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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

‘What did you do to them?’ Jim screamed at Karin. Tears flooding down his cheeks, his face twisted in impotent fury. ‘Why did you do it? Why?’

47

‘She knows where that missing girl is,’ Jim Haskell told Sasha in one of the interview rooms in the custody suite. ‘And the boy, I’m sure of it.’

‘What makes you think that?’

Jim folded his arms to stare sullenly at Sasha and Craig. If he felt remorse for attacking Karin, he didn’t show it; all the tears and anger were gone now, replaced by an implacable contempt.

‘Because everyone knows that you interviewed all that lot. Michelle Dormand is the girl’s godmother, Karin McCarthy is the boy’s teacher. Simon Parkin is in a coma and Lydia Tide is dead, for God’s sake. That mob are all in it up to their necks!’

‘What I really don’t understand is why you dislike Karin so much?’

‘With respect, I don’t think there’s anybody on Earth who knows more about the Bad Place than I do.’ He snorted bitterly. ‘Listen to me, calling it the Bad Place, like everyone else. Makes it sound like something exciting, don’t it? Like a rollercoaster ride, or a scary movie. But the fact is, my sister was killed in that cesspit, murdered. And when Jerry Swann was shot dead the whole investigation was wrapped up in a little bow. How very convenient; Swann died, he was guilty, case closed. But there are so many questions about that place still, a gaping hole in our knowledge of what happened on the night Becky died. Things she ain’t told us.’

‘Such as?’

‘For one thing, she spent hours every night with Swann but she’s never spoken about what they talked about.’

‘He told her about all the people he said he’d killed.’

‘All night, every night, that’s all they talked about?’ He scratched his chin. ‘Doesn’t seem likely to me, and we only have her word for it. They could have left the house together, gone for a meal, or to the pictures, for all we know. She could have met someone else up there – a relative of Swann’s, an accomplice, a pen pal. Someone who’s out there now, snatching kids! That copper Carrington once told me he never trusted her version of events, even he reckoned she was hiding something. So what really went on up there?’ Sasha was listening carefully, which made him grin. ‘I can see you’re wondering about it, too.’

‘She was just a frightened young girl,’ said Sasha. ‘The same as Becky.’