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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

The dim landing swung slowly into view as she climbed the stairs, one careful step at a time. The narrow landing was empty, but the door to her bedroom was ajar. It had been wide open when she left the house this morning and she saw that the curtains, which she had opened, were now closed.

‘Becky.’

She moved carefully across the landing and opened the door to see, in the darkness of the room, the photograph of Becky she kept on a chest of drawers; it was the only one she had of her. It was the last thing she saw before she turned the light out at night, and the first thing she saw in the morning. Karin heard, or imagined she heard, Becky’s excited breathing in the shadows.

She felt her phone vibrate against her fingers.

Oh Kaz

…

…

…

‘I’m here, my darling,’ Karin said in a trembling voice, and stepped inside. ‘Where are you?’

But the phone buzzed softly again and again as messages dropped on to the screen.

i cant b bex u no that

…

…

…

Bex is DEAD!!!

…

…

…

& u will pay 4 what u did

And then hands grabbed her shoulders, spinning her around, sending the phone flying from her hand, and she was slammed into the wall.

‘Becky!’ she cried.

‘Don’t you say her name!’ said a man’s angry voice. Shaking her violently, screaming into her face. ‘Don’t you dare say her name!’

46

‘Angel,’ Sasha said into her phone, ‘you’ve made your point. We both said things in the heat of the moment that we regret. Please give me a call, baby, tell me where you are.’ She killed the call. ‘A word to the wise, Craig, don’t ever have children.’

‘My girlfriend says she doesn’t want kids,’ said DC Power, accelerating along the road. ‘She’s a model and actress and says it’s a lot of work to get back into physical shape. She doesn’t want her pelvic floor to be shot to pieces.’

‘I’ve given birth to three kids, so let’s not venture much further into this conversation. And, anyway, you’ll be too busy cracking heads at the National Crime Agency to have children.’

He blushed, obviously remembering what he’d told Lolly while Sasha was listening on the two-way in the park.

‘You know what.’ He flicked up the indicator to make a right turn into Karin’s street. ‘Despite what I said, there is one good thing about working down here.’

‘The rides on Adventure Island,’ she said.

‘No.’ He shot her a sideways look. ‘I like working for you.’

‘Craig.’ Sasha turned towards him in the passenger seat, genuinely touched. ‘You don’t know how much it means for me to hear you say that. But they won’t let you anywhere near the Flying Squad or whatever with that kind of snowflake attitude, you’ll have to toughen up a bit.’