Gwen’s voice was painfully cheerful. ‘Charlie, how’s it going?’

‘Good,’ she lied.

‘It’s past noon. I thought you were coming into the office today,’ Gwen said. ‘The accounts are piling up. And we were going to discuss a staff Christmas bonus. I know money is tight, but I think they deserve it.’

Charlie couldn’t cope with getting out of bed, let alone doing accounts for five coffee shops. But she felt horribly guilty. Gwen had been a loyal soldier, from the morning four months earlier when she’d turned up in a hijacked Toyota covered in blood, to the previous afternoon when Gwen picked up Patrick for a play date with her six-year-old daughter, Wendy.

‘I’ve got a headache and pre-school is out for Christmas,’ Charlie said. ‘I’ll come in early tomorrow, so I can have a proper go at them.’

‘Shall I pick you up on my way in?’ Gwen suggested. It was out of Gwen’s way, but she knew Charlie might not show if she didn’t. ‘I can cover most things, but I don’t understand the wages and accounts.’

‘No …’ Charlie mumbled. ‘Actually, yes. I don’t feel so great. But I know you’ve got your own problems.’

‘I drove over to check the shop by the university,’ Gwen said. ‘It was doing OK, though the students are on break. There’s not been a major virus outbreak this whole year. It’s Christmas and people are getting their confidence back.’

‘Not me,’ Charlie said sourly. ‘I’m a potato.’

‘You went through a horrific experience,’ Gwen soothed. ‘Don’t beat yourself up, Charlie. Getting over this will take time.’

‘I guess,’ Charlie said. She kicked some of the covers off and stared up at the motel suite’s cracked ceiling.

‘Did you see Vegas Local? They identified your sister’s DNA.’

Charlie felt like her heart was being sucked out when Gwen said Vegas Local. It would always be something she associated with Harry.

‘It’s lucky someone cleaned up the mess,’ Gwen said. ‘Your DNA would have been all over the gun and the office.’

‘I’ve been worried about that,’ Charlie admitted. ‘I acted in self-defence, but Ed’s my only witness and, with my luck, the cops probably would have tried to do me for murder.’

‘Who cleaned up, though?’ Gwen wondered.

‘Anyone who’d gain some advantage by knowing Fawn was dead before anyone else,’ Charlie suggested. ‘Any other news?’

‘Just some strip-mall lady. She called saying she likes your business. She’s got three dead coffee shops that she’s willing to lease cheap.’

‘I can’t face that now …’ Charlie groaned.

‘At least one of them is a good location,’ Gwen said. ‘Opening another shop might give you something to focus on. And everyone says the economy is growing again. I even got stuck in traffic crossing The Strip last weekend.’