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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

Sarah had once asked Maggie if people in Slayton were cursed. How could she tell her that she sometimes wondered if karma was knocking at her door? Maggie was not the true friend that Sarah thought she was. But she had paid for her misdemeanours, hadn’t she? With her husband’s prolonged illness, and her son the way he was. She thought of Elliott and how easy he found it to talk to his new ‘Auntie Sarah’ as he had begun to call her. They had quickly forged a bond and Sarah made him happy. How could she take that away from him? As for Sarah – Maggie knew she saw a little of her brother Robin in him. If she found comfort in their friendship then where was the harm? Maggie’s white lie had been so many years ago. But what started off as a snowball had now become an avalanche. Would Sarah forgive her when she discovered the truth? She needed her friend in her life. Being an army wife had been hard. She’d gotten used to Lewis’s long absences over the years, but now it felt like he would never come home. She couldn’t face the future with just her and Elliott. She needed her friend’s support.

‘I miss you,’ she said, returning her attention to her husband who hadn’t moved an inch. ‘I wish you could tell me what to do.’ But all she heard was the rattle of a medication trolley passing their door and the tick of the clock on the wall.

49

His fleece blanket wrapped around his shoulders, Elliott sucked the last drop of liquid from his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles water bottle. Mummy didn’t like him drinking at bedtime in case he wet the bed but it didn’t come close to quenching his thirst. He needed to speak to Sarah, but he was meant to be asleep. Jahmelia needed his help. Time was running out, and the Midnight Man was getting closer. He could feel him in the shadows, waiting and watching. But the world was so big, and Elliott’s voice was so small.

Maggie had been quiet since coming back from visiting Daddy. When Elliott told her the sandwich she toasted was empty, she looked like she was going to burst into tears. Now, her voice was rising from the hall as she spoke to someone at the front door. Elliott strained to hear. It was Sarah!

‘You’re out late,’ Maggie said, allowing her inside. ‘I was just about to go to bed.’

Elliott’s face scrunched in disapproval at the lie. Mummy wasn’t going to bed, she had just opened a bottle of wine. He saw it on the coffee table next to her glass when he sneaked into the kitchen to refill his water bottle.