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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

‘I don’t know,’ she said quietly, tears running down her cheeks. The energy of the room settled, as if the force of her anguish had hammered through the shells of even the most cynical. ‘But Violet isn’t what you all think. She didn’t mean to be the poster girl for the meat industry. She doesn’t even eat much meat. It all happened by accident. So if anybody’s taken Violet because of that, please let her go.’ As she faced the crowd, I caught the edge of a tiny, disgusted look. ‘She’s also a very beautiful girl. I’m afraid someone has her. Someone has taken her and …’ She broke off and gave a low sob. ‘Please give her back. We’d do anything to have her back.’

A couple of hours later, I was sitting at my desk with my head in my hands. I heard a voice. Fiona. ‘Are you all right?’

‘Strategising,’ I said.

She gave me a concerned look. ‘Oh. Okay. I took a formal statement from Anna Finchley and she mentioned something weird.’

‘You’d better sit down.’

Fiona settled into my guest chair. ‘Is that spider plant all right?’ She gave it the look a social worker might give a kid they wanted to take into care. ‘It looks like it has to walk to get its own water.’

‘Thriving. I chuck my tea in it when I’ve let it go cold or my coffee when it’s too disgusting to drink, so it’s all good. Anyway, what’s weird?’

‘It’s Kirsty Nightingale. You know, Tony’s other daughter who’s on the Great Meat Debate website with Anna and Co. She … she heard about the fed-to-pigs thing.’

‘Oh dear.’

‘Obviously, if Bex is Violet’s mother, then Violet is Kirsty’s niece, and she’s upset about … it all.’

‘Understandably.’

‘But then … She told Anna she’s doing an experiment. To put her mind at rest that pigs couldn’t have eaten … a person.’

‘Christ. What’s she doing?’

‘Anna didn’t want to say, but in the end she told me. Kirsty’s doing it tonight. Replicating the conditions in the abattoir and feeding the pigs …’

‘What the hell is she feeing the pigs?’

‘A whole sheep. Fifty kilos.’

I was struggling to get my head around this. She was feeding a Violet-sized sheep to pigs. ‘Get in touch with Kirsty Nightingale and tell her we’d like to be there,’ I said. ‘We’ll come to her farm.’

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