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Back The Flood Save as PDF
Chapters (101)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. THREE LOST MEN
  4. The First Man:
  5. The Second Man:
  6. The Third Man:
  7. SATURDAY
  8. Chapter 1
  9. Chapter 2
  10. MONDAY
  11. Chapter 1
  12. Chapter 2
  13. Chapter 3
  14. Chapter 4
  15. Chapter 5
  16. Chapter 6
  17. Chapter 7
  18. Chapter 8
  19. Chapter 9
  20. Chapter 10
  21. Chapter 11
  22. TUESDAY
  23. Chapter 1
  24. Chapter 2
  25. Chapter 3
  26. Chapter 4
  27. Chapter 5
  28. Chapter 6
  29. Chapter 7
  30. Chapter 8
  31. Chapter 9
  32. Chapter 10
  33. Chapter 11
  34. Chapter 12
  35. Chapter 13
  36. Chapter 14
  37. Chapter 15
  38. Chapter 16
  39. WEDNESDAY
  40. Chapter 1
  41. Chapter 2
  42. Chapter 3
  43. Chapter 4
  44. Chapter 5
  45. Chapter 6
  46. Chapter 7
  47. Chapter 8
  48. Chapter 9
  49. Chapter 10
  50. Chapter 11
  51. Chapter 12
  52. Chapter 13
  53. Chapter 14
  54. Chapter 15
  55. Chapter 16
  56. THURSDAY
  57. Chapter 1
  58. Chapter 2
  59. Chapter 3
  60. Chapter 4
  61. Chapter 5
  62. Chapter 6
  63. Chapter 7
  64. Chapter 8
  65. Chapter 9
  66. Chapter 10
  67. Chapter 11
  68. Chapter 12
  69. Chapter 13
  70. Chapter 14
  71. Chapter 15
  72. Chapter 16
  73. Chapter 17
  74. Chapter 18
  75. Chapter 19
  76. Chapter 20
  77. Chapter 21
  78. FRIDAY
  79. Chapter 1
  80. Chapter 2
  81. Chapter 3
  82. Chapter 4
  83. Chapter 5
  84. Chapter 6
  85. Chapter 7
  86. Chapter 8
  87. Chapter 9
  88. Chapter 10
  89. Chapter 11
  90. Chapter 12
  91. Chapter 13
  92. Chapter 14
  93. Chapter 15
  94. Chapter 16
  95. Chapter 17
  96. AUTUMN 2016
  97. Chapter 1
  98. Chapter 2
  99. Afterword and Acknowledgements
  100. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  101. Copyright

She closed her eyes. ‘Did you mention the colour?’

She could hear Spencer’s heart pounding, couldn’t imagine a time when it would stop.

‘I said we’d changed our minds,’ he said quietly. ‘So the coffin will be white.’

INTERVIEW WITH ALEX RECHT
06-09-2016

Present: Interrogators one and two (I1 and I2), Detective Chief Inspector Alex Recht (Recht)

I1: So Benke had been murdered, and it was your job to investigate. Was Bergman in a fit state to work?
Recht: Absolutely.
I2: Really? Her husband was extremely ill. That must have affected her.
Recht: You’re right, but let me tell you this: if she’d felt for one second that she wasn’t up to the job, she would have signed herself off sick. (silence)
I1: What did you think about Benke’s murder?
Recht: The ring on his little finger bothered me. It was an indication that this murder was different.
I2: Different in what way?
Recht: It was too early to say. But then the first letter arrived . . .
I1: Yes?
Recht: (quietly): We didn’t realise.
I2: You didn’t realise what?
(silence)
Recht: That things were going to get worse. So much worse.

TUESDAY

Chapter 1

If one more person told Noah Johansson to stop worrying about his brother’s move to Australia, he would go crazy. Because I know him, and I know there’s something weird about what’s going on here. Something dangerous.

Noah sat down at his desk. It was early in the morning, the best time of the day to call. There was only one person he could contact to talk about his brother, a man who seized every opportunity to humiliate him.

‘Yes?’ a voice said wearily on the other end of the line.

Noah’s heart sank. It was always the same; he felt strong before he phoned, but as soon as he heard that response every ounce of strength drained away. If Detective Inspector Stig Mattsson bothered to answer at all. He was a waste of space who had been designated as Noah’s contact officer. Several weeks went by before Noah realised what ‘contact officer’ meant: some poor sod who’d been told to deal with Noah’s agitated calls. Definitely not an indication that the police were following up his report. As far as Noah could tell they didn’t even think there was a case to look into; today was no different.

‘You again,’ Mattsson said. He sighed so loudly that Noah could have wept.

He couldn’t keep up this facade of politeness. He was beside himself with worry, and was hardly sleeping. If this went on he’d have to take some time off, let someone else run the business. That couldn’t happen.

‘It’s about my brother.’

‘Again.’

‘Again. It’s three weeks since I last spoke to you; have you made any progress?’