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Back Scared to Live Save as PDF
Chapters (44)
  1. Dedication
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Chapter Four
  6. Chapter Five
  7. Chapter Six
  8. Chapter Seven
  9. Chapter Eight
  10. Chapter Nine
  11. Chapter Ten
  12. Chapter Eleven
  13. Chapter Twelve
  14. Chapter Thirteen
  15. Chapter Fourteen
  16. Chapter Fifteen
  17. Chapter Sixteen
  18. Chapter Seventeen
  19. Chapter Eighteen
  20. Chapter Nineteen
  21. Chapter Twenty
  22. Chapter Twenty-One
  23. Chapter Twenty-Two
  24. Chapter Twenty-Three
  25. Chapter Twenty-Four
  26. Chapter Twenty-Five
  27. Chapter Twenty-Six
  28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  29. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  30. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  31. Chapter Thirty
  32. Chapter Thirty-One
  33. Chapter Thirty-Two
  34. Chapter Thirty-Three
  35. Chapter Thirty-Four
  36. Chapter Thirty-Five
  37. Chapter Thirty-Six
  38. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  39. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  40. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  41. Chapter Forty
  42. About the Author
  43. Also by Stephen Booth
  44. About the Publisher

Of course, it was stupid to fear the unknown. People who did that were just projecting their own ugly thoughts on to a blank mask, like throwing handfuls of mud at a marble statue. Why live in terror of the unfamiliar? Why let the silent, dripping darkness of the imagination displace the wicked reality?

Those were the things that made other people afraid, but he knew he wasn’t like them. He’d been made differently from the rest of humanity; his mind was constructed of a glittering, fragile crystal instead of some greasy clay, scooped from the earth. His consciousness rang like a bell, echoing and tinkling, speaking his name, calling him softly, tolling with disdain.

Some of these places would be closing for the night soon. Matlock Bath would empty, and he’d have to go home. He’d have to face another night, counting to himself to fill the silent hours, reciting the alphabet, and cursing, cursing . . . One, two, three, and DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!

He didn’t care about the unknown. Not in the least. He knew exactly what to be afraid of, and it was something all too real. He heard it wailing in the distance. It was difficult to drown out, even now. He knew how dangerous it could be, and where it would come from. He just didn’t know when it would finally draw near and speak.

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen

Thursday, 27 October

Early next morning, an officer from the incident room entered DCI Kessen’s office at West Street, and placed several slim files on the desk. Watched by Hitchens, Kessen thumbed through the files.

‘Well, it looks as though we’ve got the first hits from our Nichols trawl,’ he said.

‘Any Simons?’ asked Hitchens.

‘Oh, yes. Three. One of them lives in Ashbourne, and he’s ten years old.’

‘Damn it.’

‘Well, maybe we shouldn’t eliminate him out of hand. Kids are given mobile phones at a very young age these days.’

‘And high-powered semi-automatics?’

‘Let’s hope not. Get Ashbourne section to talk to the parents anyway, check there isn’t some remote connection with Rose Shepherd. It seems pretty unlikely, but we’d best rule it out.’

‘And the others?’

‘The second Simon Nichols is eighty-five years old. Actually, his full name is Edward Simon Nichols, so strictly speaking he’s ESN. He’s in a residential care home in Alfreton, but he could have some connection with Rose Shepherd.’

‘We need to spread the net wider, don’t we?’

‘Nichols isn’t an uncommon name,’ said Kessen. ‘There could be hundreds of Simons around the country. But unfortunately, these seem to be the only leads we have at the moment. Do you want to allocate them, Paul?’

Hitchens took the files into the CID room and passed on the news to the officers on the early shift.

‘Is there one for me?’ asked Cooper.