BooksBarbecue
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?’ he snarled. ‘Let you what?’

Karin wanted to finish the sentence, let us go, but she was too scared of Jerry’s reaction. The dirty nails of his fingers scratched the table, close to the handle of the knife. It could be that he had decided to kill them all, dig up the cellar and bury their bodies alongside the cold bones of his mother.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to—’

‘I’m scared, Karin,’ he told her.

Then he stood suddenly and went to the sink, leaving the knife on the table. So close to her that she could just pick it up. She wondered if this was the moment Becky had told her about, that split second of opportunity. In her mind’s eye, Karin saw herself snatching up the blade and plunging it into his back – but she had no idea if she was capable of doing it. Jerry had killed people, so many people, and he wouldn’t hesitate to murder her if she faltered.

He found a dirty glass on the cluttered draining board. Water thundered into the sink. He drank the water and slumped back in the chair.

‘I’m scared about what will happen to me. I made a… big mistake. I didn’t mean to do it, I was walking past and I saw the minibus and… I don’t know why, I just climbed in. I didn’t think about what I was doing. I brought you all here and now I don’t know what to do.’ His tears spattered on the gnarled wood of the table. ‘I’m so sorry, I’m so, so sorry.’

Karin wondered if Jerry was playing a trick on her, if it was all a cruel joke.

‘They’re going to punish me, they’re going to put me in prison!’ He looked pathetic, vulnerable. Sobs wracked his body. ‘They’ll lock me up and throw away the key. The other prisoners will be unkind to me, they’ll be mean and cruel, they’ll make me suffer! I didn’t mean to do it, I made a mistake!’

‘You made a mistake,’ she repeated, bewildered.

‘I went out with the knife, because I wanted to do something bad, I always imagined I could, and I saw the minibus. I didn’t even know what I was doing. I climbed in and drove it here. But it was wrong and stupid, I know that now!’

‘Then just let us go,’ she urged him. ‘We won’t tell anyone. We just want to go home.’

‘But you will,’ he wailed. ‘You’ll tell them about me and I’ll go to prison. Oh, what am I going to do?’

An incredible possibility dawned on Karin.

‘Jerry.’ Karin waited till he lifted his eyes to hers. ‘Those stories you told me, did you… did you kill all those people?’

His head dropped shamefully to the table.