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
‘About Annie being her sister?’ Ella frowned. ‘You can’t really believe that, Dee.’
‘I know it sounds crazy,’ Dee said. ‘But what if I’m right? And even if that’s not what’s going on, something is. Where the hell has Emer disappeared to? You know, I’m really tempted to fly to Ireland so I can find her myself and ask her what the hell is going on. I feel as if I’m the victim of someone’s practical joke.’
‘Isn’t it possible you made a mistake?’ Ella said.
‘I know what I saw.’
‘You know what you think you saw. A photo of two girls that looked a bit like the girls in the photo your cousin sent you?’
‘More than a bit.’
Even to her ears, Dee sounded pig-headed, but she couldn’t help it. In that moment, she’d been so certain.
‘Well, so what if they looked like your cousins?’ Ella said. ‘You’ve already told me that Annie looks like Emer’s sister. It makes sense she’d have looked like her when she was a kid as well.’
‘Maybe,’ Dee said. ‘But what about Emer? Why did nobody at her work know who she was? And why has her phone been disconnected?’
‘It’s Canary Wharf,’ Ella said. ‘I’ve got completely lost every time I’ve been there. Isn’t there a chance you simply went to the wrong building?’
‘Are you suggesting I’m losing my marbles?’
‘I wouldn’t dare.’ Ella smiled. ‘But I think you could be overcomplicating things. I know what you’re like, Dee. You want to fix things. So when your cousin came into your life asking for help, of course you said yes. And of course that big Dee Doran heart wanted to fix your grieving cousin. As for believing Annie really could be someone else, surely that’s my fault?’
‘How do you work that out?’
‘When you first met me, I was pretending to be someone I wasn’t. Maybe that’s made you more suspicious of people than you’d be otherwise.’
‘I don’t think that’s the case,’ Dee said, ‘but maybe you’re right. The truth is, I don’t know what to think.’
‘Well I’ll tell you one thing,’ Ella said, ‘Taking on another person’s identity is a tough thing to pull off. Changing your name and having to forget every bit of your past life, cutting ties with people you care about… it’s hard work, Dee. There’s an emotional aspect to it that saps your energy and makes you doubt yourself, all the time. If Annie really is your cousin, then she’s got a damn good reason for not wanting anyone to find out. She’s running away from something, and if you’re going to pursue this, you’d better make sure you know what you’re dealing with.’