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

‘Bloody hell, Sasha, what are you playing at?’ Exasperated, Vaughn pointed at one of the team. ‘Speak to Chelmsford and get a helicopter in the air, two would be better. Detective Constable Power has a list of addresses he’s found, he’s on the speakerphone in the meeting room.’

‘What addresses?’ asked someone.

‘Carrington has a list of properties and sets of keys. Get him to send the addresses to North Weald.’ The National Police Air Service’s Essex base was near Epping. ‘A ’copter will cover a lot of ground far more quickly. Make sure it has thermal-imaging equipment, so we’ll know immediately if there’s anybody in those properties.’ Vaughn was about to walk away, but changed his mind. ‘And someone contact the agency where Carrington worked. Find out about which rentals he was responsible for. In the first instance, we’re looking for empty properties.’

‘There could be dozens of them, hundreds.’

‘Then you had better get on with it.’ He stabbed a finger at someone walking past. ‘And where do you think you’re going?’

‘To the toilet, boss.’

‘Then hurry it up!’ Vaughn furiously clapped his hands, hurrying him along, and shouted across the office. ‘If anybody else needs a piss, go now, because no one leaves here till those children are located.’

He glanced over at Lolly, who gestured that she was wrapping up the call. Vaughn pointed at the meeting room, we’re in here, and she nodded. When he went back inside, an enormous map of South Essex was laid out across the table.

‘Where was Jerry Swann’s Baden Place farmhouse?’

Ajay pointed at the remote area of Essex countryside where the Roach forked from the Crouch. ‘Near here.’

‘Wallasea Island was flooded over a decade ago and is now a nature reserve. There’s not much there now, but there’ll be abandoned properties. If Ian Carrington is making some kind of grand statement about the Bad Place, then wherever he’s holding those kids… if they’re still alive…’ Vaughn circled the area between the two rivers, the Crouch and its wide tributary, with a magic marker. ‘… will be in that area.’