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
‘Let me give her a ring and see if she’s free,’ Annie said. ‘We’ll need to go to her workshop so you can choose a frame you’d like.’
‘What about lunch?’ Fiona interrupted.
‘It won’t take long,’ Annie said. ‘You don’t mind waiting a few more minutes, do you?’
‘There’s no need,’ Dee said to Annie. ‘Can you pick a frame for me? You’ll make a better choice than I would.’
‘I’m not sure,’ Annie said, ‘a frame is such a personal choice. What if I choose one and you don’t like it?’
‘I don’t believe that will happen,’ Dee said. ‘Seriously, Annie. You’d be doing me a favour. I’ve got a load of work to get through when I get back home. The sooner I can get going, the better.’
‘If you’re sure,’ Annie said.
‘I’m certain.’ Dee looked at Fiona. ‘Sorry I’ve taken up so much of your daughter’s time.’
‘I don’t mind,’ Fiona said. ‘Not really. To be honest with you, it’s a real pleasure to see Annie finally making money from her art. She’s worked so hard at it. We didn’t want her to become an artist, you know. She’s our only child and we were terribly overprotective. We wanted her to have a career that’s a bit more secure. But she’s such a stubborn thing. When she decides on something, she goes for it. Doesn’t let anyone stand in her way.
‘She’s always supported herself financially, too. She’s never asked us for a penny, working part-time while she built up her portfolio. And now, finally, because of Claire and this exhibition, Annie’s able to give up her other work and focus on her art. Which is brilliant, because the more time she’s able to spend on her art, the more chance she has of making a go of it.’
And there you had it. A simple explanation for why Annie had stopped working at the pub. Not because she was hiding, but because she’d started making money from the exhibition and she was able to give up the pub job. Suddenly, Dee felt immensely stupid.
It was clear that Fiona and Annie were close. And it was blindingly obvious that Annie Holden was exactly who she said she was. The idea that she was somehow Emer’s long-lost sister seemed, suddenly, ridiculous. Dee didn’t understand how she’d ever let things get this far. She should have put a stop to it the moment Emer asked for her help.
She took a sip of coffee, then wished she hadn’t. Instant coffee, which tasted as if it had been sitting in the jar for years.