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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

The girl stood awkwardly on stage, looking terrified in front of a packed audience of parents, her palms anxiously rubbing together. A guitarist began to play and the video pulled sharply into a close-up of Sammi, who sang the first trembling verse of ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’. Conscious of all the mums and dads in the audience, her eyes were lifted to the ceiling, and her performance was fragile and full of nerves. In truth, her singing voice wasn’t the best, but it was delicate and heartfelt, and her vulnerable rendition suited the melancholy song. Growing in confidence, maybe even enjoying herself, Sammi’s eyes closed as she became lost in the performance.

At the end, when the last note had died away, and following a moment of appreciative silence in the hall, Sammi received hearty applause from the audience, and she allowed herself a small smile before she ran off stage.

The video finished, all Sasha could hear was the sound of the traffic passing on Victoria Avenue below. She turned off her computer, laced up her shoes, pulled on her jacket, and thought again about the Bad Place…

The abduction two decades ago of Karin, Lydia, Simon, Michelle, Paul and Becky.

Twenty-six years ago, Sasha had sat beside Karin in an empty corridor in this very building and told her that Becky would come home.

We’ll find Becky, I promise, and she’ll be safe.

But she never came home. Her reassuring words had proven to be a lie. Thanks to police blundering, Becky died in a pool of her own blood on a cold cellar floor.

But Sasha was in charge now. She finally had a chance to make up for the hollow words she had spoken to Karin many years ago.

She was going to bring Sammi home.

10

It was a quarter to eleven when she got home. She hadn’t even yanked the key from the door when her children came thumping down the stairs towards her.

‘She won’t let me go on my game until I’ve tidied my room.’ Denny’s eyes bulged with indignation as he tugged at her arm. ‘I tidied it last week!’

‘She’s driving me crazy!’ Angel was almost hysterical with self-righteous emotion. ‘She took my phone off me. It’s an infringement of my human rights!’

‘Back off.’ Sasha kicked off her shoes so violently they almost went into orbit. ‘Wait, why aren’t you both in bed?’

‘Why is Nan even here?’ cried Angel. ‘Just tell her to leave!’

Sasha managed to get into the kitchen, placed her bag on the counter. ‘She’s your grandma and she’s going to stay here for a few days.’

‘She can stay tonight and go tomorrow, no longer than that!’