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Chapters (70)
  1. Cover
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  3. Map of Rutland
  4. Map of Oakham
  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
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  22. 18
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  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
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  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
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  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. On Borrowed Time
  69. Acknowledgments
  70. Adam Croft

‘We all have our safe place. The spot where we want to finally be laid to rest.’

‘Can I ask?’

‘What difference will it make? You’ll only try and stop me.’

‘I’m not at liberty to stop anything right now, Howard. You’re pointing a hunting rifle at the back of my head.’

Caroline heard a gentle clatter as Smallwood put the gun on the kitchen table.

‘Go on, then. Arrest me. Deny a man his final resting place.’

‘Howard, even if I let you go you’d be stopped at the border.’

‘Border of what? I’m not leaving the country. I’m not even leaving the county.’

Caroline closed her eyes and nodded. ‘Rutland Water.’

‘Nether Hambleton.’

‘You’re planning to drown yourself?’

‘Sleeping tablets. I’m going to row out to the right spot with ballast tied to me. Some lighter fluid. A pack of matches. And just as I’m drifting off, with my last bit of energy, I strike the match. I won’t feel a thing. I’ll be long gone. So will the boat. And I’ll be pulled down by the ballast. Back home.’

There was something in the way he spoke that tugged at Caroline’s heartstrings. He sounded like a young boy. A lost boy. And in that moment, she had an overwhelming urge to step aside and let him go. After all, what was there to lose? He wasn’t going to get away with anything. Within a few hours he’d be dead and lying at the bottom of Rutland Water, exactly where his childhood home had once been. What good would it do anyone for him to die a few weeks or months later in a prison cell somewhere? If he was as gravely ill as he said, he probably wouldn’t even make it as far as the trial. But that feeling didn’t last long.

Bubbling away underneath it was that anger at everything Howard Smallwood’s perverse little game had put her through over the past two weeks. Everything she’d lost or nearly lost. Everything that had been put at risk. She looked over towards him, watching him lost in his reverie. And before he could react, she launched herself at him.

58

He was stronger than she thought. Far stronger. She’d heard stories of people who’d found superhuman strength when faced with a battle they absolutely had to win. Deep, primal urges were real, and they were strong.

She tried to put an arm around his neck and get him into a headlock, but she couldn’t reach quickly enough. Smallwood pushed back, catching her off balance and sending her backwards, her spine crashing into the edge of the kitchen work surface.