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

‘We will!’ Karin could barely hide her elation. The keys she had stolen from the drawer in the kitchen were snug against her leg in her pocket. She so dearly wanted Becky to know that they were all already safe, that Jerry was no danger, he was just a scared, confused man, and they could walk out of this place any time they wished. But she also felt sick with guilt at her deception. ‘I’m going to get us out tomorrow.’

‘Do you promise?’

‘I do.’

Karin briefly considered if she could leave it another couple of nights before they left this place, but everybody was so weak and ill; Simon especially was in a bad way. Later tonight she would confront Jerry. She would tell him they were leaving, that she was going to let her friends out of the cellar and take them home, and there was no doubt in her mind that he would be too afraid to stop her.

She’d tell Becky and the others she had grabbed the keys off him and faced him down, and they would all be so happy and grateful. But she could never tell them that when the police had turned up yesterday, she had stood on the other side of the kitchen door, within touching distance of the detectives, and done nothing to alert them.

Karin worried that when this was all over and Jerry was questioned, he’d tell the police that she was there. But she’d say she was bound and gagged and heard nothing, or that Jerry had threatened her. It would be her word against his, and Jerry was a liar and a fantasist, he probably already had a reputation for it, and she would surely be believed. Jerry was so weak and pathetic that he probably didn’t even know any more what was the truth and what was lies.

His stories about killing people were a joke, he was a total joke.

But Karin also worried that Jerry wouldn’t want her to go back upstairs now she knew the truth about him – that all his boasts about killing people were a figment of his muddled imagination – and she felt the keys burn against her leg. If she didn’t manage to go upstairs, worse, if he took someone else, she would have to pretend that he’d dropped them on the way out of the cellar. Maybe, and she didn’t even want to consider this possibility, he wouldn’t come down at all. He may decide to leave them locked up here for ever, let them all rot, too afraid to do anything else. But she didn’t think so. Jerry was too scared of the consequences of his actions, and she dismissed the notion from her mind.