He has news.
Please, please, please let it be good.
5.40 AM
She awakens.
She’s not sure how long she has been out. What time is it, anyway?
She sees the whiteness of the room and the glow of the monitors and the tubes sticking out of her. She feels the pain in her torso.
She remembers.
Remembers what she did. Remembers what the cop did to her. The cop called Doyle.
She recalls the loudness of the gunfire, the force of the bullets punching into her, the acknowledgement that she might die at that moment.
She wishes she had died. It would have been a merciful release.
The torment continues. It should have ended at midnight, but it did not.
Doyle said things to her. Lots of things. Crazy things. She almost believed him. It was plausible enough. It would have been a pretty good explanation, for example, as to why it all went so wrong in that junkie’s apartment when she tried to jump him. She didn’t know exactly what Bruce was doing because, in fact, there was nobody who could see him, nobody who could tell her.
Yeah, nice try, Doyle. You almost had me there.
He was good. Hypnotic. She doesn’t understand how he managed it, but he actually had her believing she couldn’t see the workings inside that radio transmitter box. That’s how fucked up her mind was at that point. Doyle took advantage of her. He ruined everything. If he hadn’t arrived when he did, she would have made sure that the other cop was dead. And then it would have been all okay. She would have got Georgia back.
‘Oh, but you can have her back.’
She jumps at the voice, sending an agonizing spear through her ribs. Fighting the pain, she twists her body to locate the source. Above a red button on the wall is a small intercom grill.
Clever. Very clever. How does he do these things?
But then the meaning of his message penetrates her drug-fogged brain.
‘What?’
‘Yes. I know how close you came to completing your task. You did your very best, Erin. And for that, I decided to give you a reward. I kept her alive.’
‘No. You’re teasing me. You’re being cruel again.’
‘No joke, Erin. I’m proud of you. Would you like to hear her?’
Is this for real? Is he really offering this?
‘Can I?’
‘Of course. Listen.’
A faint chuckling and gurgling. Happy sounds. The happiest, most beautiful sounds she has ever heard. Erin listens and sobs and rocks to her baby’s tiny sing-song voice.
‘She’s yours, Erin. Just do one more thing for me.’
‘Anything. Anything.’
‘The cop who screwed things up for you. Doyle. Promise me you’ll kill him, first chance you get.’
‘I promise. He deserves it. I wouldn’t even hesitate.’
‘Good girl. Now rest. We’ll talk again when you feel stronger.’
She closes her eyes, content now, and then she sleeps.
Because the voice in her head has commanded it.
Questions for the author
Have you written any other books featuring Detective Callum Doyle?
Yes. I wrote three other books before Cry Baby. My debut novel was called Pariah. After that came The Helper, and then Marked. They were all originally published by Pan Macmillan in the UK.
Do they need to be read in order?
Not necessarily. As I hope you will have seen, Cry Baby works pretty well as a standalone. That said, you might get a little more out of the other novels if you do read them in sequence. For example, much of Doyle’s back story is given in Pariah, and some of the strands at the end of that book are picked up in Marked, the third novel.
Is it true that your books have enjoyed some critical acclaim?
Well, I don’t like to brag, but since you’ve asked...
Pariah was originally shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association Debut Dagger Awards, and went on to be Highly Commended. All of the books have received some great reviews, both from readers and in the media. My favourite quote is from the Guardian newspaper in the UK: ‘Recalls Harlan Coben – though for my money Jackson is the better writer.’
So why the move from ‘traditional’ publishing to publishing as an e-book?
Because for me, it’s not about fame or fortune; it’s about reaching readers. I felt that Doyle’s exploits simply weren’t being brought to the attention of enough people. There is no guarantee that bringing Cry Baby out directly in e-book form will achieve that either, but I’m willing to take the risk. The Amazon model gives me far more control over pricing, and offers promotion opportunities not previously available to me. In any case, it’s not an either/or situation: the so-called traditional route is not being ruled out, and Cry Baby could still appear as a paperback in the future.
I know many people who don’t own Kindles. Doesn’t your decision prevent them from reading Cry Baby?
Not at all. Kindle apps are available for most platforms. You can read Cry Baby on pretty much any desktop, laptop, tablet or even mobile phone.
I like to spread the word about books I have enjoyed. Can you suggest any ways I might do that more effectively?
One of the best things you can do is post a review, perhaps on Amazon or Goodreads, or on a website. It doesn’t have to be long or polished – just a couple of sentences will do – but it can really help to keep an author you like in business. However, even word of mouth recommendations can be of enormous help in connecting readers with authors.
Are you happy to connect in other ways too? Is there a way I can get in touch with you?
I love communicating with my readers. To be honest, the joy I experience when I hear from someone who has taken the trouble to let me know how much they like my books is one of the main things that keeps me going. You can send me a message using the contact form on my webpage at davidjacksonbooks.com, or you can follow me on Twitter, where I go under the name @Author_Dave. Please do get in touch.
Finally, will there be more Doyle books?
I sincerely hope so. A lot depends on the take-up rate for Cry Baby, and what the feedback is like. I have invested a lot in Callum Doyle, and would love to see him live on. I guess it’s up to you, the reader, to decide his fate!
Acknowledgments
It is often said that writing is a solitary business, but behind the scenes there is usually a whole team of people who go into making a novel what it is. First and foremost among those I’d like to thank is my wife, Lisa, without whose support and encouragement I couldn’t do this job. I owe her doubly this time because of her creative work on the design of the book jacket for Cry Baby. I would also like to record my gratitude to family and friends, and to all those on Twitter who urged me on and helped to spread the word. Last, but certainly not least, I’d like to thank my agent, Oli Munson of AM Heath Ltd., whose presence and enthusiasm for this project has made all the difference.
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