The Child Who (32 page)

Both.

‘Go.’

He does not move.

‘Go. Leo!’

She leans. She opens his door. ‘Go,’ she says again. ‘Go ahead.’

Because she was right that this was right. She can see, with her own eyes: her daughter with her hand across her mouth; her husband, standing, trying to, hauling himself up by the door frame of the car. He takes a step. She does. And Megan watches as her family comes together.

Also by Simon Lelic

RUPTURE

THE FACILITY

Acknowledgements

Love and thanks, as ever, to my unfailingly supportive family and friends. For their help and insight during the research and writing of this book, I owe a debt in particular to Sandra Higgison, Darryl Hobden, Andy Hood, Hanne Stevens and Amanda Thornton. Without their collective generosity, in terms of time and expertise, I would still be staring at a blinking cursor. Thank you, equally, to all at Macmillan, Penguin, the Zoe Pagnamenta Agency, Andrew Nurnberg Associates and Felicity Bryan Associates. Emma Bravo, Kathryn Court, Sophie Orme, Zoe Pagnamenta, Maria Rejt, Tara Singh and Caroline Wood all deserve an extra special mention.

I would like, as well, to detail here the books that have most informed and guided my research for
The Child Who
: Blake Morrison’s heartbreaking, exceptional
As If
; Gitta Sereny’s
The Case of Mary Bell
, as well as her astonishing series of articles about the James Bulger case published in the wake of the resultant trial in the
Independent on Sunday Review
(and available now as appendix to the aforementioned book); Alex McBride’s fascinating and entertaining
Defending the Guilty
; and, finally,
Infant Losses, Adult Searches
by Glyn Hudson Allez, a devastatingly insightful analysis.

Last, and above all, I would like to say thank you to Sarah, my wife, and to my two sons, Barnaby and Joseph: for being there, and for being who they are.

First published 2012 by Mantle

This electronic edition published 2012 by Mantle
an imprint of Pan Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
Pan Macmillan, 20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RR
Basingstoke and Oxford
Associated companies throughout the world
www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-4472-0665-1 EPUB

Copyright © Simon Lelic, 2012

The right of Simon Lelic to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

You may not copy, store, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

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