The smell of fresh coffee and cooked bacon wafted into the room. Sending a quick reply to Maeve, Emer got dressed and went downstairs. In the sitting room, she paused to look again at the painting Dee had shown her last night. If she’d had any doubt that Annie Holden might not be Kitty, this painting had eliminated it. She’d recognised the moment recreated in the painting. The first day of the only holiday they’d ever had. They’d bought a kite and taken it to the beach, where they’d spent the afternoon trying to make it fly. They’d almost given up, when Kitty suddenly worked it out. One moment, the kite was lying on the ground, the next it was soaring into the air and the two girls were racing after it along the white sand.

‘Bacon sandwich?’ Dee’s voice interrupted the memory, dragging Emer back. ‘Or are you vegetarian?’

‘Bacon sandwich would be great,’ Emer said. ‘And that coffee smells fantastic.’

They ate breakfast on the deck at the back of the house, which overlooked the beach.

‘How are you feeling this morning?’ Dee asked.

‘Still trying to take it all in.’ Emer took a sip of the coffee, which was excellent, and pushed her plate away. She’d eaten half her sandwich but couldn’t finish it. Unlike Dee, who was tucking into her second sandwich and her fourth cup of coffee.

‘What did she look like?’ she asked. ‘The woman who pretended to be me.’

‘Nothing like you,’ Dee said. ‘Smaller frame. Shorter hair. Very different.’

The description matched Nikki, who was small-framed as well. But Nikki wouldn’t ever do something like that.

‘Sound like anyone you know?’ Dee asked.

‘My ex-girlfriend,’ Emer said. ‘But before you ask, it wasn’t her.’

‘You’re sure?’

‘Positive.’

She’d considered the possibility it could be Nikki. Of course she had. But every time she thought about it, the more certain she became that whatever was going on here, it had nothing to do with Nikki.

Dee nodded. ‘Okay. So if it’s not her, then who is it?’

‘Robert lied to me. My mother didn’t want me to speak to you. I don’t know why, but I know if she’d asked Robert to intervene and stop me getting in touch, he’d have done it.’ She frowned. ‘It’s a weird feeling, you know? Finding out that someone’s been going around pretending to be you.’

‘Is it worth calling your mother?’ Dee asked. ‘She has a right to know what’s going on.’

‘No.’ Emer shook her head. ‘That’s definitely not a good idea.’

‘Kitty’s her daughter. Surely she’d want to know if she’s still alive?’

‘It’s not that simple,’ Emer said. The girls were there that night. ‘I think Kitty and Lucy saw something they weren’t meant to.’

‘Something to do with Robert?’