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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

‘You are. Fuck!’ Robin throws his hands up in exasperation. ‘You’ve turned up to a crime scene stoned out of your head. We should search and arrest you now.’

‘I have a licence from the Home Office, you know that!’

‘To grow it for medical tests, you stupid cow. Not to smoke it yourself!’

‘Is that all you’re concerned about?’ Sophie screams back. ‘You cops, you’re all the same. The man I love is in danger and all you care about is some pot.’

DI Craig puts her arm in between them, and Robin turns quickly, walking a few metres away from Sophie, his back to her.

‘You can stay,’ Craig says softly, looking at Sophie. ‘But don’t get in our way. And don’t smoke anything else while you’re here.’

She walks up to Robin and whispers something in his ear. He pulls his phone out of his pocket, looks at it, then nods.

Robin turns and goes back over to Sophie. ‘Finn’s mum is here and I’m going to go with her to his flat. We need to look for anything that can help us work out what’s going on.’

‘You can’t do that,’ Sophie exclaims. ‘That’s an invasion of privacy. Police can’t break into anywhere they want!’

Robin looks at her, a withering expression on his face. ‘I’m not going as police, I’m going as his friend. And Josie has a key, so we’re not breaking in.’ He pauses. ‘Would you prefer that Finn stays here, Sophie? Locked in a van with a dead body, threatening to kill himself?’

Sophie reels at the stark reality. But she shakes her head quickly, stunned. ‘I’m coming with you,’ she stutters.

‘You can come if you want, but if you get in my way, I will arrest you, like I should have done three months ago.’ Robin’s voice is dispassionate, his emotions back under check. Sophie doesn’t know how he does it, but she feels sad for Robin. She’d rather be herself, emotional and reactive and feeling, experiencing the world as it happens, than be that cold.

‘Do you understand me?’ Robin adds.

Sophie bites her lip, nodding slowly.

‘Fine, then let’s go.’

6

Robin feels warm arms round him, pulling him tight. He enjoys the closeness for a second, remembering the familiar scent of lavender talcum powder, then pulls away, kissing his best friend’s mum on the cheek.

Josie looks tired, but her presence is the tonic Robin needs. She puts two hands either side of Robin’s face and looks at him closely, a kind smile radiating towards him.

‘Let me look at you, Robin,’ Josie says. ‘It’s been too long.’ She pulls him first in one direction, then the other. Robin is used to being examined in this way by Josie and lets her prod him in the tummy. ‘You’re looking good.’