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Back The Bad Place
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

Only the other month Sasha had seen advertised a documentary, Return to the Bad Place, which dramatically reconstructed the story. The only abductee interviewed was Michelle Dormand, who, according to her website, was also available for TV and radio appearances, celebrity openings and conference events. The child who had encountered Jerry the most was Karin McCarthy. She had reportedly spent hours alone with the killer, but she had always refused to tell her side of the story, despite being offered huge amounts of money to reveal all.

Swann had been cold in the grave a long time. But last night, Lydia Tide had voiced a fear that he had returned. She was convinced he had snatched a teenage girl off a quiet street in Southend, two and a half decades after his apparent death.

And the abducted girl could be Michelle’s god-daughter, who was barely eighteen months older than the kids who had been abducted all those years ago.

This is for you, my love.

Sasha realized she had been hunched over her computer for an hour. A group of people were laughing on the other side of the office and she wanted to join in the fun, but she couldn’t rid herself of the feeling that something awful had happened to Sammi Manning.

That she had been taken to a Bad Place.

The only thing Sasha could do was fill out the risk assessment and hope that history wasn’t repeating itself. She opened the online form on her computer.

‘Sasha?’ Craig Power flicked his tie over his shoulder to lean in close, resting his knuckles on the desk, his bulging biceps twisting beneath his tight shirt. The smell of aftershave was overpowering.

‘Blimey, Craig.’ Sasha flapped a hand. ‘Do you shower in that stuff?’

‘A van’s been found abandoned at the edge of town. With clothing inside.’

She pushed her chair away from her desk. ‘What clothing?’

‘A silver puffa jacket.’

Sasha felt fear flutter in her gut.

Stuff the risk assessment.

9

That was the moment Sammi Manning’s disappearance officially became a missing person investigation.

‘Sammi left home just after 6 p.m.’ Sasha moved back and forth across the office space, making sure everyone in her team could hear her properly. ‘We know she went to meet friends from school who were hanging around on the High Street not so very far from here, and she sat with them for over an hour. Then she got a text, she didn’t say who it was from, and left soon after. We’ll be getting her phone records soon and hopefully that’ll shed some light on who she was meeting. A neighbour saw a girl fitting Sammi’s description waiting on the street at ten to eight. We know she climbed into, or was forced into, a white van within ten minutes of that sighting. The van was found abandoned this morning in North Shoebury, with Sammi’s silver puffa jacket inside.’