BooksBarbecue
Back The Woman in the Wood Save as PDF
Chapters (62)
  1. Cover
  2. Also by M.K. Hill
  3. THE WOMAN IN THE WOOD
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Contents
  7. Epigraph
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. Acknowledgements
  61. About the Author
  62. An Invitation from the Publisher

‘Here’s the thing,’ Abs told Jez in the chalet in the wood. ‘I keep seeing it, our room that morning. It keeps coming back to me, I don’t know why – I don’t want to see it, it makes my heart beat fast, I can’t breathe – but it’s like I’ve been trying to tell myself something all these years. I remember I woke up early to get a glass of water. The whole room was spinning. I saw the glass at my feet and the damp patch on the ceiling and the light coming through the curtains, and they were all going arse over tit. I was so drunk and I desperately wanted to go back to sleep. It’s a wonder I never threw up. And I did get back to sleep for a few hours, until we all discovered Rhiannon was dead.’

He spun his hand, recalling. ‘But do you know what else I saw before I got back to sleep? I saw your mattress on the floor. But you weren’t lying on it, Jez, it was empty.’ Abs stepped forward. ‘So if you weren’t in bed when I woke up, where the hell were you?’

‘Having a piss, probably,’ said Jez defensively.

‘Nah.’ Abs shook his head. ‘Because I went to the kitchen and you weren’t there. Where were you, bruv?’

Jez whined, ‘Mate…’

‘You killed that girl, that Rhiannon. It weren’t Deano, you did it.’

The girl at the radiator cried out.

Jez shook his head. ‘I was asleep.’

‘Do not lie to me.’ Abs stumbled closer to Jez, fists balled at his sides. ‘Tell me the truth.’

‘I don’t…’ Jez looked pathetic. ‘Please, Abs, just leave it…’

‘What did you do?’ Abs grabbed Jez’s shoulders and slammed him against the wall. ‘What – did – you – do?’

‘I’m sorry.’ Jez’s face crumpled in misery. ‘I’m so sorry.’

‘Tell me,’ said Abs. ‘I need to know.’

‘I did get up to pee,’ Jez admitted, retreating into the shadows. ‘But then I saw Deano asleep outside and the girl was drunk, and she kept saying she wanted to go home. We argued, I don’t remember what about or how it started, but things must have got out of hand, because the next thing I know I had my hands around her throat.’

He held up his curled fingers and stared at them in astonishment, and behind him, Sarah Tovey cried out, pressing herself against the radiator in terror. When he spoke again, he lowered his voice, as if she was intruding on a private conversation.

‘She struggled a bit, but it didn’t take long, I was surprised at how easy it was to…’

‘To what?’ whispered Abs.