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Back Before You Were Gone
Chapters (58)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. One
  4. Two
  5. Three
  6. Four
  7. Five
  8. Six
  9. Seven
  10. Eight
  11. Nine
  12. Ten
  13. Eleven
  14. Twelve
  15. Thirteen
  16. Fourteen
  17. Fifteen
  18. Sixteen
  19. Seventeen
  20. Eighteen
  21. Nineteen
  22. Twenty
  23. Twenty-one
  24. Twenty-two
  25. Twenty-three
  26. Twenty-four
  27. Twenty-five
  28. Twenty-six
  29. Twenty-seven
  30. Twenty-eight
  31. Twenty-nine
  32. Thirty
  33. Thirty-one
  34. Thirty-two
  35. Thirty-three
  36. Thirty-four
  37. Thirty-five
  38. Thirty-six
  39. Thirty-seven
  40. Thirty-eight
  41. Thirty-nine
  42. Forty
  43. Forty-one
  44. Forty-two
  45. Forty-three
  46. Forty-four
  47. Forty-five
  48. Forty-six
  49. Forty-seven
  50. Forty-eight
  51. Forty-nine
  52. Fifty
  53. Fifty-one
  54. Acknowledgements
  55. An Eastbourne Murder Mystery
  56. Canelo Crime
  57. About the Author
  58. Also by Sheila Bugler

In fact, Dee had got an email earlier this morning from Leonard. He’d been back to the pub several times and, so far, hadn’t seen anyone matching the description of the woman Dee had asked him to look into. He’d keep trying, he told Dee, but she shouldn’t hold out hope. When he’d asked one of the other bar staff about Annie, he was told she didn’t work there anymore.

‘I’ve got a few more questions,’ Dee said, ‘about what happened that day on the beach, and also about what life was like in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Do you want to do that now, or would it be easier if I send you an email with all my questions? That way, you can take your time over your answers, making sure you don’t leave anything out.’

‘Definitely an email,’ Emer said. ‘Thanks, Dee. For everything you’re doing. I really appreciate it.’

‘Just one more thing before I go then,’ Dee said. ‘I read that Lucy had a younger sister. Do you have any idea how I could find her?’

‘Maeve? I don’t think you need to drag her into all this.’

‘It would be good to hear her account of what happened the night Lucy disappeared,’ Dee said.

‘Okay,’ Emer said. ‘I know Maeve. I’ll ask her if she’ll speak to you. But don’t hold your breath, Dee. She’s a very private person. She may not want to speak to you.’

‘But you’ll try?’

‘Of course.’

‘Great,’ Dee said. ‘And let’s try to get together soon. We’ve got so much catching up to do. Please consider coming to Eastbourne. It really is lovely here.’

‘I’m sure it is. Sorry, I’ve got to go. Send me those questions and I’ll take a look at them as soon as I can. You take care, okay?’

After she hung up, it struck Dee how little she still knew about her cousin. She had no idea, for example, where she was staying while she was in London, what friends she had, or even what she planned to do for the rest of the weekend. It was almost as if Emer was deliberately keeping her at arm’s length, making sure Dee didn’t get too close or find out too much about her.

It wasn’t something she had time to dwell on. Ella had asked Dee if she’d look after Jake for a few hours this morning, so she could get some packing done. Dee could hear them now, the crunch of their feet on the shingle as they approached her house.