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Back Deadly Revenge Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. CRITICAL ACCLAIM FOR LEIGH RUSSELL
  2. Glossary of acronyms
  3. Prologue
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. Acknowledgements

‘You did the right thing, Christine. You probably saved little Daisy’s life. But now you have to do the right thing again and tell us where Ella has taken her.’

Christine shook her head, still crying. ‘I don’t know where they went,’ she sobbed. ‘I don’t know. Ella went out to the shop – she said she was going to the shop – and she never came back. She never came back. She took all my money and she left. I can’t help you. I can’t help you.’

‘You already have helped us a lot,’ Geraldine replied. ‘I’d like to send a team here to take fingerprints and samples of DNA, and search your house to help us find Ella.’

Christine nodded.

‘And I’ll make sure your social worker is here when they come.’

‘Thank you.’

‘If you can think of anything else, please call me straight away. I’ll put my number on your phone so you can get in touch with me easily.’

Christine reached out with an involuntary movement. ‘Ella told me her husband was violent. How did her baby die?’ she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

‘It was a cot death,’ Geraldine replied.

For an instant neither of them spoke. Then Geraldine thanked Christine and turned to leave. Just by telling Geraldine that Ella had nearly three hundred pounds in cash, Christine had helped the investigation. With enough money to take a train or a bus out of the area, it was unlikely that Ella would still be in the village. She might even have left York. As soon as she left Christine, Geraldine was on the phone widening the search for Ella and Daisy.

51

51

Early the next morning someone knocked at Christine’s door. Pulling on her dressing gown, she went downstairs.

‘Who is it?’

‘Christine, it’s me. I’m with Lily and we need your help. Let us in, please. We’ve got nowhere else to go.’

Christine frowned. ‘Go away,’ she said.

‘Please, Christine, if you don’t do it for me, do it for Lily. She needs your help. Please, she’s freezing to death out here.’

There was a muffled sound of a baby crying. Christine dithered for a few seconds, then opened the door.

‘Come on in then,’ she said, ‘but I’m calling the police.’

She heard Ella bustle inside, lift the pushchair over the step, and close the door. As Christine flipped her phone open, Ella took it from her.

‘Give that back,’ Christine cried out.

‘Wait, let’s get Lily settled first, and then we can talk about what we’re going to do.’

‘She’s not called Lily. Her name’s Daisy and you stole her from her mother. I know all about it, because the police were here and they told me what you did.’

‘What they told you isn’t true. Lily is my baby, and someone’s trying to take her away from me.’