Chapters (58)
- Cover
- Dedication
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-one
- Twenty-two
- Twenty-three
- Twenty-four
- Twenty-five
- Twenty-six
- Twenty-seven
- Twenty-eight
- Twenty-nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-one
- Thirty-two
- Thirty-three
- Thirty-four
- Thirty-five
- Thirty-six
- Thirty-seven
- Thirty-eight
- Thirty-nine
- Forty
- Forty-one
- Forty-two
- Forty-three
- Forty-four
- Forty-five
- Forty-six
- Forty-seven
- Forty-eight
- Forty-nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-one
- Acknowledgements
- An Eastbourne Murder Mystery
- Canelo Crime
- About the Author
- Also by Sheila Bugler
Her body started to tingle, a fizzing sensation beneath her skin that happened when a story came together. Her fingers itched with the need to do something. She picked up her phone to call Emer, then put it back down again. First, she needed to check her facts. Instinctively, she knew she was on the right track. But in journalism, instinct only got you so far. Every story you wrote, every word you committed to paper, had to be backed up with facts.
She went back onto the internet, looking for an address for Fiona Holden in Alfriston. She didn’t find one, but wasn’t about to let that put her off. Alfriston was a small place. If she drove over there tomorrow morning, Dee was confident she’d find someone who could tell her where Fiona lived.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming text. Her stomach fluttered when she saw the sender’s name. Ed, his message short and to the point, as always:
Just checking you’re okay?
She missed him. Even now, six months after their relationship had ended. She missed him and hated herself for it. She should be stronger than this. Damn it, she was stronger than this. She put the phone down without replying to the text, lifted her glass and drank some more wine. She wasn’t going to let herself get drawn back into that. They’d broken up because, ultimately, they weren’t a good match. She’d do well to remember that. Now, and in the future.
Thirty-four
As it turned out, Dee didn’t need to resort to walking around asking strangers if they could tell her where Fiona Holden lived. A quick phone call to Louise and she had all the information she needed. The only problem was, when she told Louise why she needed the address, her cousin insisted on coming with her.
‘You don’t know what you’ll find when you get there,’ Louise said. ‘I’m not about to let you go over there by yourself.’
‘Haven’t you got work to do?’ Dee said.
‘I’ll call in sick,’ Louise said. ‘Let me get the kids to school and I’ll pick you up right after that.’
‘Can’t we go separately and meet there?’
‘Do you know how bad that is for the environment?’ Louise said. ‘And don’t suggest taking your car. We both know I’m a better driver than you are.’
This ‘fact’ was new information to Dee, but she let it go. Louise had, potentially, saved her a lot of time by finding the address so quickly.
While she waited for Louise to pick her up, Dee called Emer.
‘It’s me,’ she said, when she got Emer’s voicemail. ‘I’m heading out for a few hours this morning, but I’ll be home later. Let me know if you’re coming to Eastbourne today. I can pick you up from the station.’