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Back Gone Save as PDF
Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. Acknowledgements
  75. Reading Group Questions
  76. Read More
  77. I

Eventually she looked down. There were only two lines, but they would haunt her for the rest of her life.

I can’t be normal. And I don’t want to be a monster.

You told me to choose. I’ve chosen.

48

Bloom hadn’t allowed herself to think about that day for years. The details had become foggy and vague over time. But as she ran through the events in her mind, her memory cleared and something came back to her.

She grabbed her phone, opened Google maps, zoomed in on South Milford, found the train line and tracked it first towards Selby and then towards Leeds. Where the train line crossed a road, she converted to a satellite image, looking for something specific. When she finally found it, she double-checked the location, handed her phone to Jameson and started the engine.

‘But the last train isn’t for another twenty minutes,’ said Jameson.

Bloom pulled out of the now empty car park. ‘The pathologist said that if the gods were kind, the fall would have knocked her out before the train hit her. The fall.’

Jameson looked down at the phone and zoomed in on the image. ‘She jumped from a bridge?’

‘That’s the only one near South Milford.’

‘It looks like a farm-access road.’

Bloom nodded. ‘Can you direct me?’

Darkness had fallen and the lack of street lighting made it hard to see. Bloom switched her lights to full beam as they passed open fields and dense woodland.

‘Slow down,’ said Jameson. ‘Train lines often have wooded embankments.’

He was right. There it was. Bloom pulled over to park on the grass. They climbed out and walked back to the bridge.

Bloom could just about make out the parallel train tracks below. So this was it. The place where it happened. The place she’d jumped from. There was no way a drop this short would have knocked her out. The pathologist was just being kind.

‘Augusta?’ Jameson’s voice was urgent.

There was a woman standing at the edge of the bridge. She was walking slowly towards them. And when her face came into view, Bloom put a hand on Jameson’s forearm. His muscles tensed and she knew he’d clenched his fists.

Bloom stepped forward. ‘Lana?’

Lana stopped. ‘What took you so long?’

‘Who told you about this place?’ Bloom said. Who would know to bring her here? The pathologist? The police? Penny?

Lana smiled.

‘Where’s Jane?’ said Jameson, his rage barely contained.

Lana stepped towards them. ‘With a friend.’

‘With what friend? Where?’ Jameson took a step forward.

‘On a bridge,’ said Lana, her eyes fixed on Jameson.

Fear sliced through Bloom’s chest. ‘Which bridge?’

‘Above a train track,’ said Lana, her voice almost robotic.

Jameson lunged at Lana. He was too quick – Bloom couldn’t stop him. He grabbed her shoulders and pulled her face right up to his own.