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
‘Well it just so happens that your life, and the choices you make, affect all of us,’ Ursula said. ‘Take this business in London, for example. You’re still obsessing over it, aren’t you? That’s the real reason you’re spending your days lying around in bed instead of getting out there looking for work, or trying to get your girlfriend back. Because you’ve convinced yourself that the woman you saw was Kitty.’
‘I didn’t think she was Kitty,’ Emer said. ‘She was Kitty.’
‘No.’ Ursula shook her head. ‘The only reason you keep insisting your sister is still alive is because you can’t cope with the guilt of knowing she might still be here if it wasn’t for you.’
‘That’s not true,’ Emer said, but even to her own ears, the assertion sounded weak.
‘Can we talk about something else?’ Robert said. ‘This endless raking up the past isn’t helping either of you. Whatever happened that day on the beach, there’s nothing either of you can do to change it now.’
‘This isn’t about me,’ Ursula said. ‘Can’t you see that, Robert? If she goes around the place telling people her dead sister is still alive, the press will start digging into our personal lives and that’s not good news for any of us.’ She turned her attention back to Emer. ‘This nonsense has got to stop, once and for all. I will not have you ruining things for Robert, after all he’s done for you. He doesn’t deserve that.’
‘We both know this has nothing to do with Robert,’ Emer said, ‘and everything to do with your own greed. You’d rather be the Taoiseach’s wife than learn the truth about your daughter. I know what I saw that day, and I’m not going to pretend it didn’t happen.’
‘Like the last time?’ Ursula said. ‘Or the time before that? Or one of the many other times you thought you’d seen her?’
‘This is different,’ Emer said.
‘How?’
‘It just is. I know what I saw. Do you remember Dad’s brother, Frank? His daughter’s an investigative journalist. I bet she’d be interested in something like this.’
‘No!’ Ursula pushed her chair back and stood up. ‘Don’t you dare! Your sister drowned that day in Lahinch. I wish to God it wasn’t true. I’d give anything – anything in the world – for her to still be alive. But she isn’t. She’s dead, and the sooner you accept that the better for all of us. As for contacting any member of Frank’s family, I forbid it. Absolutely.’
‘How do you plan to do that, exactly?’ Emer said. ‘In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m an adult. You can’t stop me doing anything.’