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Back Familiar Strangers Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  42. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  43. Chapter Forty
  44. Chapter Forty-One
  45. Chapter Forty-Two
  46. Chapter Forty-Three
  47. Chapter Forty-Four
  48. Chapter Forty-Five
  49. Chapter Forty-Six
  50. Chapter Forty-Seven
  51. Chapter Forty-Eight
  52. Chapter Forty-Nine
  53. Chapter Fifty
  54. Chapter Fifty-One
  55. Chapter Fifty-Two
  56. Chapter Fifty-Three
  57. Chapter Fifty-Four
  58. Chapter Fifty-Five
  59. Chapter Fifty-Six
  60. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  61. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  62. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  63. Chapter Sixty
  64. Chapter Sixty-One
  65. Chapter Sixty-Two
  66. Chapter Sixty-Three
  67. Chapter Sixty-Four
  68. A Letter from Jackie
  69. Acknowledgements
  70. About the Author
  71. Also by Jackie Walsh

What happened here? How did this baby end up in the dog’s grave? Did Mom kill the baby? Is it the other Rebecca Sarah Wall, who was on born 13th March 1991? With my hand resting on the corpse, my world spins before me. If this is true, then everything I have known up to now is a lie. My family. My name. Me. Am I that girl in the picture? The little one with the tuft of hair sticking up? The pink coat – is it mine? Did Mom abduct me?

I took you, Becca. You’re not my daughter.

Unable to move out of this freshly dug grave, I cry.

With little energy left, I pull the bundle closer. There are a lot of answers in that bundle, wrapped in plastic, waiting to be freed. But where do I start? Mom won’t be able to tell me anything. Does Dad even know what went on? He was away that year, the first year of my life. Did Mom do this without him?

The rain has stopped. Everything is calm now, the clouds drifting slowly in the brightening sky. I’m getting to my feet when I sense someone standing behind me.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Danny’s face is whiter than the moon. His eyes are wide with fear. He says nothing as he reaches down to me, offering to help me stand. But I don’t want his help. Pushing his hand away, I scramble to my feet.

‘Is that me?’ I say, pointing at the bundle by my feet. ‘Is that me?’ I shout again, moving my face closer to his.

Danny isn’t answering. He knows. I punch him on the arm, then the other arm, kick his shins. ‘Tell me, is it me?’ I cry, thumping my hands into his chest. He pulls me close to him, gripping my arms, disabling the attack. Danny is shaking, I can feel his body against mine. His arms hold me tight, too tight.

‘Let me go,’ I shout, wriggling out of his grip. Then I look him straight in the eye. ‘Did you know?’ I say.

He answers with a slow nod. My legs buckle, I’m going to collapse. I feel like someone is pushing down on my head, trying to squeeze me down into the soil. I’m going to puke. My mouth fills, my head jerks, and I remember the bundle lying by my feet. I turn my head to avoid it and throw up all over Danny’s shoes.