by Rashad Salim
I never thought I’d tell this story – it took me twenty-five years before I was ready to do so – but now that I have, I am glad that I did.
Having said that, this is the last time I’ll say anything on the matter.
I feel it’s best to let the matter rest for good.
I always said I loved Binford despite all the horrors that have happened in this town and I mean it. Despite being urged by many to move out of Binford, somewhere far away, for a fresh start and get some distance between the bad memories of the summer of 1991, I still live here.
Today, I’m happily married and have two children – a boy and a girl, both primary school pupils. I run a convenient store on Binford Lane and business is good despite the ups and downs of the recession.
To many local residents, ‘The Binford Snatcher’s crimes are a distant memory and many of the younger residents are completely unaware that those crimes ever occurred, which is fine by me.
I have a good life and I give thanks to god for my fortune. My only regret is Max.
Max did eventually recover from his ordeal but our friendship didn’t.
You could say our friendship ended the last time I saw him before he vanished. It’s still a sore spot for me that we had parted ways that day after a heated argument.
He moved to Pakistan with his family when the summer ended, just like his father had planned all along. I was sad to see him go but knew it was a good thing for him to escape the world’s prying eyes.
I thought I’d see him when he was at the hospital right after we had rescued him but he wasn’t accepting any visitors. It was the same later when he was discharged.
I never saw him before he departed to Pakistan.
About a year before I was approached to tell my side of ‘The Binford Snatcher’ story I was outside my shop when a car slowed to a standstill across the road. The driver was alone and although I hadn’t seen him in almost a quarter of a century I recognised him instantly.
I didn’t know why Max had come. He must’ve heard about my shop and decided to take a look for himself. There had been so much I wanted to say to him but in that moment all I could manage was a smile. I didn’t know how he’d react.
He gave me a nod and returned my smile – albeit not as wide as the one I’d given him – and then he drove away.
I haven’t tried to contact him and I don’t think I ever will. I just hope he has managed to overcome what he went through that summer. That’s all I want.
Q & A with Rashad Salim
Q: Why are the Binford books a series if the characters are different in each book?
A: Each book shows a different plotline but they all take place in the shared Binford-verse. Some characters will make repeat appearances in later books in the vein of Frank Miller’s Sin City and Ed McBain’s The 87th Precinct.
Q: Do I have to read the books in order of release?
A: No, they can be read in any order.
Q: I did a Google search for Binford. There isn’t one in East London. Why?
A: It’s a fictional town. A composite of all the beautiful parts of East London.
Q: What made you want to be a writer?
A: The love of literature. Money and fame too.
Q: Where do you get your ideas?
A: Everywhere.
Q: Who are your favourite crime writers?
A: Lawrence Block, Walter Mosley, Joe R. Lansdale, Michael Connelly and James Patterson.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Planning the next books in the Binford series for publication in summer of 2017 and more literary fiction release under the pen name Rash Salim.
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