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’ve got a cousin in England who’s an investigative journalist,’ Emer said. ‘I wanted to contact her and see if she’d help, but Ursula had a hissy fit. So Robert stepped in and offered to help. He’s going to hire a private detective.’
‘If he’s hired a detective,’ Maeve said, ‘then he must believe you, right?’
‘I think it’s more a case of proving me wrong,’ Emer said. ‘But maybe he thinks there’s a chance I might be right.’
‘Of course there’s a chance.’ Maeve nodded at Emer’s empty glass. ‘One more for the road?’
‘Maybe just a soft drink?’ Emer said.
‘Good idea,’ Maeve said. ‘Tell you what? Instead of staying here and getting plastered, why don’t we go and get something to eat? That way we can carry on speaking for a bit longer. It’s so good to see you after all this time. And I’d love to hear more about what you’ve been doing with your life.’
‘That’ll be a short conversation,’ Emer said. ‘But going for something to eat sounds like a great idea.’
They found a tapas bar near the docks and spent the next two hours eating food while they shared memories of the sisters they’d lost. By the time the evening drew to a close, Emer felt if she’d found a part of herself she hadn’t realised was missing. As they left the restaurant, Maeve made Emer promise to keep in touch.
‘It was so lovely seeing you again,’ she said. ‘We’ve both already lost too much. Let’s not lose each other again, okay?’
‘Definitely not,’ Emer said. ‘You know, I was scared that you might think I was a freak.’
‘Why on earth would I think that?’
‘All that stuff about seeing Kitty,’ Emer said. ‘Most people I’ve told about it think there’s something wrong with me.’
‘Well I don’t think that,’ Maeve said. ‘You know what you saw, Emer. Don’t let anyone else try to convince you otherwise. Okay?’
‘Okay.’ Emer’s eyes pricked with unexpected tears. Suddenly, for the first time since she’d split up with Nikki, she didn’t feel entirely alone.
Thirteen
By the time Tuesday came around, Dee knew she wasn’t coping. Her anxiety about a future without Jake was increasing as each day passed. When she woke up, the urge to stay in bed, pull the duvet over her head and hide away from the world was so strong she almost succumbed to it. In the end, she forced herself to get up and have a shower.