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Back The Dead Line Save as PDF
Chapters (87)
  1. Cover
  2. By the Same Author
  3. Dedication Page
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. Acknowledgements
  86. Also Available by Holly Watt
  87. The Hunt and the Kill

‘Emily said, “Keep her safe.” That’s her priority. Not the police. Poppy is all that she wants.’

‘It might be,’ said Miranda. ‘It’s what you want to believe, Casey.’

‘The police will cause chaos,’ said Casey. ‘The Burton-Smiths could lose Poppy for ever over this. You know that. They know that.’

‘Maybe.’

‘No one outside that gang knows the Burton-Smiths are involved yet. If we keep their secrets, they could just quietly re-register Poppy over here, and get on with their lives. Heather worked out a way they might do it. Poppy Lancaster just disappears for ever.’

‘The police won’t like it,’ said Miranda. ‘They’ll want to know who the families are.’

‘We’d never tell them.’

‘That would be hard. They’d go for our computers, not that they’d find much.’

‘We have to work out who Zeus is,’ said Casey. ‘Finding him is the only way of getting Dominic and Emily out safely.’

‘How?’ Miranda raised her palms to the sky. ‘How are you going to find him?’

‘I don’t know,’ said Casey. ‘But we need to get back to the office.’

Shaking her head, Miranda put the car into gear.

‘Portunus,’ Casey was murmuring to herself as she dialled. ‘Arachne. Aceso.’ She swiped at her phone. ‘Toby? I need a hand with something.’

Toby had worked with Casey and Miranda in the past. At the Post, he was a data journalist, in anarchic T-shirts and torn jeans. He was pale, his head almost shaved, and he rolled his eyes behind Ross’s back a lot. In the office, he was a brilliant coder, a magician delving into a dark parallel world of pythons and rubies and perls. The Post averted its thoughts from what he got up to outside the office. Casey, occasionally, sidled up to him.

Now, she spoke fast. ‘Toby, can you get a list of every company set up around the world in the last – say – five years, and cross-reference them against the names of all the Greek gods and goddesses? And any other mythical names.’ She paused. ‘Yes, all of them. Thousands, yes. I know it’s a bit odd . . . But it might just throw something up . . . ASAP please. You’re a star.’

Casey ended the call, and turned with a grin to Miranda. ‘It might work,’ she said again.

As she spoke, Casey was scrolling through her phone. ‘Aristaeus,’ she murmured. ‘“Minor god of cheese-making, bee-keeping, and other rustic skills.” God, some of these are obscure. Asclepius . . . Atlas . . . Attis . . .’

The car raced along, the rain spattering against the windscreen as the miles rolled past.

Casey sat up sharply in her seat. ‘Tartarus,’ she read out. ‘Both a deity and place in the Underworld. They had that bull logo – that’s another Zeus symbol. Tartarus Energy, the company Bantham mentioned out in DC. They’re another one.’

62

62

‘Tomorrow,’ Miranda said, as they pulled into the car park under the Post. ‘You need to sleep, Casey.’