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

“She looked as if she was about to shit bricks,” Ellie said. “Not to put too fine a point on it.”

“Who does something like that? A gang? There anyone else around here like the Harpers?”

“Christ on crutches. Don’t go there.”

“Ellie.”

“Sorry.” Milly swore like a sailor, but drew the line at blasphemy. “One lot’s bad enough. Besides, who’d try starting a gang war in all this? Practically been blizzards blowing all week, roads getting blocked as fast as they can clear them. And come on, you ever seen a gang killing like that?”

“No,” Milly admitted, “and I’ve seen a few, worse luck.” Like Ellie, she was originally from Manchester. She’d been raised in Hulme, in a vibrant Afro-Caribbean community, among friends and family she still dearly loved, but there’d been a bad gang problem when she’d been growing up there. “He’d have been shot or stabbed or beaten. They wouldn’t just stand around and let him freeze.”

“No,” agreed Ellie.

“So,” said Noel, “who does?”

No-one had an answer, Ellie least of all. She reached for the Scotch and poured them all another. Outside, the wind blew waves of snow down the High Street. Ellie was glad it wasn’t visible through the curtains, except for the way it made the streetlights’ dim glow flicker; she kept thinking she could see shapes moving in it.

7.

7.

Liz Harper sat and smoked in the front room at Barrowman Farm. In the kitchen, the dogs were barking. almost drowned out by the sound of hammering from there and upstairs.

Paul had boarded up the front room window from the inside, moaning and complaining all the while about his knee, while Frank and Keira bathed their eyes and Jess got under everyone’s feet. That’d only left Dom – thickest and most useless of her brood next to Jess – for the last job, so she’d sent him out with shovel and pick. She should’ve stayed off the gin when she was carrying him. Still, better risking Dom than Frank or Paul.

If there was a risk; if Nan’s stories turned out to be anything more. The cold hard logical part of Liz said they weren’t and couldn’t be. Tony had got into a fight down at the Bell which had followed him outside (but would Cheetham have come, asking the questions she had, if she’d already known who it was?) Or some other gang with either a grudge or an eye on the Harper’s business, had come after him (but in this weather, in these storms, with snow blocking the roads every night?)