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Back The Dead Place Save as PDF
Chapters (43)
  1. Dedication
  2. Author’s Note
  3. Epigraph
  4. Chapter One
  5. Chapter Two
  6. Chapter Three
  7. Chapter Four
  8. Chapter Five
  9. Chapter Six
  10. Chapter Seven
  11. Chapter Eight
  12. Chapter Nine
  13. Chapter Ten
  14. Chapter Eleven
  15. Chapter Twelve
  16. Chapter Thirteen
  17. Chapter Fourteen
  18. Chapter Fifteen
  19. Chapter Sixteen
  20. Chapter Seventeen
  21. Chapter Eighteen
  22. Chapter Nineteen
  23. Chapter Twenty
  24. Chapter Twenty-One
  25. Chapter Twenty-Two
  26. Chapter Twenty-Three
  27. Chapter Twenty-Four
  28. Chapter Twenty-Five
  29. Chapter Twenty-Six
  30. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  31. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  32. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  33. Chapter Thirty
  34. Chapter Thirty-One
  35. Chapter Thirty-Two
  36. Chapter Thirty-Three
  37. Chapter Thirty-Four
  38. Chapter Thirty-Five
  39. Chapter Thirty-Six
  40. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  41. About the Author
  42. Also by Stephen Booth
  43. About the Publisher

When Fry had moved out of earshot, Gavin Murfin leaned across the desk. ‘It wasn’t entirely luck that we got an ID for Audrey Steele, though, was it?’ he said. ‘It was your persistence that made the difference, Ben. Most other people would have given up, like Miss wanted you to. She ought to have acknowledged that, at least.’

‘It doesn’t matter, Gavin.’

Murfin sniffed. ‘You’re too tolerant by half.’

‘I can’t be bothered about it now. I’ve got some difficult visits to make.’

Cooper hoped that eighteen months had been long enough for the bereaved families to come to terms with their loss. He might be about to intrude on their grief in a big way.

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Cooper didn’t need prompting this time before seating himself in one of the low armchairs in Vivien Gill’s sitting room – he’d already seen the blinds separating across the road. The baby seemed to be either sleeping or being looked after somewhere else, because he wasn’t taken through into the kitchen. That didn’t mean he couldn’t smell it, though.

‘Mrs Gill, this is a bit difficult,’ he said. ‘But you’re aware that we found your daughter’s remains. The identification has been confirmed from dental records.’

‘Yes, I understand that. It’s been explained to me.’

‘Well, the thing is, the ashes that you have –’ Cooper indicated the urn on the dresser. ‘Obviously, in the circumstances, they can’t be Audrey’s.’

Mrs Gill nodded. ‘Yes, I’d thought of that. I’m not stupid.’

‘We’d like to take them away and analyse them.’

‘You think you can find out whose ashes they really are?’

‘It might be possible. And that could help us to find out who … well, who took your daughter’s body.’

Vivien Gill looked at the urn. ‘It’s funny, but I almost want to keep it, even though I know it isn’t Audrey. It’s not as if I’ve spent my time looking at the ashes themselves, just at the urn.’

Cooper held up his hands. ‘The urn is yours. But before long, you could have the genuine ashes to put in it, if that’s what you want.’

‘Oh, take it. I’ll think about whether I want it back, and I’ll let you know.’

‘Thank you.’

Mrs Gill motioned him to stay seated and fetched the urn herself. Before Cooper could speak, she slid off the lid and looked in.

‘Strange, isn’t it?’ she said. ‘What we’re reduced to.’

‘Yes. If I may …?’