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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

Her heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of her chest. Suddenly, her vision was lost as black material was pulled over her head. The pull of a cord tightened it around her neck. She was a fish flopping out of water, at the mercy of the person holding the line. A pair of strong arms grappled with her body as they launched her over their shoulder. Struggling to see, she made out shifting shadows of light and dark as she hung, partially upside down. Then the bounce, bounce, as he carried her down each stair before reaching their open back door. Cool fresh air curled around her skin. Where was her brother? She screamed beneath the gag. Was he dead or alive? Would she ever see her family again? Libby had never longed for her mother so badly. Spittle dampened the cloth around her mouth as she was taken into the night. The creak of a car boot followed. Then the searing pain of banging her head as she was thrown inside. The terrifying feel of a plastic liner beneath her body, and the stench of something decaying. She pushed back the thought that Angelica had been here before as the darkness swallowed her whole.

25

Nervous energy flowed through me like electricity. I was still sweating from the rush. It took all of my restraint to sit still behind the wheel of my car. My limbs were still shaking from the flood of adrenalin minutes before. I did it. I actually did it. Walked into Libby’s house like I owned the place. She had stained her blood on a card, signing her life over to the Midnight Man. Now, she was unconscious in the boot of my car. The plastic lining was one of many precautions I’d taken. There was no rush the second time around.

I was taking a chance, coming back into town this evening but I hadn’t been able to resist driving down the side road on a slow crawl. I shrank back into my seat, confident I wouldn’t be spotted. People were too focused on the town meeting in the school hall to worry about me. A yellow ribbon fluttered from a lamp-post – a pathetic tribute to the blonde teenager I had rid the town of. Soon there would be more ribbons … more posters … maybe even more town hall get-togethers while they pointed the finger of blame.

Off you go little sheep, into your pen. With a keen eye, I watched the townspeople crowd into the high school. All families who had left their children at home. Of course, they’d be in the hands of older siblings, but most of them spent their evenings glued to a screen of some kind, as my current catch would testify.