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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

A noise rose from the kitchen. ‘Elliott?’ she said, making her way downstairs then silently entering the room. Her hand rose to her chest. Her son was standing at the locked back door, a statue in the moonlight as he stared into the night. ‘Elliott!’ she rushed towards him. ‘What are you doing? Are you OK?’

‘Sarah’s in trouble. She’s with the Midnight Man.’

Maggie’s mouth gaped open in horror as she took in her son’s tearful expression.

‘Is she in trouble like Jahmelia?’

Elliott nodded. His eyes were dark and full as he stood, cold and rigid in the dark.

She wrapped her arms around him and he clung to her as she picked him up. ‘Are you OK? Oh my sweet boy.’

‘I saw him, in my dreams,’ he sobbed, as his mother cradled him. ‘His face was like this …’ He pressed his palm to his cheek and dragged the skin down. ‘But he had two faces. He looked like Daddy too. They’re in B-Blackhall Manor,’ he sobbed. ‘He wants to fin-finish the game.’ He was talking about the injuries Lewis suffered when he ran into a burning building without a thought for himself. Part of him died that day. He’d returned a different man.

‘Oh my darling,’ she soothed, bringing him to her own bed. ‘It was just a nightmare. You can sleep with me tonight.’ But her mind was racing. What if this wasn’t a bad dream? What if Lewis really had returned? His room was on the ground floor. He was allowed to leave when he wanted. Nobody was keeping him there. She had lied to Sarah about his illness because she was trying to buy herself some time. Her husband had appeared vacant to the outside world – but he was physically capable of moving about on his own. Staff told her to be patient, that he would speak to her in time. What if it was all a game?

The description Elliott gave was clear. He had barely recognised his father because of the scarring on his face. The knot of worry that had plagued Maggie recently twisted in her gut. Was Lewis the Midnight Man? It wouldn’t be the first time they had played that game. She thought about the hell of his PTSD and the decline of his mental health. His erratic paranoia and obsessions as he spiralled into depression and substance abuse. She’d been too embarrassed to tell people that her heroic husband had fallen apart – but what did that say about her?