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Back Stalker Save as PDF
Chapters (66)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. EPILOGUE
  63. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  64. MORE FROM GEMMA ROGERS
  65. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  66. ABOUT BOLDWOOD BOOKS

‘How long could I get if found guilty?’ I ask, although I’m not sure I want to hear the answer.

‘For murder? Could be anything up to life imprisonment, but I believe in this case, unless they can prove intent, you’ll be looking at a maximum of five years. Out in half for good behaviour.’

I lean forward and rest my head in my hands. I have no more tears left to cry. Anger boils inside me, firing up from the pit of my stomach. It’s not fair. He was a monster. He would have raped me again, then killed me. I know it. I kick out at the table leg and Terry jumps back in his seat.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say.

He gives me a pitying smile, one that says, chin up, it’s not all bad. He has no idea just how fucked I am.

‘You could plead guilty in the hope of getting a lesser sentence. However, I think with the evidence I’ve seen so far, we have a good case for self-defence.’ He takes his glasses off, holds them by the wire rim and proceeds to polish them with a hanky retrieved from his pocket. ‘You were attacked last year?’ he asks.

I nod.

‘Good. Well no, not good. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it like that,’ he stumbles on, ‘what I mean is, that it adds weight to your self-defence case.’ His cheeks redden. Jesus, where did they find him?

‘I need to think.’

‘Yes of course. I‘ll get in touch with any potential witnesses as soon as possible. Do you have any questions at the moment?’

My mind whirls with thoughts of years incarcerated and life in a female prison. I shake my head, this isn’t what I’d bargained for, but it’s too late to turn back now. Whatever happens, I don’t regret it. The world will be safer without that scum in it.

43

SUNDAY 21 JANUARY 2018

As tired as I was, sleep didn’t come for hours. The alcohol combined with Szechuan chicken and rice sat in my stomach like a brick. I stared out of the window, unease creeping over me like spiders on my skin, as I listened to my mum snore like a train from the lounge. Ben would get a shock when he came back if she was still at it. I’d survived the evening with my mum, thanks partly to Ian. Disturbingly, him being there made it easier.