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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 could barely breathe. ‘No.’

‘I think you do.’

‘I don’t. Please, Jerry,’ she pleaded quietly. ‘Please don’t do it.’

He took off his glasses to consider her carefully.

‘You have to go back downstairs now.’ She pressed her hands against the table, ready to rise, grateful that another long night was over, but then he grabbed her wrist. ‘But if you change your mind, let me know.’

43

‘Can you get them to take it down as soon as you can?’ Sasha said into the phone as she let herself into the house. ‘I’d be grateful if you did.’

‘We’re working on it, DI Dawson,’ said the woman in the Essex Police press office. ‘But I’m afraid the footage has already gone viral, so it’s popping up on all kinds of sites.’

‘Bugger!’ Sasha slammed the door and went to the bottom of the stairs. ‘Angel, can you come down here?’

Vaughn would go ballistic when he saw the video of Kev decking Nelson, if he hadn’t already. The last thing they needed right now, in the middle of a stalling investigation – with two children missing and one witness dead – was footage uploaded on to the internet showing the husband of a detective inspector assaulting a man.

‘Thanks, please let me know when it’s down,’ she said into the phone, then killed the call. ‘Angel, down here, please!’

Sitting with his legs over the side of an armchair in the living room, Denny looked up from his phone.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asked him.

‘They sent us home early because there were too many reporters outside.’

‘Angel, I’m waiting!’

‘I’m doing something!’ came the response from upstairs.

‘I don’t care,’ shouted Sasha. ‘Come down here right now!’

Her son slipped off, sensing the imminent arrival of a full-blown row, in the way animals sense storms building in the atmosphere. Clutching a tea towel, Ursula watched her in silence, knowing better than to contribute her thoughts.

Sasha dumped her bag on the floor and threw her jacket at the banister, where it sagged untidily. When Ursula went to hang it properly, she snapped, ‘Leave it!’

Sasha was pouring herself a glass of cold water from the fridge dispenser when Angel finally made a sullen appearance.

‘You lied to me. You knew the school was going to contact me about the bullying so you threw the blame on Tilly.’ Sasha felt her anger build. ‘I can’t believe you did that.’

‘Whatever she said, I didn’t do it.’ Tears filmed Angel’s eyes. ‘I swear.’

‘No wonder you didn’t want to go to school, no wonder you didn’t want to show your face.’

‘What’s going on?’ asked Ursula finally.