BooksBarbecue
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

Bex flicked her eyes between her dad and Kirsty. Had they exchanged glances? What did they know? Why would her dad and Kirsty protect the boy? It hit her that growing up with Aunt Janet had been a blessing, not a curse. Escaping Gritton and her family. Why had she resented her dad for sending her away? She should have thanked him.

‘Quite honestly, Bex, I don’t know why you allowed yourself to get so drunk,’ her dad said.

‘Oh? Was I asking for it?’

‘Well, yes, you were to an extent.’

‘Oh for God’s sake, Tony!’ Janet’s voice was low and scarily angry. ‘What century are you living in?’

Bex felt a thickness in her throat. She hated the stress, the arguments. ‘I could have the baby adopted,’ she said. ‘The child wouldn’t need to know who its father was.’

Her dad thumped his cup down on the table and stood, his bulk filling the small room. ‘We have to get back for the animals. But Bex, you are not having this baby.’

‘Okay,’ Bex sobbed. ‘Okay, I won’t have it!’

Kirsty was staring at her black boots and saying nothing. Finally she stood too, and cast a sideways look at Bex. ‘It’s the right decision, Bex. You’re doing the right thing.’

38

Meg – Present day

Thursday

The evening sun was burning through my office window and hitting me directly in the face, but I didn’t have the energy to move. There was so much that was unspoken in Gritton. It felt like we were skimming the surface while huge currents whooshed beneath, affecting everyone’s lives but never mentioned. I felt it in my bones that they were relevant to Violet’s disappearance. And was there really a secret from years ago involving Daniel? Fiona was tracking down Gwen Twigg so we could try to get to the bottom of it. Was it the same secret Gary had supposedly told Violet? The one about the Pale Child?

The door of my room banged open and Jai scooted in and skidded to a stop in front of my desk. I felt a jolt in my stomach. He clearly had news, and I was like a mouse in some hideous experiment, trained to expect an electric shock every time a light flashed. Jai appearing with news hadn’t been good for as long as I could remember. ‘Christ, Jai,’ I said. ‘You’re making me nervous.’

‘We’ve got some results back from the lab. You know that razor?’

‘The one in the bin liner?’

‘Yes. There were skin cells on it. And we got a match.’

‘Okay, go on then, spit it out.’

‘I don’t think you’re going to like it.’

‘What do you mean? I just want to solve the case.’ But tendrils of fear were forming in my stomach. No. Not him.

‘It’s Daniel Twigg’s.’