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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

They placed him in Interview Room 2, let him stew there for a while. Simon Parkin looked older than his forty years. As long as you didn’t look closely at his stained teeth, he was handsome still, with tangled, curly hair bleached by the sun, and a strong jaw covered with patchy tufts of blond. But his face was ruddy, blotched, the result of a life spent outdoors. Deep crow’s feet crinkled the skin around his eyes. His scruffy clothes were old and functional and looked like they needed a good wash.

Hands laid flat on the interview table, he smiled faintly at a top corner of the room, as if his physical form was sitting in the nondescript space, with its four uncomfortable plastic chairs, square table and recording equipment, but his mind was somewhere else. In all the time they’d stood there watching him, a good few minutes, Simon’s gaze hadn’t shifted from that corner, the distant smile hadn’t left his face.

‘Simon was at the reunion dinner for the kids from the Bad Place, along with Michelle,’ Sasha told Craig as they watched him through the one-way window. ‘I can’t remember him uttering a word.’

‘Guy’s a total space cadet,’ said Craig.

As a detective inspector, Sasha didn’t tend to interview suspects, she left that to lower-ranked members of her team, but they both knew she was going to make an exception for Simon. When they went inside, Simon’s gaze didn’t drop from the ceiling. Sasha sat opposite him while Craig leaned against the wall. He stepped away to get a better look at whatever Simon was staring at, but didn’t see anything to his satisfaction.

‘What are you looking at?’

‘Silver clouds drifting across a gibbous moon.’

‘Course you are,’ said Craig.

‘How are you, Simon?’ Sasha laid a folder on the table. ‘Remember, you have the right to a lawyer. We can get the duty solicitor, or there may be someone you want to bring in.’ Simon shook his head. ‘Is there anyone we can phone to let them know you’re here?’

He thought about it a moment and then said, ‘Karin.’

‘Karin McCarthy, yes? We’ll let her know.’ Sasha made a note of it and said, ‘I’m afraid we don’t have an address for where you live.’

‘I don’t have one.’

‘You don’t have a permanent address?’

He shook his head.