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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

‘Except it was used on the night she went missing. She received a call from that same number at 7:08 p.m.’

She opened the folder again and took out the texts sent on the night of Sammi’s disappearance.

Please meet me 1 more time

leave me alone

Please meet me and I will leave you alone I promise 8pm
Churchill Road

ok

‘Soon after that last message was sent, she went to that street and was abducted. You’ll see the mobile number is the same as the one you used to communicate with her all those months ago, which makes it, by your own admission, your phone.’

‘No.’ He shook his head fiercely and for the first time she sensed a little steel in his response. ‘I threw it out weeks ago. It was a relief to get rid of it. I never contacted her the other night.’

‘Where did you throw it away?’ asked Craig.

‘The bin outside my house.’

‘What time did you arrive at Karin’s that night?’

‘At seven thirty,’ Paul told Sasha.

‘Twenty minutes after the texts were sent to Sammi. And the four of you – Karin, Simon, Michelle and yourself – were in Karin’s house when Sammi was bundled into a van. Lydia saw it happen. And since then I’ve discovered connections between Sammi and Michelle, and Sammi and you.’ What Sasha didn’t say was that Simon had already been interviewed. ‘There’s a connection between what happened at Baden Place, and Sammi’s disappearance, I’m sure of it. Tell us what it is, Paul.’

His voice rattled with tears and snot. ‘I did a bad thing, and I will pray for forgiveness from God for the rest of my days, but I swear I had nothing to do with her disappearance. I threw the phone away.’ He held out his hands in pathetic appeal. ‘Please, I just want to go home.’

‘I’m going to ask you one more time, Paul. Where’s Sammi?’

‘On my wife’s life, on the lives of my children, I’ve no idea where Sammi Manning is. But she’s in my prayers.’

‘Yeah.’ Craig stood. ‘If I were Sammi, I’d tell you where to stick your prayers.’

Sasha watched Paul’s shoulders heave as he wept again, trying to guess the nature of the slender thread that connected what happened to him and the other survivors at the Bad Place to the disappearance of Sammi Manning.

27

The Fifth Day…

It soon became clear that neither of the boys was going to help them escape.

Paul spent most of the time crying in the corner, but everyone had hoped Simon would protect them all. He was tall for his age, physically strong, and the only one who could possibly put up a fight if Jerry attacked them.