There were only a couple of wreaths on his grave. It was sad that this was all his life amounted to. One of them was from my sister and her family. Another was from me, a simple display of white roses and lilies.

But the cornflower blue between them caught my eye and my heart started to thump.

‘Can you bring me closer?’ I asked Cliona.

‘Of course.’

I saw it clearly then. A simple display of wild forget-me-nots, their stems wrapped in black ribbon. A familiar white card pinned to them.

‘Can you reach that card for me?’ I asked Cliona and she did.

She opened the envelope for me, my own hands shaking and still weak from my stroke, and handed it over.

‘Can you read it okay?’ she asked.

I looked down at the words. In blue ink:

It was all for Laura.

A chill ran through me and I glanced around, suddenly feeling as if someone was watching us. I thought of all the times I’d felt as if I was being watched before. All the times I’d caught a shadow of something and dismissed it as nothing more than my overactive imagination.

The times I now knew were Aaron watching me. Too afraid to come and talk. If only he’d approached me. Maybe I could have got through to him. No one else had needed to die.

But the day was still. No one was there. The only shadows were from the leaves on the trees, the shade from the gravestones.

I shivered.

Acknowledgements

Pulling a book together and getting it on the shelves takes a lot of work – and I am more grateful than words can say to the phenomenal team at Avon who have helped me bring Forget Me Not to life.

To my former editor Phoebe Morgan, who oversaw the editing of this book and my two previous thrillers. I owe you a debt of gratitude. You saw something in me and my writing that I don’t even think I saw and you took a chance. You have taught me so much during our time working together and have made me a better writer for it. Thank you for bringing your guidance, and patience, to this book and to this author. I wish you all the best in your new endeavour.

To my new editor Helen Huthwaite, who has already mastered calming my nerves, thank you for your support and for taking me under your wing. I look forward to what we can do together.

Thanks also to Sabah, Elke, Molly, Dom, Oliver and all the team at Avon for your enthusiasm, support and endless hard work on behalf of all your authors. You are incredible.

Thanks to Claire Dean for her sterling copy editing work.

Thanks also to the team at HarperCollins Ireland, including Mary Byrne who should be off sunning herself in Italy by the time this book reaches the shelves. I appreciate all your efforts.