The Lost
- Автор: Бекетт Саймон
- Серия: Jonah Colley #1
- Год: 2021
- Язык: английский
- Год: Orion/Trapeze
- ISBN: 978-1-398-70690-3
- Жанр: Триллеры
Электронная книга - «The Lost». Краткое содержание книги:
Ten years ago, the disappearance of firearms police officer Jonah Colley’s young son almost destroyed him.
A GRUESOME DISCOVERY
A plea for help from an old friend leads Jonah to Slaughter Quay, and the discovery of four bodies. Brutally attacked and left for dead, he is the only survivor.
A SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH
Under suspicion himself, he uncovers a network of secrets and lies about the people he thought he knew — forcing him to question what really happened all those years ago...
The pavement where Stokes had stood was empty.
Jonah swore. He quickly scanned the street, but there was no sign of the man. Backtracking, he saw a narrow side street a short distance from where Stokes had been. Hurrying to the corner, he looked down. There was no one in sight. The only light came from the small neon sign of a bar further down, but Jonah didn’t think Stokes would have had the chance to make it that far.
Christ, where was he?
Abandoning any attempt at stealth, he set off down the dark street. A noisy air vent protruded from the wall of a building, belching steam like bad breath. The air thickened with the smell of fried onions and charred meat, but there was still no sign of Stokes. Come on, where are you? There was no pavement and the brick walls of buildings crowded in at either side, blocking out the night sky. It was like being at the bottom of a man-made canyon, where doorways and passageways formed deeper areas of blackness in the shadow.
Jonah swore again under his breath, furious at himself as he headed for the bar. It was the only place Stokes could be. The neon sign said The Full House and as Jonah drew near to its glow, he heard a scuffed footstep behind him. He spun round, heart pumping as he brought up his hands. A tall figure was behind him. Dark as it was, Jonah recognised him straight away.
‘What the fuck are you doing, Jonah?’ Gavin hissed, stepping into the light cast by the bar sign.
Jonah’s relief was followed by anger. ‘Keep out of this.’
‘Forget it. I’m not going to let you do anything stupid.’
‘I don’t know what you mean.’
Gavin grabbed his arm as he started to turn away. ‘Come on, Jonah, I know what you’re doing. You think you’re the only one who knew Stokes was out today?’
Jonah pulled his arm free. ‘You’ve been following me?’
‘I knew you’d try something like this so I was waiting by the hostel. Christ, what were you thinking? I know you’re hurting, but what good do you think this is going to do?’
‘What good?’ Pure rage put a quaver in Jonah’s voice. ‘I’m going to find out what that bastard did to my son, that’s what good!’
‘For Christ’s sake, what happened to Theo was nothing to do with Stokes! You know that! If you don’t believe Wells, at least believe me!’
‘Fine, I believe you. Now fuck off.’
‘Don’t be stupid. It’s not worth getting yourself killed or sent down over a piece of shit like Stokes. I can’t let you do that.’
‘I’m not asking for your permission.’
‘Come on, Jonah...’
‘Are you going to stop me?’
‘Yes, if I—’
Gavin staggered back as the punch caught him on his cheek. All Jonah’s grief and fury, all the guilt, suddenly erupted. He swung wildly at the target in front of him, no longer caring who it was. Gavin brought his arms up to protect himself but didn’t fight back.
‘Fuck’s sake, Jonah, don’t be a—’
He grunted as another punch hooked into his ribs. Then light exploded in Jonah’s vision as something crashed into his face. He shook his head to clear it, stepping in to swing again. But Gavin moved forward as well, and Jonah doubled up as a knee smacked into his groin.
The pain was intense. He dropped to the ground, and suddenly the madness in him broke. He was dimly aware of Gavin crouching beside him, an arm round his shoulders as sobs tore through Jonah.
‘I’m sorry, I am,’ Gavin said. ‘I know it’s fucked up, but what happened wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was a shitty, awful accident, but that’s what it was. An accident. Stokes had nothing to do with it. Christ, you think I wouldn’t be helping you if I thought he did? I’d crucify the bastard myself, but that’s not what happened. And doing something stupid won’t bring Theo back.’
Jonah couldn’t speak. He stayed slumped on the ground as the sobs continued to rack him. Only when they’d run their course did he find his voice.
‘I don’t know what to do, Gav! Oh, Christ, I–I look round and he’s just gone! I can’t bear to think of him alone in that... that fucking dark hole. If I hadn’t—’
‘If you hadn’t been pulling shifts, if Chrissie hadn’t gone into work, if the fucking council had repaired the culvert.’ Gavin gave a heavy sigh. ‘It’s all ifs and bollocks. Sometimes life turns to shit, and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t predict some things, so you need to stop torturing yourself. Theo was a beautiful little boy, and he loved you. He loved his dad. That’s what you need to remember.’
Jonah cried again, but without the violence now. The insanity that had possessed him for the past few weeks had gone. He felt weak but clear-headed, as though he’d come through a fever. He sat up, wiping his eyes.
‘Sorry I went for you.’
Gavin touched his cheek and winced. ‘Don’t worry about it. You always did fight like a girl. How are the balls?’
A laugh burst from Jonah, though it sounded more like sob. ‘How do you think?’
Gingerly, he began getting to his feet. Gavin helped him up.
‘Come on, mate, let’s get a drink.’
Chapter 9
‘Congratulations! You’re famous!’
Fletcher spun the newspaper through the open doorway of Jonah’s flat. Standing in the hallway, Jonah fumbled the catch on his crutches. The newspaper slapped against his chest, spilling pages as he grabbed for it.
‘You got a full-page spread,’ the DI sneered. ‘There’s a nice photo of you in your uniform. Very heroic. You’ll want souvenir copies to frame on your wall.’
As soon as he’d opened the door to see Fletcher and Bennet in the corridor outside, Jonah had known why they were there. He’d already seen the article online. Daly’s business card identified her as a staff writer for one of the more lurid nationals, and every day since his discharge from hospital he’d checked the newspaper’s website, waiting for something to appear. After nearly two weeks he’d begun to hope he might have got away with it.
Until that morning.
‘Well? Aren’t you going to invite us in?’ Fletcher demanded.
Jonah reluctantly stood back. ‘Will it take long? I’ve got somewhere to be this afternoon.’
‘It’ll take as long as it takes.’ Fletcher strode past him, trousers flapping around stalklike legs and bony hips as he went to the nearest chair. ‘Don’t worry, you won’t be late for your mate’s send-off.’
A memorial service was being held for Gavin later. It promised to be a grim enough affair, without Jonah having to rush to get there on time. But he knew he’d be wasting his breath asking if this could wait until later. He wouldn’t give Fletcher the satisfaction of saying no.
Bennet stepped inside then motioned for Jonah to go ahead of her. ‘I’ll get the door.’
By the time Jonah reached the living room, Fletcher was already flopping down into one of the armchairs, bony knees sticking up like spikes. Jonah dropped the newspaper on the coffee table as he went to the other chair.
‘I know it looks bad, but I thought she was a counsellor,’ he said, easing himself down into the chair. Bennet followed him in and sat on the sofa near the DI.
‘Oh, a counsellor.’ Fletcher’s burnt face was flushed and angry. ‘Show you her credentials, did she? Offer to let you cry on her shoulder?’
‘OK, I made a mistake—’
‘A mistake?’ The DI snatched up the newspaper and tore through its pages before reading from one. ‘ “I’ll never forget the scene in that warehouse,” says hero police firearms officer Jonah Colley. Hero, did you hear that? “Obviously, I was scared but I don’t think of myself as brave. I just did what I had to do.” Was that a mistake?’