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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

Karin climbed inside, slammed the door. Sasha took the SIM card out of her phone and twisted it between her fingers, ignoring the journalists rapping at the passenger window, firing questions. She edged open the driver’s door and dropped it into the grate of a drain – no going back now – then turned the key in the ignition and swung the car out from the kerb as quickly as she could without mowing down any journalists.

‘Where are we going?’

‘Out of town,’ Sasha said, accelerating up the road.

‘Why is he doing this?’

‘Revenge, I think. His father was discredited and hounded from the force. Peter Carrington’s bungling got Becky killed, and he also made a number of other mistakes in the investigation. The day before you all escaped, he took part in a house-to-house search and personally spoke to Jerry Swann. He was at the Bad Place, Karin, he could have saved you all.’

‘Yes.’ What Karin said next made Sasha stare in shock. ‘I saw him there.’

56

The Twelfth Day…

Jerry took Karin upstairs at knifepoint and sat her at the table in the kitchen. He fell into the chair opposite, pressing a finger under his glasses and into one moist eye. She saw how weary he was, how gaunt, all those sleepless hours catching up with him.

Karin too was disorientated. She had no idea what day it was, or the time. The thin wash of light struggling in through the thick net curtain gave no clue. The hours she spent with him were like an endless nightmare from which it was impossible to wake, and she submitted to the ordeal numbly.

‘You look tired,’ she said.

‘Not sleeping properly, things on my mind.’ Jerry adjusted the glasses on his nose. ‘Ask me about the fella at work. About what I did to him.’

This is how it always began. Karin would have to ask him a question and then he would tell her at great length about one of the murders he’d committed, going into excruciating, horrific detail about it.

‘Please, Jerry,’ she said without enthusiasm. ‘I’d like to know about the man at your work.’

‘There was a fella I worked with, this was a long time ago now, and he… he displeased me. He wasn’t courteous, he wasn’t friendly, he looked down his nose at me… thought he was a cut above, but he was a liar and…’

He lapsed into silence.

‘So you killed him…’ Karin prompted, because that was how the sentence usually ended.

‘Yeah, I did, I…’ She watched in astonishment as a tear rolled down one of Jerry’s cheeks, and he smeared it away quickly. ‘It’s all coming to an end.’

‘What is?’

‘All of it.’ His head twitched. ‘They’re looking for you lot, you’re all over the papers, the TV, the radio, they’re looking everywhere.’

‘Then maybe…’ Karin whispered, ‘now is the time to let us—’