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Back The Bad Place Save as PDF
Chapters (72)
  1. Cover
  2. THE BAD PLACE
  3. Contents
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Acknowledgements
  71. About the author
  72. An Invitation from the Publisher

‘Tomorrow, then,’ Sasha insisted. ‘As soon as.’

‘Go home.’

It was nearly six now and still as hot as hell. The pounding rays of the sun felt like a furnace inside her skull. Bloody hell, she thought, will this heatwave ever end?

‘I’ll take a couple of painkillers,’ she said.

‘Stay away from aspirin,’ said the paramedic, closing the ambulance doors, ‘as that can cause internal bleeding. And if you suffer from vomiting, seizures, loss of consciousness or abnormal motor function or speech, then attend the ED.’

‘Thank you,’ she said and turned back to Vaughn. ‘You’re not going to replace me when I go home? It’s not an excuse to get me out of the office? I mean, Ajay’s very good and sooner or later he’s going to want to step up but—’ She felt a sharp twinge in her temple that made her lift her hand to her head, but then pretend to bat a fly off her fringe. ‘My God, it’s still really hot, isn’t it… where was I… Uh, I feel a lot of threads are coming together, Vaughn. Trouble is, now Lucas White has been taken, and—’

‘I’m not going to tell you again, Sasha,’ snapped Vaughn. ‘Go home or I will definitely replace you.’

Sasha saw Craig talking to another officer and motioned him over.

‘Lydia met Matt at a drug support centre she attends in Basildon. I’d like you to go there to find out who he is.’

‘By the time we get there it’ll be closed.’ He looked at the angry bump. ‘Are you sure you’re okay?’

‘Go first thing. I’ll be coming in to work tomorrow morning and hopefully by then everyone will have stopped gaslighting me.’

‘Tell me again what he said to you, this man,’ said Vaughn.

‘He told me we’d discover the truth about her.’

‘About Lydia?’

Sasha looked again at Lydia getting emotional in the car, and Karin beside her with her head bowed.

‘Maybe,’ she said thoughtfully. ‘He said, you’ll be sorry, just before he smashed my head against the machine. I don’t imagine it was a threat against me specifically, maybe he meant he was going to harm the missing kids.’

‘So you definitely think he’s the abductor?’

‘I’m convinced of it,’ she said.

‘Either way it doesn’t sound good.’ Vaughn hooked a finger at a PC. With officers moving between the school and the incident room, local resources were already stretched to breaking point. ‘I’ll get someone to drive you home.’

‘No need, my car’s parked behind the arcades,’ she said.

He laughed in her face. ‘Good try. You can pick it up tomorrow morning.’