BooksBarbecue
Back The Game
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. NOW
  4. One
  5. BEFORE
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. NOW
  26. Twenty-One
  27. BEFORE
  28. Twenty-Two
  29. Twenty-Three
  30. Twenty-Four
  31. Twenty-Five
  32. Twenty-Six
  33. Twenty-Seven
  34. Twenty-Eight
  35. Twenty-Nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-One
  38. Thirty-Two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. Thirty-Four
  41. Thirty-Five
  42. Thirty-Six
  43. Thirty-Seven
  44. Thirty-Eight
  45. NOW
  46. Thirty-Nine
  47. BEFORE
  48. Forty
  49. Forty-One
  50. Forty-Two
  51. Forty-three
  52. Forty-Four
  53. Forty-Five
  54. Forty-Six
  55. Forty-Seven
  56. Forty-Eight
  57. Forty-Nine
  58. Fifty
  59. Fifty-One
  60. NOW
  61. Fifty-Two
  62. Fifty-Three
  63. Fifty-Four
  64. Fifty-Five
  65. AFTER
  66. Fifty-Six
  67. Acknowledgements
  68. About the Author

‘A few more since Chris Jackson,’ Mark replied, wishing he had something more. Knowing that he didn’t have enough. ‘They were all angry about what she did, but I can’t say for certain any of them were angry enough to do something like this to her. It doesn’t make sense though. If she was doing something like that online, that all of them are level-headed enough to just move on from it. She did some pretty nasty things. Messed with people’s lives. Embarrassed them. Maybe there’s more to this than what we’re thinking.’

‘You’re overthinking this, Mark.’

‘What about what was found on Emily’s body?’

It wasn’t much to go on, but it was enough to set Mark’s heart racing. Even now, as he remembered it.

I LOST THE GAME.

‘It could be anything,’ DI Bennett said, shaking her head as she did so. She didn’t believe it herself, it seemed. ‘Just another thing to put us off track. Rich is cunning. He knew the more the water was muddied, the less chance we’d have of nailing him.’

‘I just don’t think we should totally dismiss this other angle and expect it all to be on the uncle. That’s all. If I should shut my mouth, just tell me now.’

Mark could see she was growing tired of his interjections now. He stood up away from the wall, waiting for her to tell him to stop.

She didn’t.

‘Well, you keep looking into that if you think it’ll come to anything,’ DI Bennett said, as if she were a teacher dismissing one of her unruly children from her office. ‘In the meantime, I want you to talk to the boy and see if he will give you any more on the uncle. I need you to do that, given the prior relationship. You’re in the best position to get as much out of him as possible. Do it at his home, but make sure it’s all above board.’

‘He’s not going to be happy about that…’

‘I don’t care,’ DI Bennett said, smoothing down her jacket and stepping away. ‘Meet us at the house. FLO will be here in a few minutes, so the mum and sister will be looked after. Once you’re done with the kid, get a uniform to take him to the station to meet these two there. They’re going to be questioned as well.’

Mark ran a hand through his hair, letting it travel back and massage his own neck. ‘Right, no problem boss.’