Excerpt from A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

Chapter 1

-5 days-

Sid Vicious is under the table waiting to see if there's any dropped food. When Nana isn't looking, I kick him. Right in the belly.

"That poor dog must be bursting," Nana says. "Will you no take him out, Janey?"

She says this every day but I can't, not anymore. It's Sid's fault that I found the dead body.

Chapter 2

The police want to interview Janey again. The wee soul has told them everything, so what in God's name do they want from her?

My nerves are shot so we sit upstairs on the bus so I can smoke. It's full fare at this time of day and no doubt Tottie-Heid will dock my wages when he finds I'm away. It was nice of Cathy to take over, especially with all that mess in the Gents. She's been one of the good ones through this. It's funny because I've never liked her much. Same with Mrs. Khan on the tenth floor, no a word between us in years, then this happens and she's bringing food and wee treats for Janey. Funny.

Janey's sitting cooried in tight beside me, the way she used to as a wean. Every now and then I feel her twitch, like Sid Vicious dreaming about rabbits. It's been happening since the day at the old railway and I'm no even sure she notices it.

"Look at this one sitting behind us, the shoes on him," I say to try and give her a laugh, "like those clowns with the big banana feet."

"Clowns," she says, no even bothering to look. "Do you think it'll be the baldy policeman again, Nana?"

"I don't know, sweetheart. He's no so bad, is he?" Janey looks at me from under her fringe. It's desperately needing cut and I'm embarrassed no to have noticed. "This Saturday, Miss Eveline's. Shampoo and set for me, and flicks like the blond lassie in Abba for you. What do you say?" The electricity bill can wait.

"It was ages ago I wanted flicks. I can't stand Abba."

It doesn't seem that long since she and the Callaghan lassie were showing me their Abba routine. What was the song again? They had all the dance moves. Couldn't sing for toffee right enough but I clapped and cheered and said they were stars. "The Dance Queen," is that it? Christ, what's wrong with me these days? This past two weeks seems to have brought back memories I don't want and shoved everything else to the side.

I reach over and move the fringe from Janey's face, thick black hair like her poor daddy. There's a smell from the back of the bus, the heat's making it worse, and I feel bad about leaving Cathy to deal with the toilet. Somebody must've emptied their whole stomach last night. Stuart's likely serving slops on the fly again, Tottie-Heid pretends that doesn't happen in his pub. Turns a blind eye to everything that man, except the staff. He's got it in for the Catholics and likely I'm only there to offend with pope jokes. What can I do though? No many people want pensioners and it's cash in hand.

Janey stares out the bus window. Since her first class at school, every single teacher has complained about her constant talking. Oh, they all say, she's bright enough and popular too, but she needs to stop chattering. Stopped now all right. Breaks my heart to sit here and no a word.

"Here, is that no him you like?" I try again. "What's his name from the Star War? Mr. Kirk, is it? The one with the ears. See there, outside Woolworths."

"Everything about that's wrong," she says, and even that teeny smile makes her face shine. "It's Star Trek, it's Mr. Spock and no way would he be in Glasgow." She tells me about the actor and where he lives in America and about the film they're making. But then the silence again and I know she's back thinking about the murdered woman.

I had to collect her from school and she's still in her uniform. I worry whether sending her back was the right thing.

For a week after it happened, the two of us stayed home in that dark place that comes after a death when time stops and you can't see to anything any more. Then Tottie-Heid sent word that if I wasn't back on Monday morning, he was getting a new cleaner. I thought it would help Janey to be at school with her pals. But I don't know, I just don't know what's for the best.

Excerpted from A Bad, Bad Place by Frances Crawford. Copyright © 2026 by Frances Crawford. Excerpted by permission of Soho Crime. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.