who did this to you. Not Tony.’