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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

Moments later, as he offered around the last of his Percy Pigs – treat yourself, take two! – Ajay returned with a copy of the printout he’d taken from Google Maps, an aerial shot of a home in an ordinary suburban street in the east of town.

‘Let’s find out who lives there.’ Sasha clapped her hands, feeling that familiar excitement of a new lead.

But Ajay had already done it and handed her his notebook. ‘This is the address and the name of the householders, courtesy of the electoral register.’

Anthony packed away his laptop and his other bits and pieces while they all tensely looked over Sasha’s shoulder.

‘You’ve got to be kidding,’ she said, looking at the names of the registered householders on the page.

‘Who is it?’ asked Lolly.

Sasha nudged Craig and went to the door. ‘Come on, Powerman, here’s your chance to get out of the office.’

26

All Paul Ferdinand’s digital devices – his phone, laptop and tablet – were seized, and officers searched every inch of his home for Sammi Manning. That same wicker chair, the one she had been photographed in, was found in a spare bedroom, an image of Jesus Christ now hanging on the white wall behind it. Sasha didn’t think Sammi was likely to have been kept captive in Paul’s family home, where he lived with his wife and two children, or locked in the shed at the bottom of the garden, but stranger things had happened.

‘He volunteered at a youth club Sammi attended until five or six months ago,’ Ajay told Sasha on the way to the interview room. ‘According to her parents, Sammi used to love going there, but she went off it suddenly. They just thought she’d outgrown it.’

‘More like she wanted to avoid Paul Ferdinand.’

‘How the hell did he manage to volunteer?’ Craig clapped his hands down his sides. ‘What about the Criminal Records Bureau check?’

‘The CRB check only works if you have previous. Paul has never been in trouble with the law.’ Sasha let out a long breath and glanced at her phone to see a missed call from Angel’s school, River Hill.

‘You need to take that?’ asked Craig.

‘It can wait.’ She put the phone away. ‘Okay, let’s go in, shall we?’

Again, Sasha accompanied Craig into the interview room. Sammi Manning had been a misper for going on three days and Paul was their best hope to bring her home.

‘What am I going to tell her?’ Paul whined as soon as they walked in. ‘What will I tell my wife?’

Taking a seat, Sasha dropped a folder on the table.