BooksBarbecue
Back Time for the Dead
Chapters (94)
  1. Cover
  2. Time for the Dead
  3. Dedication page
  4. Map
  5. Epigraph page
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. Epilogue
  92. Acknowledgements
  93. About the Author
  94. By Lin Anderson

She thought she heard the word ‘please’, followed by her name. Her real name.

This is his next move, she thought. His next attempt to soften me up. He’d done that in her prison. Called her by her real name, as though that meant he could pretend what was happening was consensual.

‘I’m sorry,’ he called out suddenly. ‘What I did was wrong. They threatened to kill us if we didn’t. Even worse, they threatened to kill you.’

‘Sugarboy didn’t do it,’ she said. ‘They almost killed him, but he still wouldn’t. Ben and Charlie pretended to. But you . . .’

The truth annoyed him. His wheedling tone changed to anger.

‘We were in a fucking war. Remember the helicopter? Remember the kid you took in? You never searched him and he had a grenade. He blew up our fucking friends because of you. But we never punished you for that. We forgave you.’

Had they forgiven her? Had she forgiven herself?

They were all unreliable narrators, she thought. We all have our versions of the same story, although in his there is never any doubt, because the route he chooses is always the right one. What he does, what he did, is always justified.

‘And remember, we will never give you up for Pete’s death. Never.’ He hurried on, sensing perhaps that she might be coming round to his way of thinking. ‘Just as we will never tell them that he killed Watson.’ He paused, but only briefly. ‘We can get out of this scot-free. Get back to being a team again.’

At his words, she felt something collapse inside herself. There was no escape from all of this. How could Sugarboy have imagined there would be?

Perhaps sensing this, he made his promise. ‘Let me out of here and we’ll go meet with the guys. We can be off this island and back out to Afghanistan, just as planned. Sugarboy was never going back. You know that, don’t you?’

Unleashed now, the truth came flooding back. The reason why they’d come on this last trip together, pretending they were still one big happy team. They weren’t, because Sugarboy was never going back and neither was she.

In that moment, she wanted nothing more of this – or him. Drawing her knife, she reached into his cell.

78

Alvis, having walked on until he could easily access the shore, spotted the dancing lights on the clifftop and instantly knew that a team had been sent out to look for them, which meant something had happened in their absence or else Donald had been too concerned for his dog to hang around until morning to check on their whereabouts.

Four sets of lights dotted the hilltop close to where they’d pitched their tent. Shortly following this, two set off in the direction Alvis himself had followed and were, he thought, heading for the bay.