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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

‘Most people would have run a mile from Lydia. Her life was so chaotic and unhappy, I imagine she could be very draining. But you always helped her, Karin, you always stuck by her, why is that?’

‘Because she had no one else. She was vulnerable and easily led. It wasn’t her fault she was like that. Maybe if Jerry Swann hadn’t climbed into our minibus that day, her life would have turned out differently.’

‘A lot of lives would have turned out differently, that’s for sure.’ Sasha smiled sadly. ‘Maybe you kept her close because she was unpredictable, a wild card, and she knew something about you, something she told Matt Foster, something that made you kill her.’

‘I didn’t kill her.’ Karin looked at her steadily. ‘She was my friend.’

Sasha drummed her fingers impatiently on the table.

‘Sammi and Lucas are missing, Karin, and there’s something you’re not telling us. It all keeps coming back to you, doesn’t it? Someone is trying to get your attention, and the sooner you tell us why, the better chance we have of getting those kids home safely. Because we’re running out of time now, and to be honest, I’m losing patience. Tell us what all this has to do with the Bad Place.’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You’re lying.’ Sasha’s voice rose sharply, making Craig glance at her. ‘What happened at the Bad Place?’

‘Becky died. That’s what happened.’

‘Why did she die, Karin?’

‘Because she was murdered in cold blood by a psychopath!’ Karin shouted. ‘Because she didn’t get away.’

‘How did Jerry Swann get her, Karin?’ asked Sasha quietly. ‘You and the others have always maintained she was with you all when you escaped. But something happened to her, something awful, and she never made it into the woods. Did she trip? That’s what investigators have always presumed. Or she went back into the farmhouse for some reason, or maybe she never got out at all.’

Sasha heard Karin’s breath quicken.

‘All of you have maintained that Becky escaped. Maybe all these years you’ve been mistaken. Or maybe…’ Sasha let a moment pass. ‘Maybe one of you is lying.’

Sasha knew Karin wanted to say something. She opened her mouth to speak. But then she cleared her throat and said, ‘I’ve no idea. Am I free to go?’

‘Yes.’ Sasha stood. ‘You can leave.’

49

While Craig showed Karin out of the building, Sasha headed back to the incident room to fetch her things.

‘Where are we with that blue Mazda?’ she called to Ajay as she put on her jacket.

He lifted his fingers from his computer keyboard. ‘No reports of any stolen Mazdas as yet, and we’re working as fast as we can on the CCTV footage in the streets around the abduction.’