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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

‘She’s right behind us! Come on!’

They heard Jerry’s footsteps upstairs and Karin pushed Lydia along the hallway, where Michelle was tearfully scrabbling with the keys at the door.

She dropped them on the mat. Terrified, Paul was crying. Nobody looked behind them to make sure they were all there.

‘Come on!’ Paul cried, Simon’s head lolling on his shoulder.

Michelle snatched up the keys and found the right one and slipped it with a trembling hand into the lock. A light went on above them, Jerry’s shadow appeared on the wall at the top of the stairs, and they began to panic. The key turned, and Michelle pulled the door open to reveal the night.

‘Run!’ she screamed and they raced out of the house, bolting for the dark woods on the other side of the overgrown drive.

‘Into the trees!’ shouted Lydia.

The five of them ran as fast as they could. Stumbling into the trees, weeping with fear and hope, consumed by the panic that Jerry was in pursuit and could grab them at any moment, they tore through the undergrowth to freedom.

Nobody looked round to check that Becky was with them.

But Karin stopped for a moment at the edge of the trees to look back at the farmhouse, and the shape silhouetted at the door.

She was sure Jerry gave her a sad wave goodbye.

60

‘You locked Becky in the cellar, knowing he would kill her!’

‘I made a terrible mistake.’

‘You executed her!’

‘No! I was angry and upset, I felt rejected. I thought Jerry Swann was harmless, incapable of killing anybody, and he would flee and Becky would be left alone. I thought the police would come and let her go. He was just a liar, I never imagined in a million years that he would—’

‘He murdered her for you,’ spat Ian. ‘This is for you, my love! His words weren’t intended for Becky, but for you. It was a declaration of love, and you’ve known that all these years.’

Tears rolled down Karin’s face. ‘Yes, he killed her for me. He thought I was his friend, the only one he had. But Becky was my friend, I loved her more than anything, and he couldn’t bear that, like I couldn’t bear her not loving me any more. And I’ve had to live with the guilt and the shame of what I did ever since.’

‘Say it,’ Ian said. ‘I want to hear you admit what you did.’

‘I’m responsible.’ Karin’s voice cracked as she turned to everyone in the room. ‘Becky was killed because of me.’