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

DI Bennett had told him over the phone that nothing had been found on the body. Not a broken phone, a purse; nothing personal at all. Mark could tell how odd his boss had found this, the items a nineteen-year-old girl – woman – was likely to have on her being missing. It meant that the search had been widened along the waterfront – he’d be helping out with that, as soon as he was finished with the family, he guessed.

It made sense why they hadn’t been able to track her phone to that location now. It was probably as dead as she was, travelling up the River Mersey, to somewhere it would never be found.

The car pulled to a stop in the hospital car park, Mark exiting and moving quickly to open the back door for the two women. They shuffled out, following close behind him as he led the way. He had done this a few times before, but he felt the same dread and anxiety as the first time he had done it. Knowing they would be looking to him afterwards for words of comfort and justice. For things he might not be able to give them.

Within a few minutes, they were waiting in a brightly lit corridor in the bowels of the hospital. Through double doors at the end lay a number of cold rooms, filled with the bodies of all those who had died in the past few days. He tried not to think of how many that would be, how many lay waiting behind thin doors. Instead, he talked Julie and Stephanie through what was going to happen next. Carefully, trying to keep them from not breaking down any further.

‘You’ll see her, you’ll be asked to confirm if it’s her or not. Don’t worry if you can’t. If you need to stop at any time, just tell me, or the coroner’s assistant who’ll be with us. If you need to take your time, that’s fine. If you don’t, that’s fine too. We’ll do this exactly how you need to.’

‘Will I be able to touch her?’ Julie said, her voice breaking, as Stephanie took hold of her hand. ‘I just want to hold her – would that be okay?’

Mark paused, knowing the answer he had to give, but not looking forward to the response to it. ‘I’m afraid not. It’s a case of not wanting to disturb any evidence. Hopefully that part will be cleared quickly. You’ll have the chance at some point.’