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Back Under a Dark Cloud Save as PDF
Chapters (77)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Part 1
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. Part 2
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. Part 3
  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. Acknowledgements
  74. Next in Series
  75. Canelo Crime
  76. About the Author
  77. Also by Louisa Scarr

He places one hand on the door handle. And then he notices who she’s with. Josh Smith is standing next to her. He’s in the same white shirt from the funeral, tie now discarded, collar open wide at the neck. But on Josh this casual look seems classy, attractive, when Robin knows on him it would just look a mess. Josh leans forward and says something into Freya’s ear. She laughs in reply, then puts her hand on his arm.

Robin pauses. This is more than two workmates out for a drink. This is something else. He remembers Josh asking her out when they were away in Devon, and her coy response. She likes him, he can tell.

He taps his middle finger on the door handle, thinking. Freya deserves this. A man like Josh, who can make her happy. Someone attractive and fun and quick to smile. Uncomplicated; exactly everything Robin isn’t. He looks at Freya. At the line he shouldn’t cross.

And Robin Butler turns and walks slowly home.

Acknowledgements

Finn’s story has been on my mind for years, so a big thank you to Louise Cullen at Canelo for letting me write it. Your guiding hand on the manuscript made it the altogether better novel it is today. Thank you also to Francesca Riccardi, Siân Heap, Claudine Sagoe, Jenny Page, Nicola Piggott and Iain Millar; they are an incredible bunch at Canelo.

Thank you to Ed Wilson, for steering me through the crazy, and to Hélène Butler and the rest of the team at Johnson and Alcock.

This book pulled on more experts than ever before, and I couldn’t have written it without their guidance:

Thank you to the usual suspects – to Dr Matt Evans for all things medical, and PC Dan Roberts for all things police. (Matt, I’m sorry, there really was quite a bit with this one.) On the meteorology side, thank you to Dr Alec Bennett, Dr Marie Bennett and Professor Giles Harrison. To Dr Sam Batstone, thank you for providing the solution to what was wrong with Finn and for everything related to WKS. Thank you to Steph Fox for your help (and graphic photographs) on the blood spatter scene.

Thank you to Anne Roberts and Maria and Isaac for the guided tour of Kingskerswell, and to Shake, Damian Sciberras and Ed Kernahan for the technical guidance on cameras. Thank you to Aidan Riley and Robin Nash for everything Navy, and Ali Burns for everything TA (even though the whole plot line got cut, sorry.) For the valuable information on servers and IT, thank you to Sophie Harper and Simon Ricketts. Thank you to Charlie Roberts for spotting the gaping plot hole that everyone else missed, just in the nick of time. And finally, thank you to Susan Scarr and Laura Stevenson.

As always, all mistakes, deliberate or otherwise, are down to me and me alone.