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Back No Going Back: a Novel Save as PDF
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Part 1
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. Part 2
  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. Part 3
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. Part 4
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. Part 5
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. Part 6
  67. 59
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. 69
  78. 70
  79. 71
  80. 72
  81. Acknowledgments
  82. About the Author
  83. Also by Sheena Kamal
  84. About the Publisher

The front of this guesthouse is protected by an overhang. This door, too, is unlocked. I push it open but don’t enter right away. There are no sounds coming from inside. It’s as cold in there as it is outside.

I can’t move.

Two shapes are huddled in the entranceway. One body covering another. Protecting it, even in death.

It’s Lynn and Bonnie, of course.

65

This is even worse than Vancouver, Dao thinks. Rain he could put up with, but snow isn’t something he ever wanted to see again.

He’s upset by what happened in the little cabin where he’d found the woman and the girl hiding. Their location was Nguyen’s last gift to him. They must have seen his car from the street and ran to the second cabin just in case he came knocking. As if he wouldn’t look. It had been snowing, too, so their footprints might have been masked—but they got it all wrong. There wasn’t enough fresh snow.

Speaking of wrong, the cabin. Them running away from him. Him raising his gun. The woman, Nora, with the hood of her parka up. He only saw her from the back and his anger took over.

When she fell he saw the red hair.

It wasn’t Nora.

His belly cramps up, almost doubling him over in pain. But it’s a pain that he’s become accustomed to. He goes back to his car, hidden farther along the street. That’s when he sees someone pass him and pull into the driveway of the cabin he just left.

And he thinks he knows who it is.

66

Lynn’s dark red hair spills over Bonnie as she slumps over her, our daughter, soaking in the blood around them. She was trying to do the same thing I couldn’t. It’s a mother-daughter image I want to scrape from my brain.

The hands of the clock above their heads creep forward.

I hear music, but it’s no Chopin. With a start, I realize the sound is coming from me. It’s inside my head. It’s all around me.

It’s a voice behind me, shouting.

What’s the voice saying?

I’ve slipped to my knees. When did that happen?

“Get your hands up!” the voice behind me shouts.

My hands go up.

They’re yanked viciously behind me. I identify the RCMP officer by the yellow stripe running down the side of his black pants.

Why is there only one?

Then I remember the car accident. Death. Loss of life. More bodies and resources to the big bang-up on the Sea-to-Sky, the major crash. Nobody to investigate little burglary calls until now, when they send one lone officer.

It’s cold, and he’s not wearing gloves. Maybe that’s why he drops the cuffs. As he bends, he sees something and begins shouting at someone in the distance.