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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

She ignored him as he began to clap slowly with ironic disdain, clap, clap, clap, encouraging the parents to do the same, and raced to her car, her shirt clinging to her spine beneath the hot, merciless sun.

41

Karin had received a call asking her not to come in to school while the headmaster consulted with governors, but she couldn’t bear the thought of sitting at home, staring at her phone willing Becky to message her again, and after lunch she headed into work.

She sensed trouble as she approached the gates and saw the crowd. A group of parents stood in angry discussion with the headmaster, and right in the thick of the altercation was Jim Haskell.

He’d never liked her, not even when they were kids. He had resented her being friends with his sister, and never liked it when she was at his house of an evening, or staying over. Why is she here again, he had whined to his mother one morning, she’s always here!

And when Becky didn’t come home from the Bad Place, he had laid the blame fully at the feet of the survivors, and fought for years to get the investigation into the circumstances of her death reopened, a campaign that only gained traction among a small coterie of true crime zealots. But it didn’t stop him bombarding Karin with legal letters demanding that she reveal publicly what had occurred between her and Jerry when they were alone.

Please be my friend, said Swann. Let me, let me, let me.

Hesitating on the pavement, she was about to turn back when someone shouted, ‘There she is!’

The parents surged forwards, a camera team keeping pace alongside them, to surround her:

‘We don’t want you here!’

‘You’re not welcome!’

‘Stay away from our children!’

These were people who had always been so friendly. She had met them at parents’ evenings, sports days and other school events; some of them even sent Christmas cards. One mother she’d chatted with over a glass of mulled wine at the winter fair waved a placard in her face:

SACK MCCARTHY BEFORE

MY KIDS ARE NEXT!

And then the mob of parents parted and Jim Haskell stood directly in front of her, pushing someone out of the way to allow a camera to get into position behind his shoulder.

‘First my sister died, and now two kids have gone missing, including a pupil from your own class. An innocent lad, a blameless lad. And now I hear from reporters Lydia Tide was found dead this morning, and you found her.’ Haskell played to the crowd, getting it riled. ‘Tell us, Karin McCarthy, just what is your connection to these kidnappings?’

Pressed in on every side, Karin couldn’t think. ‘I don’t know what—’