BooksBarbecue
Back The Bad Place
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

So Sasha went outside to lie on the lounger. She was at a loss to know what to do without her phone to fiddle with. Angel was with her friends at the top of the garden, rolling around on the nest of cushions, and Sasha saw Denny with them too. It was good to see Angel enjoying herself; it broke Sasha’s heart to think what she must be going through at school, and hopefully the whole sad situation would get sorted tomorrow.

Maybe it was the shock of the attack, or the painkillers, or the pills and wine combined, but she felt a swell of emotion at the sight of her two precious children larking about on the lawn. And then Sammi Manning’s fragile singing voice popped into her head again, like a guilty earworm, and she thought of Lucas White, too, and gave silent thanks that Angel and Denny were safe.

You’ll know…

She shifted uneasily on the lounger. Sammi was missing, Lucas was missing. She really wanted to be at the office, but she also knew in her heart that she was no good to anyone right now. She would get into work early and wouldn’t rest until both kids were brought home.

… the truth about her.

She sipped the wine and raised her face to the dying rays of the setting sun; the heat was comfortable now and her headache was fading. She felt herself relax for the first time in days; was even glad her mum had confiscated her phone so she wasn’t tempted to look at it.

Sasha listened to the men discussing the barbecue grill, a big beast of a thing Kev had bought himself a year back. Nelson was asking questions about it and Kev pointed at all the different dials and switches. Then they started talking about Southend United. Sasha wouldn’t have guessed their stroppy neighbour was a fan, it was funny what you learned when the barriers came down.

They were laughing about something, and she remembered when they used to do this all the time, she and Kev. They’d invite friends and work colleagues around for a barbecue and they’d eat and drink and sit in the garden till the early hours in the soft flicker of tea lights, chatting and laughing, the baby alarm propped on the table. Those were good times, long before Nelson lived next door and banged on the wall every two minutes.

Ursula came outside to look at the kids. ‘They’re going to ruin those cushions if they keep throwing them about like that.’