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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

‘I don’t want to go home,’ Lydia said when Karin went back into the room. ‘I’m all agitated now.’

‘You know you can stay. You’re always welcome.’

‘I might go up now, yeah? I’m shattered.’

When Lydia went upstairs, Sasha stood, tugging her skirt back into place over her knees. ‘Do you think—’

‘That she saw someone getting abducted?’ Karin listened to Lydia thumping around above them. ‘We have these reunions once a year to remember what happened to us, and every year I think, never again. But it’s important to remember that we were the lucky ones.’

‘Lucky?’

‘We came home.’

Sasha glanced again at the six places set at the table.

‘But these nights stir up a lot of emotions.’ Karin sat heavily in a chair; it had been an exhausting couple of hours. ‘And Lydia’s… fragile, she finds these evenings particularly stressful and upsetting. So, yes, I think she was mistaken. I’m sure she saw something – a van stopping sharply, even a girl climbing in – but an abduction? I don’t think so.’

‘And when she said, he’s back…’

‘She was talking about Jerry Swann, the man who abducted us. But as we all know, that’s not possible.’ Karin began to clear the table. ‘I’m sorry if you came for nothing.’

‘Better safe than sorry.’ Sasha Dawson looked like she was about to tell Karin something… but lifted her nose. ‘Do you smell burning?’

The stench hit Karin’s nostrils just as brown smoke tumbled from the kitchen and across the ceiling. An alarm filled the room with noise.

‘The oven!’ Rushing into the kitchen, Sasha stood on a chair to wave a tea towel beneath the smoke detector, and Karin pulled on oven gloves to lift out the blackened, smoking lasagne and dump it in the sink.

‘Oh dear,’ said Sasha. ‘It’s just as well everybody’s gone home.’

When the detective left, Karin opened windows to let out the smoke. She took the plates from the microwave – her best china would go back in the cupboard for another year – and binned the salad.

Above her head, a floorboard creaked. Karin stopped to listen.

‘Lydia?’ she called, going into the hallway. ‘Is that you?’

Karin jumped when she saw Lydia at the top of the stairs, her features mostly hidden in the dark.

‘I hope you didn’t say mean things about me,’ said Lydia. ‘Cruel things.’

‘I would never do that.’

Lydia’s eyes glinted down at her, and then she dissolved into the shadows on the landing.

Karin went back next door, just as a message dropped into her phone.

When she saw it, her heart leapt with hope – and fear.

I ♥ U

BeXxx

5

The First Day…

Nobody even noticed when a stranger climbed into the minibus and drove them to the Bad Place.