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Back Last Place You Look Save as PDF
Chapters (85)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Part 1
  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. Part 2
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. Part 3
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. Epilogue
  82. Acknowledgements
  83. Canelo Crime
  84. About the Author
  85. Also by Louisa Scarr

Her mother was weak. Unable to get control over the alcoholism that eventually left her dead and rotting on the kitchen floor. She was not like that. Her, Amy Miller. She had the beautiful house, the respectable job. But it hadn’t come easy. She’d had to make sacrifices to get what she wanted, and this was the hardest of them all.

She picks up her phone again, and pulls up a different number.

‘The police are at my house,’ Amy says when her sister answers.

‘The police, why?’ the voice replies.

‘They think I had something to do with Jonathan’s death.’

‘But that’s ridiculous. How did they get a warrant to search?’

‘They didn’t. I gave them permission.’

‘You… Amy! Why did you give them permission?’

‘I thought it would make me look guilty if I didn’t!’ Amy shouts. She feels people looking at her, and forces herself to stay calm. ‘I need you to help me,’ Amy adds, more quietly. ‘I need you to find out what they know.’ A pause. ‘You can do that, can’t you?’

A sigh at the end of the phone, and Amy knows she’s won.

‘Fine. Just this once. But Amy?’

‘Yes?’

‘Hire a bloody lawyer.’

Amy puts the phone back on the table, just as her next coffee arrives. She smiles up at the waitress.

‘I said extra hot. This is barely warm.’ The waitress scowls, and goes to take it away. ‘And a chocolate croissant?’ Amy calls at her back. ‘Please.’

It’s going to be okay, she tells herself. It’s going to be okay.

24

Robin and Freya stare at the small black box in the PC’s gloved hand.

‘And where did you find this?’ Robin asks.

The PC – Graves or Groves, Robin thinks his name is – points to the bookshelf. ‘In there.’

It’s clever, Robin has to admit. On the shelf among the boring hardback economics books was one that blended perfectly with the rest. But the middle of the book had been hollowed out, pages cut carefully with a knife, to conceal something inside.

‘How did you even find this?’

The PC smiles. ‘A trip down memory lane. I have this book myself but haven’t picked it up in years. I studied finance at uni.’

‘You did?’ the other PC says.

‘Don’t be so surprised,’ he retaliates to his colleague. ‘Just because I found it, not you.’

As the coppers verbally swipe at each other, Robin considers the book in one hand, the black box in the other. It’s a camera, a surveillance unit, with a tiny lens on the end of a thin cable, linking to a main box concealed in the body of the book. A small hole has been drilled in the spine, and now Robin holds it up to the light, looking through it. Robin’s seen similar units on Amazon, but never one in use.