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Back No One Home Save as PDF
Chapters (109)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Praise for Tim Weaver
  4. Dedication
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. Joline
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. The Motel
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. Part Two
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. Caraca
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. Late-Night Call
  28. 18
  29. 19
  30. 20
  31. Pioneer
  32. Part Three
  33. 21
  34. 22
  35. 23
  36. The Suicide: Part 1
  37. 24
  38. 25
  39. 26
  40. The Suicide: Part 2
  41. 27
  42. 28
  43. 29
  44. Clear: Part 1
  45. 30
  46. 31
  47. Clear: Part 2
  48. Part Four
  49. 32
  50. 33
  51. 34
  52. Monster
  53. 35
  54. 36
  55. 37
  56. Martina: Part 1
  57. Part Five
  58. 38
  59. 39
  60. 40
  61. Martina: Part 2
  62. 41
  63. 42
  64. 43
  65. Dead Ends
  66. 44
  67. Part Six
  68. 45
  69. 46
  70. 47
  71. The Photograph Album
  72. 48
  73. 49
  74. 50
  75. Empty
  76. Part Seven
  77. 51
  78. 52
  79. Retirement: Part 1
  80. 53
  81. 54
  82. 55
  83. 56
  84. Retirement: Part 2
  85. 57
  86. Part Eight
  87. 58
  88. 59
  89. 60
  90. 61
  91. 62
  92. Circle
  93. 63
  94. 64
  95. 65
  96. 66
  97. An Ending
  98. 67
  99. 68
  100. Part Nine
  101. 69
  102. Family
  103. 70
  104. Part Ten
  105. 71
  106. 72
  107. Author’s Note
  108. Acknowledgements
  109. THE BEGINNING

‘I went into the living room, and I found my son lying next to his dad, his face literally scarlet from all the tears he’d shed for Ira, and I tried to comfort him, tried to take him in my arms, but he wouldn’t even let me touch him. He wriggled free from me every time I tried to hug him. He kept going back to Ira’s body, over and over, and just kissing his dad on the face.’ This time, her eyes blurred. ‘He didn’t want me because he didn’t really know me any more. It was like my son barely recognized me.’ She looked down at the notebook, still open between them, at her words, the ink, the blemishes on the pages. ‘Once things had settled down, Ethan and I grew closer. I’ve made it up to him, I’ve sacrificed that twenty or thirty per cent at work and have become a worse cop in order to be a better mom – and it’s been worth it. It’s been totally worth it. I mean, I could have already been an LT, not only getting there now – but I made a choice and sacrificed that chance because I love my son.’

Slowly, she drew the notebook back towards her.

‘But you know what the worst thing is? Despite all the lessons I had to learn, all the heartache and guilt I had to endure when Ira died, how much I love Ethan with every atom in my body, there still isn’t a month that’s gone by – not a single one in eight years – when I haven’t opened this up, and …’ She stopped, shaking her head, pressing a finger to the names most prominent on the page. Gabriel Wilzon. Donald Klein. ‘I can’t forget it,’ she said, wiping her tears away. ‘That’s all. I need to solve it. And I know I won’t find any peace until I do.’

48

Her full name was Amelia Griffin.

She and her two children lived in Undercliffe, a small suburb to the north-east of Bradford city centre. I’d got her address from the registration plate of her car and now I was sitting in the front of mine, watching her house from a bend in the street about two hundred feet further down. I’d already been to Isaac Mills’s, because the initial plan had been to confront him, but his Lexus was gone and his house alarm had been set.

I’d come for answers, not codes.

Not keys.

We were past that now.