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Back False Witness Save as PDF
Chapters (100)
  1. Cover
  2. Title page
  3. Dedication page
  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. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. Acknowledgements
  97. DEAD GUILTY
  98. 1
  99. FALSE WITNESS
  100. Also by Michelle Davies

‘Go into the kitchen and I’ll stick the kettle on. There’s some Coke in the fridge. I wasn’t expecting guests, so the house is a bit untidy. Just give me a second to clear a bit of space.’

He dashed into the lounge and snatched the sheets of paper up. If Gayle read what he’d written about the Pavilion and Gus and Benji and everything else he’d been caught up in, any hope he had of prolonging this reunion would be destroyed.

Taking a deep breath, Alan ripped the sheets into tiny pieces and tossed them in the bin.

85

Belmar floored it down Mansell’s backstreets, gears grinding on the steeper inclines, while Maggie relayed the details Umpire had given her.

‘Poppy was dropped off in the playground by her parents but never made it to her classroom. Her teacher remembers seeing her at the back of the line as the kids came inside but then she vanished. The school can’t check CCTV to see exactly what time she went and in which direction because – get this – the caretaker’s buggered off and his office is locked and the spare key can’t be found.’

‘Donnelly’s gone as well?’

‘Yep. Umpire’s sent Nathan round to pick him up.’

‘I can’t see Poppy being with Donnelly, though.’

‘I can’t either. Right now I don’t think she’ll trust any man.’

‘Not even her dad.’

‘Especially not her dad.’

They exchanged grim glances. Thanks to Maggie slotting the last piece of the puzzle together, Ewan Hepworth was now their main suspect in the murder of Violet ‘Ruby’ Castle. A warrant had been issued for his arrest and Maggie and Belmar were on their way to the Hepworths’ address to bring him in.

‘How did you guess Ewan was one of Ruby’s clients?’

‘It was what Imogen said to me and Carmichael about Benji taking a dislike to Ewan because he was horrible to women. She said Ewan had turned down her advances in a nice way, so I knew it couldn’t have been how he was with Imogen that made Benji wary of him – the kid must’ve witnessed Ewan mistreating someone else. My next guess was Julia, but then Benji had never met her as far as we know, and Ewan was a devoted dad to Poppy so it couldn’t have been her either. So it must’ve been some other woman – and then it dawned on me Ewan was the man in the story Benji wrote. He described the man as having a round, shiny head like a skeleton’s – well, Ewan’s is like that because he shaves his hair down to a grade one. Then everything about Benji and Poppy being on that wall started to make sense.’

‘In what way?’