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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

Freya Llewellyn cried and apologized to her father as he climbed into the back of Superintendent Barker’s car. He’d reluctantly agreed to accompany the police to the station to assist with their enquiries.

‘I told you not to come unless we were in danger,’ Bloom said to Barker, who was looking frustratingly pleased with himself.

‘He blew your cover. We had to get in quick. We’ll get to the bottom of this now.’

‘You have no idea who you’re dealing with, do you?’ said Bloom, repeating Llewellyn’s words. Barker frowned. He looked at Llewellyn sitting in the back seat of the car calmly flicking through photos on his iPhone screen and ignoring his crying daughter. ‘These people are not pit bulls. They don’t bite when you poke them with a stick because they don’t have any buttons. They’re alligators waiting just beneath the surface. They wait until you’re vulnerable and then they strike. You blew it, Steve. You won’t get a single thing out of him now. He knows how badly we want what he knows, so he’ll talk a lot, but I guarantee he’ll say very little.’

Barker shifted his jaw from side to side. ‘So why have you wasted valuable police resources leading us on this merry dance?’ Barker was clearly more pit bull than alligator.

‘Because, despite his talents for subterfuge, he’s still human, and humans slip up when you catch them off guard.’

‘But he didn’t slip up.’

‘He revealed that he’s one of the most dangerous psychopaths around, that he’s in total control of himself and those around him.’

Barker rubbed his chin with his right hand and watched DC Logan sternly reprimand Freya Llewellyn for inviting strangers from the internet into her home.

‘But this wasn’t a waste of resources, Steve,’ Bloom continued. ‘I may be frustrated that you cut our time with him short, but Llewellyn did slip up, and more than once.’

38

Jameson was sleeping fully dressed in the big armchair in the corner of his room. The TV was muted, subtitles flashing up on the screen.

‘Jameson?’

He opened his eyes.

‘How are you doing?’

‘Missing out, clearly.’

Bloom smiled and placed the takeout latte she had purchased at Fork next to her partner. Then she sat in the plastic seat beside the bed. ‘Did you listen to the file I sent over?’

‘You know, I thought you were joking when you said you were going to bring my work in.’ He picked up the cup. ‘For me?’

She nodded. ‘Tell me what you heard.’ She’d emailed him a recording of the meeting with Clive Llewellyn.