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
‘I’m not sure what to say.’ Ursula shrugged. ‘People get fired from their jobs all the time.’
‘But she wasn’t the sort of person to steal,’ Kitty said. ‘She was kind and funny and decent. I remember all those things about her, even now. So I decided to track her down and ask her if she was the woman I’d seen in the house. Finding her was easier than I’d thought. There’s a charity in Loughrea that helps traveller women across the county. I went there a few days ago and asked about Bríd. Turns out she set up the charity herself. Using the money you gave her to keep quiet about what happened to her that night. Except she’s not going to keep quiet any longer. She’s already told a journalist what happened, and he believes her. The story’s going to be all over the press in the next few days.’
‘No.’
The word came out like a whisper. The colour had drained from Ursula’s face. For a moment, Emer thought she would crack and confess. Instead, her mother turned and walked out of the room without another word.
‘Let her go,’ she said, as Kitty stood and went to follow her.
Outside, a car was turning into the driveway. A navy blue sedan that pulled up beside Ursula’s BMW convertible. Two men in dark suits climbed out and started walking towards the front door.
‘The Guards are here,’ Emer said. ‘I’ll go and let them in. They can deal with her now.’
‘What about us?’ Kitty said. ‘What do we do?’
‘We’re taking a trip to Galway,’ Emer said. ‘There’s someone I want you to meet. Her name’s Nikki. She’s already heard a lot about you. I called her last night and it turns out she’s home this weekend. She can’t wait to meet you.’
Fifty-one
‘So this is it then.’ Ella took a step forward, and Dee grabbed her. Held her tight then let her go and twisted her face into a smile.
‘Text me when you get there?’
‘Of course.’ Ella turned and called for Jake, who was sitting on the beach, stacking stones one on top of the other. ‘Come and say goodbye, Jakey.’
He stood up and walked over, his little face scrunched into a scowl.
‘I don’t want to go.’
Dee knelt down on the stones so her face was level with his.
‘Of course you don’t want to go,’ she said, ‘because it’s something new. And sometimes new things are scary. But it’s going to be brilliant, Jake. Canada is beautiful.’
‘Daddy’s going to teach me to ski.’ The frown disappeared, replaced by a smile so wide and perfect what was left of Dee’s heart shattered into tiny pieces.
‘And you can teach me when I come to visit.’