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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

He felt unsettled and anxious as he stood in front of the building site. It would remain out of bounds to anyone but the police for the next day at least, until all the physical evidence had been gathered. They’d confiscated the ladder and had even removed some of the bricks along the top of the wall for examination. The project manager hadn’t been too happy when Alan told him, but he could hardly kick up a fuss under the circumstances.

Alan cupped his mouth with his hand and shook his head as he contemplated the scene before him. Gus was mad to think he was in a position to make the police pack up and go home. They were suspicious of him now and had him in their crosshairs: he could tell by the way DS Renshaw spent a good hour hammering away at him after he’d said the boy wasn’t pushed – any longer and he might’ve cracked.

The guilt at what he’d done kicked in on his way home. Now, without the whisky to make him forget, it smothered him like fog. He’d lied to save his own skin and in doing so had deprived the boy’s family of the truth – unless the police found some other way to prove the girl did it. But Alan knew she wouldn’t confess: after it had happened she’d simply stared down at the boy’s body as though she had no idea how it had ended up there. Alan had tried talking to her but it was like she couldn’t hear him or was pretending not to. Then, just as the police arrived, she’d calmly climbed down the ladder and waited at the foot of it. She was like a bloody robot.

Turning his back on the building site, Alan headed across the playing field. With Sports Day now cancelled out of respect, the cracks in the turf could wait, but he might come in over the weekend to finish up. He didn’t usually work when he wasn’t paid to, but he felt he owed it to Mrs Pullman to get the school looking as normal as possible before all the pupils returned. God knows how they were going to be coming back to school when a kid had died.

He reached the other side of the playing field and stopped. Ten strides further on was a line of thick undergrowth, beyond that the back gardens of a new housing estate still in its first phase and mostly uninhabited. The children were banned from venturing into the undergrowth and only the foolish tried – the scrub was virtually impenetrable and all they got for their efforts were vicious scratches from branches and thorns.