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Back Rabbit Hole Save as PDF
Chapters (73)
  1. Rabbit Hole
  2. Also by Mark Billingham
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. Preface
  8. PART ONE
  9. ONE
  10. TWO
  11. THREE
  12. FOUR
  13. FIVE
  14. SIX
  15. SEVEN
  16. EIGHT
  17. NINE
  18. TEN
  19. ELEVEN
  20. TWELVE
  21. THIRTEEN
  22. FOURTEEN
  23. FIFTEEN
  24. SIXTEEN
  25. SEVENTEEN
  26. EIGHTEEN
  27. NINETEEN
  28. TWENTY
  29. TWENTY-ONE
  30. TWENTY-TWO
  31. TWENTY-THREE
  32. TWENTY-FOUR
  33. TWENTY-FIVE
  34. TWENTY-SIX
  35. TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. TWENTY-NINE
  38. THIRTY
  39. THIRTY-ONE
  40. THIRTY-TWO
  41. THIRTY-THREE
  42. PART TWO
  43. THIRTY-FOUR
  44. THIRTY-FIVE
  45. THIRTY-SIX
  46. THIRTY-SEVEN
  47. THIRTY-EIGHT
  48. THIRTY-NINE
  49. FORTY
  50. FORTY-ONE
  51. FORTY-TWO
  52. FORTY-THREE
  53. FORTY-FOUR
  54. FORTY-FIVE
  55. FORTY-SIX
  56. FORTY-SEVEN
  57. FORTY-EIGHT
  58. FORTY-NINE
  59. FIFTY
  60. FIFTY-ONE
  61. FIFTY-TWO
  62. FIFTY-THREE
  63. FIFTY-FOUR
  64. FIFTY-FIVE
  65. FIFTY-SIX
  66. FIFTY-SEVEN
  67. FIFTY-EIGHT
  68. PART THREE
  69. FIFTY-NINE
  70. SIXTY
  71. EPILOGUE
  72. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  73. Back Cover

‘Because he or she was working with Debbie,’ I say. ‘Debbie was using Kevin to smuggle drugs out of here, which was why she killed him and why she was killed. The fact I know that makes me a target.’

It feels a bit odd, saying all this to Marcus, being so upfront and matter-of-fact about what’s going on, but it’s not like he doesn’t know, is it? Debbie had told him exactly what I’d said to her before she was killed. He was the one who passed that information on to French and Saunders.

‘I don’t feel safe,’ I say. ‘Locked up in here, I’m a sitting duck.’

I look around. A few more people are coming out of the dining room now and walking in different directions. Patients and staff. Heading to their rooms for a quick lie down before watching telly, outside for a smoke, to the toilets or the meds hatch.

Colin is talking to Tony.

Femi is talking to Donna and Lucy.

Clare is talking to Lauren, the two of them thick as thieves all of a sudden.

‘I don’t think it’s very nice,’ Marcus says.

I turn to look at him, thinking that’s a strange way of putting it. A massive fucking understatement, considering what I’ve just told him.

‘You talking about Debbie like that.’

‘What?’

‘People I have worked with have died before,’ he says. ‘You know that. But not like this. Never like this.’ He looks at me. ‘I went to visit Debbie’s sister last night, to pass on my condolences. To see how she was coping. She has been destroyed by what has happened . . . the whole family has been destroyed.’ He shakes his head. ‘So no, what you are saying is not acceptable. Debbie was my colleague, but she was also my friend.’

‘Yeah, and Kevin was mine.’

‘I’m aware of that, Alice, but the fact remains that it is wrong to attack a person’s reputation when they are not here to defend themselves.’ He stands up, because he doesn’t want to continue the conversation or he’s got meds to administer. Either way.

‘Well, she’s dead so she probably doesn’t give a shit!’ I shout after him as he walks away. ‘Anyway, she’s not the one who needs defending.’

FORTY-NINE

FORTY-NINE

Suddenly I’m wide awake and I don’t have a clue what time it is, but it’s pitch black and I’m tangled in wet sheets and, far more important, I know there’s someone in my room.

I know there can’t possibly be, because the door is locked.

I know there can’t be, because I’d have heard them coming in.

But I know that there is.