Eventually there’s a lull and Muriel asks me if I’d like a break. Usually I tell her to go first but today I don’t. I make myself a skinny latte, take it to the back room where I sit down and take out my phone. I’m eager to find out if anything new is being reported about the body found at Huntley Lodge. Did they discover the body was lying dead in the pit for three years?

There’s nothing new posted on the The Journal.ie so I check Twitter and Facebook but still no new revelations. I suppose it’s still early; they might not have completed the autopsy yet. I’m just going to have to wait.

My phone beeps. It’s a message from my chief bridesmaid Amy reminding me she’ll pick me up outside the cafe after work as planned. We’re going for the final dress fittings tonight. I should be excited but the discovery of the body is ruining everything for me. If the cops call asking questions and discover what we did, I won’t be walking down the aisle in my wedding dress or boarding a plane with my new husband. I might not even be allowed out of the country. A rush of sadness slows me as I think of Lucas. Will he still want to marry me?

‘Tara,’ Muriel calls. The cafe must be getting busy. It’s time to get back out front. I stand, shaking my head, shaking the negative thoughts out of my brain. What would Mam tell me to do? She’d say stop worrying about something that may never happen and concentrate on enjoying the wedding.

I walk out to where a queue has formed at the counter and force a smile onto my worried face. ‘Next.’

Chapter Seven

I’m standing outside the cafe with an umbrella over my head. Amy is supposed to be here, but she’s late. She’s been so good helping me prepare for the wedding. Especially with Mam not around. Amy was delighted when I asked her to be my bridesmaid and even though we’ve only been friends for the past two years, I feel close to her. Not like I did with Faye… but close. The night I bumped into her she was with a group of girls that knew Emily. I immediately gravitated towards her. Amy was funny, she made me laugh. It was what I needed at the time. We arranged to meet again the following week in the same bar and before long we became the best of friends.