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 no great surprise that the official investigation had stalled – and it certainly felt that way – because they were still looking for a motive and, biggest mistake of all, they were focusing on a time-frame that left them with two dozen suspects.

Well, for once I was ahead of the game.

Now, I had just the one.

See, it didn’t make the slightest bit of difference when that camera had gone off, because Kevin Connolly had been murdered in plain sight.

TWENTY-FOUR

TWENTY-FOUR

I’d thought it was definitely worth a punt, because they could only say no, but I can’t say I was overly confident that Banksy would be able to pull it off. That man is a marvel though, I’m telling you. A right hard bastard if he needs to be, but he can charm the pants off someone when he wants to.

As soon as we’d both lit cigarettes, I pulled him into a hug.

‘Thanks for sorting this,’ I said.

Banksy said that I was welcome, but I’m not sure I really was, and bear in mind this was before I’d told him what I’d actually brought him in to hear. We sat down on a bench opposite the main entrance and I said nothing for a while. I wanted to spend just a couple of minutes enjoying my fag and feeling sunshine on my pale face before I got into it.

The break in the case . . .

Even before Banksy had turned up – he’d told me on the phone he’d be in sometime late afternoon – I’d decided we should at least give it a bash. The obs stats are the obs stats for good reason, but I knew that every now and again, if such and such a nurse was in a good mood, they might do someone a favour or look the other way. Ilias goes out for a smoke with Malaika sometimes and I’m damn sure he’s not supposed to. A month or so before, Donna’s sister had been allowed to take her outside for an hour because it was her birthday. Outside as in away from the hospital and down to the shops. Obviously with the usual provisos about trust and not absconding and sending the police after her and all that.

So, I definitely thought me and Banksy should at least ask.

I mean, we were the police.

Banksy said that Marcus was a bit dubious to begin with – yeah, I thought, I bet he bloody was – but apparently, once Banksy had flashed a pukka warrant card and explained that we really needed privacy because there was a sensitive police matter to discuss, he’d softened a bit.

Bansky had thanked him for his cooperation, he told me, and promised that we wouldn’t go far.

I stubbed out my fag and turned to look at him.

‘Let’s hear it then,’ he said.