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Back Cut to the Bone Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for Cut to the Bone
  3. About the Author
  4. Also by Roz Watkins
  5. Note to Readers
  6. Dedication
  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. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. Extract
  67. Prologue
  68. Chapter 1
  69. Author’s note
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the Publisher

He was vegan. Seriously? A vegan whose job was slaughtering pigs in an abattoir? He was one of the most baffling people I’d ever met. I suspected his behaviour was driven by an even more toxic and powerful dose of guilt than the one I lived with. And I didn’t want to admit it, even to myself, but I liked him.

I took a sip of my tea. ‘I thought I saw the Pale Child,’ I said, wondering what Dotty’s reaction would be.

‘Ooh, you don’t want to let that Pale Child see your face,’ Dotty said.

I looked at her. ‘You believe that?’

‘Yes, I do.’

I took a swig of tea and looked back at Dotty. ‘Who do you think the Pale Child is, then?’

‘I don’t know, but I know she’ll not be seeing my face.’

‘She was a Nightingale, wasn’t she?’

‘That family have never been quite right,’ Dotty said. ‘Too much in-breeding.’

‘What’s not right about them?’

‘Ah, it’s probably just the way the rich classes are. I wouldn’t get on the wrong side of that girl Kirsty, but Tony’s decent enough. His mother took all that compensation from when the manor was drowned and put it towards the village instead of spending it on another fancypants house, and he’s carried on the same way.’ Dotty stood and handed her mug to Daniel. ‘Thank you for that. Things to do.’

Dotty headed off over the rough grass to her guard-caravan, and I got to my feet. ‘Any chance I could use your loo, Daniel?’

His face went white. ‘Oh. No, it’s not … It’s not very good. Chemical loos aren’t good in this weather.’

I smiled. ‘Honestly, I backpacked round India. I’m not fussy.’ I took a step towards the caravan, taking the plastic mask with me.

Daniel put his arm against the door. ‘I’d rather … Maybe you could use Dotty’s?’

‘I think I’ll use yours, please.’

His whole body sagged, and he let me pull the door open. I stepped into the half of the caravan I’d been in with Jai. The divider between the two halves had been smashed.

‘Look, I need to tell you something,’ Daniel said. ‘About the Pale Child. My little brother, Charlie—’

A noise outside. A shout and the sound of running footsteps. Daniel spun round and yelled, ‘No!’

Two men in gruesome meat suits, carrying something. They flung it at me. I shut my eyes and put my hand up to protect my face. Tripped on a board on the caravan floor and crashed to the ground.

Daniel screamed, ‘Fuck off and leave me alone!’

I took my hand away from my face and saw that it was covered in dark, thick liquid. Sticky and red. Metallic.

Blood.

32

Bex – August 1999