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Chapters (62)
  1. Title
  2. Copyright
  3. Contents
  4. About the Author
  5. About the Book
  6. Dedication
  7. Your Worst Nightmare
  8. ONE
  9. TWO
  10. THREE
  11. FOUR
  12. FIVE
  13. SIX
  14. SEVEN
  15. EIGHT
  16. NINE
  17. The Answer to All Your Prayers
  18. TEN
  19. ELEVEN
  20. TWELVE
  21. THIRTEEN
  22. FOURTEEN
  23. FIFTEEN
  24. SIXTEEN
  25. SEVENTEEN
  26. EIGHTEEN
  27. NINETEEN
  28. TWENTY
  29. TWENTY-ONE
  30. TWENTY-TWO
  31. TWENTY-THREE
  32. TWENTY-FOUR
  33. TWENTY-FIVE
  34. TWENTY-SIX
  35. TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. TWENTY-NINE
  38. THIRTY
  39. THIRTY-ONE
  40. Somebody Else’s Child
  41. THIRTY-TWO
  42. THIRTY-THREE
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. THIRTY-FIVE
  45. THIRTY-SIX
  46. THIRTY-SEVEN
  47. THIRTY-EIGHT
  48. THIRTY-NINE
  49. FORTY
  50. FORTY-ONE
  51. FORTY-TWO
  52. FORTY-THREE
  53. FORTY-FOUR
  54. FORTY-FIVE
  55. FORTY-SIX
  56. FORTY-SEVEN
  57. FORTY-EIGHT
  58. FORTY-NINE
  59. Sunlight on Water
  60. July
  61. September
  62. Acknowledgements

‘While you were living there, she confirms you and she owned a red Ford Focus, registered in her name but bought and sold through your eBay account. Is that right, Gary? And that’s of great interest to us, because that car is the very one which had Evan Ferrers locked in the boot. What’re the chances, eh? You right there on the day Evan goes missing, almost the last person to see him before he’s snatched, and here you are again, a one-time owner of the car he was found in.’

The solicitor is paying close attention, making lengthy notes on a pad of paper.

‘There’s more,’ Hagen continues. ‘While Evan was locked in a car boot, being taken – well, maybe you can tell us where he was being taken? No? Anyway, while he was being driven away from his home and family, he overheard a conversation, two men talking about someone buying a Spider. I think you owned a Spider, didn’t you, Gary? Maybe you still do. That’s not conclusive by itself, but it’s certainly a coincidence some might say connects you to those men. Put it all together and I’d say it’s a good thing you’ve got legal representation.’

Prentice glances across at his lawyer, whose attention seems all on his notes.

‘So this is where you start talking to us and volunteering information,’ says Naylor. ‘Do you know someone called Brian? Brian Birch? We’re giving you an opportunity here to save your own skin. Only to an extent, of course. You know you’ll be going down for a stretch. But that stretch could be much shorter, if you’ll help us out. We’ll get a result with or without help from you, so this is a short-term offer only. Talk to us about Evan Ferrers and Liam Keslake, and we’ll persuade the judge to look favourably on you when it’s time for sentencing. I should say, while you’re considering your options, that we’ll be making the same offer to Brian when we catch up with him, and only one of you can benefit. There might be a decent reduction in the offing, but it’s you or him. So what you have to ask yourself is, when we make Brian that same offer, will he refuse it to save your skin?’

Prentice’s response is almost immediate.

‘I want to speak to my lawyer in private,’ he says.

FORTY-FOUR

FORTY-FOUR

23 December