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Back Dog Rose Dirt Save as PDF
Chapters (52)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. Acknowledgements
  51. Also by Jen Williams
  52. About the Publisher

He licked his lips and looked down at his feet again.

‘To be less of a monster?’ Colleen provided. He gave her that hurt look again, and suddenly she couldn’t stand it. She raised her hand. ‘You will stay here. You will wait here, and not come inside my home, or I swear to God I will kill the baby myself before you get to us. Do you understand?’

The old man looked like he might argue, but Michael nodded. Colleen went back down the hall to the little spare room she had been using as a makeshift nursery, trying with every step not to be sick. The twins were in matching bassinets, snug in tiny yellow and white Baby-gros, their little pink faces scrunched up tight with sleep. She stood over them, knowing that she had no time, no time at all – the foul old man would get impatient, would come after her, then they would all be lost – but still, it was hard to look away, knowing this would be the last time she saw them together.

Over all the long years to come, Colleen would often look back on the moment she had decided, looking for reasons, for the truth. Hours spent awake as dawn stained the net curtains yellow. Every time she took Heather to the park and watched little kids playing on the slides or pushing each other into the dirt – always the question was hanging over her. But the truth was that when she bent down and plucked the little boy from his crib, she wasn’t thinking at all. Her mind was a terrifying blank, all comfort and hope blasted from it in one searing moment.

She carried him back down the hall and gave him to the monsters.

45

Outside the sky had changed colour. The inky darkness of the middle of the night had gone, to be replaced with a kind of dark silvery mauve. Heather looked at it for a moment, confused. How long had it taken her to run through the woods? How long had she been in the house? It seemed only minutes ago that she had found Harry’s body in the cottage, and now dawn was edging over the horizon.

As she rounded the base of the folly, looking for a way in, she spotted an old-fashioned car parked up on the far side, with two figures standing next to it. One of them raised its hand to its eyes, clearly peering at her with interest. A voice she recognized floated towards her.

‘Lyle!’