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Back The Midnight Man Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Title Page
  2. Contents
  3. Copyright
  4. Praise for Caroline Mitchell
  5. Also by Caroline Mitchell
  6. Dedication
  7. Epigraph
  8. Prologue
  9. 1
  10. 2
  11. 3
  12. 4
  13. 5
  14. 6
  15. 7
  16. 8
  17. 9
  18. 10
  19. 11
  20. 12
  21. 13
  22. 14
  23. 15
  24. 16
  25. 17
  26. 18
  27. 19
  28. 20
  29. 21
  30. 22
  31. 23
  32. 24
  33. 25
  34. 26
  35. 27
  36. 28
  37. 29
  38. 30
  39. 31
  40. 32
  41. 33
  42. 34
  43. 35
  44. 36
  45. 37
  46. 38
  47. 39
  48. 40
  49. 41
  50. 42
  51. 43
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. 58
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgements
  69. About Caroline Mitchell
  70. About Embla Books

So my baby was born, and my parents used the hush money from the baby’s grandparents to buy what would become my home. But my father was an abuser. DC Townsend has asked me if I would like to go into detail and I have declined. Just to say that what he called his ‘blessings’ ended when my son was four. Unknown to us, Christian became a witness to what my papa forced me to do. That’s when I gained the courage to stand up and say no more.

Christian’s father is Simon Irving. What a life he has made for himself. He has never missed a payment. I cannot fault him for that. But he’s the same mean son of a bitch that he always was. Christian is a good boy. I will always stand by that. He had nothing to do with these murders, or this Midnight Game business. He has cared for me as soon as he was old enough to run and fetch. He is a quiet, loving boy. All he’s ever done is try to help. I would also like to add that DC Townsend has offered to refer me to victim support which I have declined.

‘Oh Elsie,’ Sarah said beneath her breath. If only she had known. But she was barely fourteen years of age – how could she have understood? Sitting at her desk, Sarah knocked back the last of the coffee that Richie had kindly made her. No wonder Christian was at Angelica’s funeral – he was Simon Irving’s son. She recalled him throwing the picture of Elsie’s father into the rubbish bin and the haunted expression that seemed to be part of him. But didn’t Elliott carry a similar expression, and perhaps at times, even herself?

Christian wasn’t the result of incest and Angelica was his half-sister. Had she been suspecting the wrong person all this time? But if Christian wasn’t the Midnight Man – then who was?

38

Elliott sat in the middle of the school bus. The back was where all the noisy kids sat, and the front was too busy. He liked sitting in the middle on his own. The other kids teased him for not listening when they were talking, and when he did join in, he never said the right thing. His hands felt empty without his daddy’s medal but he wasn’t allowed to bring it to school. Not since Tommy Young tried to take it and Elliott screamed the classroom down. He got into trouble and Miss Grogan said his daddy was a hero, but the medal was too special and Elliott wasn’t to bring it to school again.