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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

He sat down on the edge of the bed, feeling the adrenalin finally ebb away, leaving him weary and depleted. But the despair was gone. Carol might not know it yet, but her arrival at Skenfrith Street signalled the installation of the caissons. Now the real work could begin on rebuilding the piers that would hold up the bridge that needed to be built between them.

For the first time in months, he actually believed it might be possible.

55

Marco would save her. Marie kept repeating the words like a sacred invocation. Marco would save her. She whimpered and shifted her position. It didn’t matter how often she rearranged herself, some part of her body complained. How could anyone do what he’d done to someone they knew? She wasn’t some stranger he’d dragged off the street. She was a person with a name and a place in his world. It made no sense in Marie’s universe, where life was comfortable and people behaved in predictable, conventional ways. She wasn’t stupid. She knew there were lots of people who lived in chaotic, illogical, even violent ways. But until today, she thought people like that were safely contained outside the neat borders of her life.

After this, nothing would ever be the same for her again. She’d look at the world in a different way once Marco had saved her from this hell. Right now, he’d be talking to the police. They’d be looking for her. They had all sorts of ways of tracking people down these days. There was CCTV everywhere. They’d be talking to people from work, people who got on the same tram as her morning and evening. The newsagent. Someone must have seen something. Or else he’d crack, this madman. He’d give something away without even realising it. And then they’d be on to him.

She wasn’t going to think about what he’d done to her. The way he’d slapped her and dragged her across the concrete floor, ripping her skin in a painful graze from hip to knee. The kicks and punches he’d aimed at her when she’d tried to explain in as placatory a way as she could that she had no idea how to cook a steak because Marco was the cook in their house. He’d laughed incredulously then he’d gone mad with his fists and his feet.