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

‘We’re charging Richard Burns with murder at around lunchtime, I think,’ DI Bennett said, her voice betraying no reaction to what he’d just laid out for her. ‘Forensics came back on his car this morning. They found Emily’s hair in it and we also found blood. Will take a few days to confirm it, but it’s enough for a charge for now.’

‘Her hair? Of course it’ll be in his car. She’s his niece. The blood could be from any time—’

‘That’s enough, Mark,’ DI Bennett said, talking over him. ‘This is my fault. I should have noticed this was all a bit much for you. It’s understandable, it really is, but you’re seeing connections when there aren’t any. The CCTV might not be as we see it – maybe Rich Burns was stooped over. It’s only a short clip. It could be unconnected. Joanna could have seen something she shouldn’t have and been killed to keep her quiet. Emily was definitely killed by her uncle. There’s just not enough evidence to suggest otherwise. Holly Edwards is a troubled girl, who is now being assessed by the mental health team. That’s all there is to this. Just look at the facts. That’s all I’m asking you to do.’

‘You can’t ignore this.’

‘I have to, Mark. For now.’

Mark closed his eyes and wished he could go back. To before this week, when all he had to contend with was being ignored or ridiculed. This was somehow worse.

God really hates a trier.

‘Let me keep working on this angle. That’s all I’m asking for, okay?’

DI Bennett stared at him, then stood up and walked closer to him. ‘Take the day and consider things a little more clearly. I don’t want to see you back here until tomorrow. You need to get some rest and let us get on with things. There’s nothing here, Mark. Maybe a little space is what you need, so you can see what’s really going on.’

‘I don’t want to do that,’ Mark said, but could see it was too late. If this was a US cop show, it would be about the time he was being asked for his gun and badge, but it wasn’t that. This was the UK and real life. He was being sent away so he couldn’t interfere any longer. Quietly moved aside. ‘You just want me out the way, isn’t that right? So you can shut this case down, wrap it up in a neat little bow. Charge the uncle, because it’s always a family member, right? That’s what you said to me the other day. You can’t see it being anything else, other than a man related to a dead girl.’

‘It has nothing to do with that…’