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Chapters (69)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. The First Crossing
  6. Chapter One
  7. Chapter Two
  8. Chapter Three
  9. Chapter Four
  10. Chapter Five
  11. Chapter Six
  12. Chapter Seven
  13. Chapter Eight
  14. Chapter Nine
  15. Chapter Ten
  16. Chapter Eleven
  17. Chapter Twelve
  18. Chapter Thirteen
  19. Chapter Fourteen
  20. Chapter Fifteen
  21. Chapter Sixteen
  22. Chapter Seventeen
  23. Chapter Eighteen
  24. Chapter Nineteen
  25. Chapter Twenty
  26. Chapter Twenty-One
  27. Chapter Twenty-Two
  28. Chapter Twenty-Three
  29. Cross Country
  30. Chapter Twenty-Four
  31. Chapter Twenty-Five
  32. Chapter Twenty-Six
  33. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Chapter Thirty-Four
  41. Chapter Thirty-Five
  42. Chapter Thirty-Six
  43. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  45. The Woods
  46. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  47. Chapter Forty
  48. Chapter Forty-One
  49. Chapter Forty-Two
  50. Chapter Forty-Three
  51. Chapter Forty-Four
  52. Chapter Forty-Five
  53. Chapter Forty-Six
  54. Chapter Forty-Seven
  55. Chapter Forty-Eight
  56. Chapter Forty-Nine
  57. Chapter Fifty
  58. Chapter Fifty-One
  59. Chapter Fifty-Two
  60. Chapter Fifty-Three
  61. Chapter Fifty-Four
  62. Chapter Fifty-Five
  63. Chapter Fifty-Six
  64. The Last Crossing
  65. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  66. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  67. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. Copyright

‘He can run you both back to the ferry first,’ Mullan offered, glancing at his watch. ‘If we’re quick out of here, you could still make the last crossing.’

Barr took out his phone and looked at it. ‘I dropped a pin at the car park too, he said. ‘There’s a more direct way back; it’ll take about 25 minutes.’

‘I’m visiting family in Glasgow,’ Karen said. ‘I’ll go on in with you.’

‘He’ll drop you off, sure,’ Mullan said, then turned to Tony. ‘What about you?’

‘I’m taking the ferry back,’ Tony said. ‘But I can take the train if you can drop me at the nearest stop.’

‘The late crossing doesn’t take foot passengers. But I can phone ahead, get it sorted for you.’

Tony felt drained, his chest heavy and dull, his arms hanging like pendula by his sides, aching. ‘What about Hugh?’

‘We’ll take care of it,’ Mullan said, moving across and kicking a scattering of leaves over the spot where Tony had sat. He turned, ushering Barr ahead of him. ‘Lead on, Macduff,’ he said, mimicking a Scottish lilt.

And so they set off, back through the woods. Tony turned, as he had done before, and regarded the scene: Duggan’s body lying above the ground, Kelly’s lying somewhere below, a strange marriage consummated with blood. But this time, he felt no urge to apologize. He’d told the truth, made his confession, and done his penance, he decided.

He turned his back on that place for a final time, and set off behind the others, the woods ahead of him full of colour and sound, though seemingly separate from him, as if perceived through a pane of glass, or by one who dreams.

The Last Crossing

The Last Crossing

Chapter Fifty-Seven

Chapter Fifty-Seven

He dreamt of Martin Kelly that night, woke gratefully the following morning only to find the bed already empty. For a moment, he thought Karen had left, but then he heard rattling coming from the bathroom, the clatter of her toothbrush falling back into the cracked ceramic mug she used to hold it.

He climbed out of her bed and padded his way across to where she stood, putting on her make-up, her work shirt already on, hanging loose over her pants, her skirt still hanging on the radiator.

He moved behind her, placed his hands on her hips, moved them up beneath her shirt, cupping her breasts as he ground himself against her behind.

‘Do you have to leave?’ he asked, nuzzling into her.

But she shifted from him, wriggling her body to indicate she wanted him to move away. ‘I’m getting ready for work,’ she said.

Tony regarded her in the mirror, but she would not hold his eye, glancing fleetingly at him, then back to the mirror, rolling her eyes upwards as she applied her mascara.

‘Is something wrong?’ he asked.