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Back Right to Kill Save as PDF
Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. Note to Readers
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. Thursday
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. Friday
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. Saturday
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. Sunday
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. Monday
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. Tuesday
  48. 39
  49. 40
  50. 41
  51. 42
  52. 43
  53. 44
  54. 45
  55. Wednesday
  56. 46
  57. Epilogue
  58. 47
  59. Acknowledgements
  60. About the Publisher

After leaving prison, Neil Barden had returned to his previous profession as a self-employed provider of Class A and B drugs. He’d had several arrests over the years, including one charge. But his lawyers got the charges dropped before it went to court. He now drove a Mercedes C-class and lived in a leafy suburb of Leeds.

‘She retrained as a teacher, worked in a couple of schools before taking up her current position in Cleckheaton five years ago. Where Jason Beverage was a student. He got expelled for sexual aggression towards a teacher.’

Joe looked at her.

‘It’s her son’s birthday today.’

‘Jesus, I missed that.’

‘He’d have been sixteen.’

‘Diminished responsibility? Come on, let’s bring her in.’

Joe shook his head.

‘Any forensics on that bike at the library?’

‘Nothing definite, as of yet. Still, we’ve gotta bring her in, Joe.’

‘Can we do this my way?’

40

The last remnants of light were disappearing from the sky as the Land Rover entered the car park fast, gunning straight for the cricket field before lurching to a halt next to Joe’s car.

‘Is she here?’ Rita said as she jumped out.

‘Yup. Inside. She just WhatsApp’d me.’

‘Jesus Christ, Joe! No one saw her leave work this afternoon. And her car’s not at home. We’ve been going fuckin’ ape.’

‘I know. You phoned me. A lot. She’s here.’

Rita shook her head.

‘I’ve had someone outside the school all day. Saw her go in this morning. No one saw her leave, and that bike’s still chained to the library drainpipe. She hasn’t been home all day, either. We’ve had her house staked out. What the hell’s going on?’

‘She’s in here. Relax.’

Two unmarked cars arrived and parked close to the entrance. Rita rolled a cigarette as Joe went to speak to the four officers that got out, sending one of them on a quick recce of the pub’s perimeter.

‘Can I have one of those?’ he asked her as he returned to the Land Rover.

She chuckled, in that annoying way that smokers have with almost-non-smokers.

‘All that’s going on,’ he said, accepting the one she’d just rolled and waiting as she rummaged in her jeans for a lighter, ‘is that I’m going to have a nice meal with a lady friend. Who you are then going to arrest for two murders.’

‘Textbook, eh?’

‘Chapter one.’

‘Yeah, Don Juan meets the Criminal Evidence Act.’ She held out the lighter. ‘And you’re supposed to have the fag after the sex.’