BooksBarbecue
Back The Hollows
Chapters (77)
  1. Front Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Dedication
  5. PART I
  6. 1.
  7. 2.
  8. 3.
  9. 4.
  10. 5.
  11. 6.
  12. 7.
  13. 8.
  14. PART II
  15. 9.
  16. 10.
  17. 11.
  18. 12.
  19. 13.
  20. 14.
  21. 15.
  22. 16.
  23. 17.
  24. 18.
  25. 19.
  26. 20.
  27. 21.
  28. 22.
  29. 23.
  30. 24.
  31. 25.
  32. 26.
  33. 27.
  34. 28.
  35. 29.
  36. 30.
  37. 31.
  38. 32.
  39. 33.
  40. 34.
  41. 35.
  42. 36.
  43. PART III
  44. 37.
  45. 38.
  46. 39.
  47. 40.
  48. 41.
  49. 42.
  50. 43.
  51. 44.
  52. 45.
  53. 46.
  54. 47.
  55. 48.
  56. 49.
  57. 50.
  58. 51.
  59. 52.
  60. 53.
  61. 54.
  62. 55.
  63. 56.
  64. 57.
  65. 58.
  66. 59.
  67. 60.
  68. 61.
  69. 62.
  70. 63.
  71. 64.
  72. 65.
  73. PART IV
  74. 66.
  75. 67.
  76. 68.
  77. Acknowledgements

“Us? What we got to worry about?” Keira sounded panicky. “Liz, you said we’d done everything we –”

“We have, you silly mare. Everything we could. Just tomorrow I’m worried about. We were gonna give Them the Famu-whatsit bitch and Dave Dickhead Chapple, but Ellie bastard Cheetham pissed all over that, didn’t she? All we’ve got now’s bloody pigs and sheep to give Them.”

“We gave Them that before.”

“That was before, Keira. They’ve been having fun all night up in Barsall, haven’t They? Pigs and fucking sheep might not be what They’re after anymore.”

“Could always…” Keira tailed off. A long silence.

“Could always what, Keira Lucas?” Mum said.

“Never mind.”

“Out with it.”

“Well, I just thought – if you think we’ve got to – there’s always Jess. Or better still, that kid of hers. It’s all deformed and probably a fucking retard too.”

There was a silence after that, but not an angry one. Jess knew the silences in this house as well as the sounds; Mum hadn’t been shocked into silence, but was mulling the idea over.

She ran back up the stairs, not caring if she made any sound or not. She wasn’t even waiting to hear Mum’s answer, because that wasn’t the worst part. No, the worst part was that when she’d even talked about not keeping the baby when she was pregnant she’d been knocked halfway across the room, but once she’d gone through all the agony of bearing him, not to mention bringing him up, Keira could talk about feeding Baby Joel to Them – not to mention Jess herself – and Mum stopped and thought about it.

Try it, you bastards, just fucking try it.

In her room, Jess shut and bolted her door, then dragged the chest of drawers back into place. She remembered something else, and pulled open one of the drawers and rooted in it till she found what she was after: one of Tony’s cartridge knives. She opened it out and sat on the bed, resting a hand on Joel’s cradle.

For a while, she just felt numb.

And then she began to feel again.

First, anger.

Then hate.

And after that – slowly, carefully but steadily, because her hatred had given her a clarity and a need to hurt she’d never had before – she began to plan.

21.

21.

Even with the heating on, the chill from outside crept into the Land Rover and Tom Graham was glad he was wrapped up against the cold. The woollen cap he’d pulled on felt pitifully thin and frankly didn’t cut the mustard; pity Ellie hadn’t left her KGB hat in the car.