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Back The Dying Light
Chapters (30)
  1. CHAPTER ONE
  2. CHAPTER TWO
  3. CHAPTER THREE
  4. CHAPTER FOUR
  5. CHAPTER FIVE
  6. CHAPTER SIX
  7. CHAPTER SEVEN
  8. CHAPTER EIGHT
  9. CHAPTER NINE
  10. CHAPTER TEN
  11. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  12. CHAPTER TWELVE
  13. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  14. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  15. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  16. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  17. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  18. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  19. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  20. CHAPTER TWENTY
  21. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  22. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  28. FREE KINDLE BOOKS AND OFFERS
  29. THE DI NIKKI GALENA BOOKS
  30. GLOSSARY OF ENGLISH SLANG FOR US READERS

Will’s mouth went dry. For a moment he was Constable Stonebridge again, back in that ruined chapel and full of terror.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

That evening, Matt and Liz sat at the kitchen table and discussed the meeting between Will and Sam Page. Their supper dishes forgotten, they were sipping a welcome glass of brandy.

Matt had printed off the picture from the computer, and it lay on the table in front of them.

‘To be honest, I wish Sam hadn’t mentioned the bird’s eggs,’ said Matt. ‘I know it was a fact, but poor Will is so wrapped up in his wife’s neuroses, that I think he became a bit fanciful himself.’

‘I can understand why,’ said Liz, staring at the painting. ‘It’s a bit spooky that the child dreamed the same thing as in that scary picture.’

‘Not really.’ Matt sighed. ‘Come on, DS Haynes! Look at this like a detective. It’s perfectly understandable. And I took great pains to explain this to Will before I left. Hell, Liz, he looked haunted.’ He took a quick sip of his brandy. ‘I’m sure you remember Kate’s earlier work, all those cute fairies in the magic garden? Well, one of her big things was to incorporate nature — all her main character illustrations had flowers, trees, birds, small animals, butterflies, and things like spider’s webs and, you got it, nests with eggs in them! Sophie is a massive fan of the books, and remember that painting that Kate dedicated to her and we took to Canada? It was called Snapdragon, and at the bottom, close to where she’d signed it, was a bird’s nest with eggs in it, nestling in the grass. Do you see where I’m going?’

Liz nodded. ‘Put like that, yes. And Will told us at some point that Sophie was keen to know all about the fen and where he lived. He will no doubt have told her about the marsh and the tides.’ Liz exhaled. ‘If the lass did dream about the marsh after she’d actually seen it for herself, her subconscious could well have taken all that on board, then embellished it with something from the fairy books.’ She sat back. ‘Typical dream, then, and not so spooky, after all.’

‘I just hope that Will remembers what I said and doesn’t start making flaky connections.’ Matt frowned. ‘All that creepy crap makes me so angry. Especially about the marsh. Anywhere with water, tides and remote areas can be dangerous, especially for children, unattended ones in particular.’ The frown deepened. ‘History throws up hundreds of accidents on the East Coast, some of them fatal, but usually the result of misadventure or plain stupidity, not because an old house has put a sodding bloody curse on them!’

Liz grinned at him. ‘I love you when you’re angry, Matt Ballard.’