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Back Day of the Accident Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. What readers are saying about
  5. Epigraph
  6. Prologue
  7. Part One
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. Part Two
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. Part Three
  61. 52
  62. 53
  63. 54
  64. 55
  65. 56
  66. 57
  67. 58
  68. Epilogue
  69. Acknowledgements
  70. THE NEXT THRILLER BY NUALA ELLWOOD
  71. THE BEGINNING

‘Oh, you’ve got some post,’ says Julia, bending down to pick something up from the mat.

She hands me it. It’s a piece of folded-up paper. Probably a flyer.

‘Thanks,’ I say, tucking it under my arm as I unlock the door. ‘Listen, thanks again for popping over, Julia, I really appreciate it.’

‘Not a problem,’ she says as she steps out on to the dark street. ‘Now get yourself inside and try to rest, okay?’

‘I will. Bye, Julia.’

‘Bye, Maggie.’

I close the door and bolt it. When I come back into the living room the flyer falls on to the floor. I pick it up and make my way to the kitchen. I’m about to throw it in the bin when something catches my eye. The paper is thin and semi-transparent. I can see handwriting through it. This isn’t a flyer.

I sit down at the kitchen table and unfold the paper. What I see chills me to the bone. It’s a letter written in Elspeth’s distinctive handwriting. I lay it out on the table and read:

Dear Mummy,

I’m so scared. I don’t know why I have been sent here. Did I do something wrong? If I was naughty then I can make up for it. I promise I won’t be naughty again. This place is very cold and dark. The walls are bare and white and nobody smiles. I miss my old room. I miss the smell of the countryside. All I see when I look out of the window is concrete and glass. It’s like a prison. When can I come home? They have told me that you and Daddy are not coming back but that can’t be true, you love me more than anything in this world, I know you do. I think about you all the time and wonder what you are doing. There are some books here. They’re old and the pages are ripped but I don’t want to read them anyway because stories and books just remind me of you and then I get upset. Mummy you can’t forget about me, even if you’re angry with me I’m still your daughter.

Please don’t leave me here. I need to be with you.

I promise I’ll be a good girl and I won’t make you cross.

I love you Mummy and I just want to come home.

Your lovely daughter xxx

45

Thursday 10 August