BooksBarbecue
Back The Midnight Man
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

‘I do. I pay a management company to take care of security and a local estate agency has a key. I know the locals have been campaigning to have it knocked down for years. But I can’t. I still feel like I’m there.’ She paused for breath. ‘He called my name. My father called my name so he could find me and shoot me before the police arrived. And I wanted to answer him. Because a part of me still believed that my daddy would keep me safe.’ Closing her eyes, she swallowed back her grief. She would not cry any more tears over this. Not today.

‘You should have told us,’ Gabby said. ‘You should’ve declared it when you joined the police.’

‘DI Lee knows everything on a confidential basis. I didn’t want people treating me differently. Please don’t make me go back.’

‘Of course I won’t. God.’

‘Sarge, with all respect, a few minutes ago you were asking me if I was crazy and suggesting I quit CID. I am more than capable of taking statements and I can be relied upon. I only mentioned the supernatural because one of our glorious team said it would impress you because you are such a great believer in alternative explanations.’

‘Who?’ Gabby’s brows knotted in a frown.

Sarah shook her head. ‘It doesn’t matter. I won’t be taken in again. Please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want people to look at me with pity – the way you’re looking at me now. I just want a chance to live a normal life, move on.’ The air between them was heavy with her grief.

‘Do you need me to organise help? Counselling?’

Sarah offered a watery smile. ‘I’ve been counselled up to my eyeballs. All I want is to get on with my job.’

Gabby nodded. ‘For what it’s worth, you got me at a bad time. I’ve just had to explain to Angelica’s parents that their daughter’s internal organs were removed from her body before that monster buried her in a shallow grave.’ Sarah winced as something flickered in her memory. Such horrific details were usually held back unless the victim’s family insisted on knowing every painful truth.

‘We’ll catch him,’ Sarah uttered, nodding to herself.

‘I know. And Sarah …’ Gabby touched her lightly on the arm. ‘I wasn’t wrong. You are as strong as I first thought you were, and more.’ Her gaze went to the door as a tannoy called her name from the hall. ‘Best we get back to work, eh? We have a murder to investigate.’

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