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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

‘What blue hands?’

‘When Tim died. On the road.’

Bex clenched her face as if trying not to cry. ‘I thought you blamed me and that’s why you left and Dad sent me to Aunt Janet’s.’

Nina shook her head. ‘There was blue on Kirsty. Kirsty was bad. I wanted to take you home. Away from here. Away from Kirsty.’

‘Kirsty put the blue paint on my hands?’ Bex said. ‘So I’d get blamed for letting Tim out on to the road?’

A noise from the direction of the external door.

I jumped to my feet, grabbed the smallest kitchen knife and shoved it into my pocket.

The whoosh of a door pushing open.

A man walked in, his face unclear in the dim light from the lamp. Tony Nightingale.

My gut twisted.

‘Tony,’ I said. ‘I know why you’re doing this. You’re keeping your family safe from harm. We’ll take that into account. But it’s over now. People are looking for me. They’ll come here and find me.’

There was no response. He looked through me as if I hadn’t spoken.

‘If you let us go now, everything will be so much better for you. Everyone will understand then that you meant no harm.’

‘Dad!’ Bex stood too. ‘She’s right. You need to let us go. You can’t get away with this. It can’t go on any longer.’

He seemed to see us for the first time. ‘Bex, you know I can’t let you go.’ He sounded sad and confused. ‘I knew if you came back to Gritton, I’d have to keep you. You’ll stay with the others, but first I need to work out what to do with her.’

‘Don’t be crazy, Dad. You can’t keep me. People will look for me!’

‘I have your phone. And if people do look for you, Bex, I’ll tell them you’ve gone away for a while.’

‘Ugh, this is ridiculous,’ Bex said. ‘You know you won’t get away with it, right?’

A flash of doubt crossed Tony’s face. He knew he was in too deep now. He knew he wasn’t going to get away with this. But that wasn’t a good thing. The statistics on family annihilations were pressing themselves into my mind. It was almost always men who killed themselves and their children. Men who couldn’t see a way forward. If Tony realised there was no way back from this, would he take us all with him?

He pointed at me. ‘I don’t think I can keep her. But obviously I can’t let her go.’