by Alex Marwood
The lights of the station loom up ahead. Drab little suburban station, nothing but a waste bin and a timetable and an empty grey platform. She climbs up on to the footbridge and looks down on the tracks. Oh, well, she thinks, easy come, easy go, and walks on down to the southbound platform.
A gate on the platform leads out to the car park. Cher passes through it and stands on the pavement, looks left and right. Over by the exit, an old transit van, white paint, rust on the bumpers, turns on its headlights. She tosses her head and walks towards it. As she nears, the door on the side slides open and shows a dark, box-filled interior. She doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t think. Just reaches the van and climbs inside.
Vesta slams the doors and clambers into the front seat. ‘We thought you were never coming,’ she says.
‘I know,’ says Cher. ‘Fucking social workers. Talk, talk, talk.’
‘Language, Cher,’ says Vesta, and Cher feels a big smile spread across her face.
‘Hiya,’ she says.
‘Hi,’ says Collette, and puts the engine into gear.
‘How’s your hand?’ asks Cher.
‘Bloody horrible,’ says Collette, ‘and I’ll never play the piano again. How’s your collarbone?’
‘Bit less broken,’ says Cher. ‘Thanks for asking.’
‘Great,’ says Collette, and starts to reverse. ‘Sit down, there’s a good girl. Don’t want you killing yourself before we even get there.’
‘Where are we going, again?’ asks Cher.
‘Ilfracombe,’ says Vesta. ‘You’ll love it.’
‘If you say so,’ she says, contentedly. ‘Sounds like crap to me.’
She settles down on one of Vesta’s sofa cushions, next to the sports bag Collette’s been carrying with her for three long years, and allows herself a sigh of contentment.
‘By the way,’ says Vesta. ‘Your cat’s in that crate. Bloody nightmare, he is.’
Table of Contents
Praise for The Wicked Girls :
About the Author
Also by Alex Marwood
COPYRIGHT
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Epigraph
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Chapter Forty-Five
Chapter Forty-Six
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chapter Forty-Eight
Chapter Forty-Nine
Chapter Fifty
Chapter Fifty-One
Epilogue
Postscript
