BooksBarbecue
Back Rabbit Hole
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

It was stupid, I suppose, to think that Sophie was going to make me feel better. She almost always does, like she’s got a gift for it, but all I’m feeling is sad, until the switch goes and suddenly I’m raging. Because none of this is fair and what’s happening is not my fault and now I’m scrolling down to the emojis myself and I’m getting busy.

I send the message and immediately feel guilty, so I quickly shoot a smiley face off, but the damage is done.

Sophie Mob: WTF Al??

I sit back, then remember what I forgot, and now I feel terrible because I never got around to saying ‘sorry’ like I’d meant to. It was why I texted her in the first place, because I should have said it a long time ago. I look up to the camera in the corner of the room and give everyone a big, smiley wave. I’ve got no idea who’s watching, or if they’ll appreciate just how hilarious I’m being, but it doesn’t much matter.

I’m not going anywhere until it hits . . .

The damage is done.

FIFTY-THREE

FIFTY-THREE

Forever ago, just after Kevin was killed, but before everything got properly dark, I walked into this room and was greeted like some conquering hero or whatever because I’d scored a bit of weed and been rumbled. Today, though, I don’t want to sit and make nice with them all. I don’t want to pretend everything’s fine and listen to them talking at me, but what I want doesn’t seem to count for much any more. I’m not given any choice in the matter. As soon as I set foot in the dining room, Lucy jumps up and I’m all but dragged across to sit down and eat with everyone else, just because I did a bunk and got escorted back a few hours later by a constable with acne.

Jesus, they want to know everything. What I did and how it felt. They want me to relive every moment of my great adventure.

You’d think I’d tunnelled out of fucking Colditz.

‘Did you put up a fight?’ Bob asks.

I tell him that there wouldn’t have been much point.

‘Didn’t you even struggle a bit?’

Ilias seems outraged, as though I’ve somehow let the side down. ‘You should have given that copper a good hard kick in the nuts,’ he says. ‘Got a few decent punches in, at least. They wouldn’t do anything because this is a hospital, right?’

‘Special hospital,’ Donna says.

‘Because we’re special,’ Bob says.

Ilias is nodding. ‘Yeah, of course, so what are they going to do?’

‘They could take away my Scrabble privileges,’ I say.