BooksBarbecue
Back Cut to the Bone
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

‘Yes, he caught you when you were vulnerable because of all this Violet stuff,’ Hannah said. ‘You needed to believe that he really cared about you.’

‘What kind of a person does that to his own daughter?’ I said.

Mum reached forward and put her hand over mine. ‘I know you like to think the best of him, but your memories aren’t right, Meg. He was always manipulative and controlling. We would have split up sooner if Carrie hadn’t fallen ill.’

‘What?’ I said. ‘I thought it was Carrie’s illness that split you up.’

Mum shook her head sadly. ‘No, if anything it kept us together.’

I took my hand away, not sure what to make of that. Had I been fooling myself all these years about what Dad was really like? Wrongly excusing his behaviour because of Carrie’s illness? ‘I can’t believe he used Carrie to try and get money from me,’ I said. ‘Talking about how guilty we felt and how we should try to help others who felt the same way.’

‘That is seriously shitty,’ Hannah said.

I gulped the last of my tea. ‘I have to go. This murder … I’m already on a knife-edge. I’m not letting him screw up my career too.’

42

I scanned the incident room. Everyone looked shattered. Hair was unwashed, clothes unironed, eyes bloodshot. My team were starting to resemble me. The desperation for a positive development was sucking the life from us. I realised I’d brought a mug of tea in with me and it still had an economy teabag and a spoon in it. I gave it a squish to try and extract some small amount of tea-taste.

‘Are you all right?’ Jai said. ‘You look terrible.’

‘Thank you, Jai. Very motivational.’ I fished out the teabag and threw it at the bin. The fact that it went in felt like my biggest achievement for quite some time. ‘Justice for Violet tried to get Hamlet last night.’ I didn’t mention that I’d also had to chuck my dad out of my house. I’d tell Jai and Fiona later when an entire murder investigation team wasn’t looking at me. I felt a stab of guilt and pity for my dad, before reminding myself what Mum had said. I put my mug down and picked at a broken nail on my thumb, almost relishing the fact that it was going to really hurt any minute.

‘Oh no!’ Fiona said. ‘Is Hamlet okay?’

‘He’s fine.’ I was aware of a buzz of interest from the room.

‘And is the perp still alive or have you captured, tortured and killed him?’ Jai said.