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

‘He’s got a record as long as one of his arms,’ DI Bennett replied, a smirk behind her tone. Mark didn’t exactly share the joviality she was feeling. She didn’t have to spend time with him. ‘Some of it is a bit too close to be ignored.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I thought you said you’d read the file?’

Mark paused, wondering if she was going to get annoyed with him for not reading every last sentence she’d handed over to him. ‘I read most of it.’

‘I suppose you didn’t have much time to familiarise yourself with the case,’ DI Bennett replied, seeming to let this one go for now.

‘Sorry,’ Mark said, hoping the oversight would be ignored. He made a mental note to read everything before barrelling forwards. Hoped he’d remember to do that in the future. ‘Forget it. Anyway, he’s got some previous,’ DI Bennett said, sighing loudly and turning back towards him now. ‘Domestic violence, accusation of rape, which didn’t make it to court. CPS refused to take it on. Matrix think he’s into drugs now as well. Has some connections to some known dealers. An ex-girlfriend had a restraining order against him for a while, too. He doesn’t seem to have been in trouble for a few years now, apart from the odd disorder on a Saturday night. Nothing major. Guy has a temper and doesn’t seem to stick to targeting one gender either.’

It was Mark’s turn to sigh, as he tried to put a list of all the things they didn’t know against the little they did. And why this was even his job anyway. ‘I’m guessing you want me to find out what his relationship was like with Emily specifically, then?’

‘In one,’ DI Bennett replied, the sound of paper shuffling accompanying her words, as she began moving things around her desk. A sure sign he was about to be ushered out. ‘It’s usually someone close to the victim, after all. If we find a body, it’ll make things easier, but for now, unless anything else comes to light…’

‘He fits,’ Mark finished for her. ‘Especially with a record like that. Not such a stretch that there’s been abuse and she’s threatened to out him. Or this was the first time and she fought back. Or something to do with the drugs angle. Lot of possibilities for me to work on. So far, he doesn’t seem anything other than pissed off with us for not doing more to find her. And he seemed to be genuinely upset earlier. Could be an act, I suppose, but if it is, it’s a convincing one.’

‘It’s not like we haven’t seen some damn good actors over the years. He could be hiding something.’