BooksBarbecue
Back One Year Later
Chapters (49)
  1. PROLOGUE
  2. PART I
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. PART II
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. PART III
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. PART IV
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. EPILOGUEAMY
  48. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  49. BOOK CLUB QUESTIONS

As if it’s contaminated, she silently gives Nick’s mobile back to him. He looks from her to the screen.

He knows, she thinks. He’s already seen it.

He takes her hand and his palm is hot, his fingers cold, from where he’s been holding the ice creams.

‘Can’t ever get these pesky tops off,’ her dad, says, fumbling with the lid and the tiny, plastic spoon embedded in it.

‘I’ll help you, Granddad,’ Lotte says, handing him her leaking cone to hold.

‘What is it?’ Matt asks, frowning.

Nick squeezes her hand. ‘Bethany. She’s on her way. She wants to see us again.’ He gets up and she follows his gaze towards the ornamental pond and its armour-plating of water lilies. ‘It’s time, Amy.’

Amy stands too and reaches for Matt. She’s afraid he’s going to explode, but her husband pulls her into his chest, cups her head in one hand. She can feel the beat of his heart echoing in her own body. Lotte and Theo are kneeling by her father’s feet, concentrating fiercely as they lick their ice creams. And it’s as if there’s a third child sitting between them, a child with long blonde hair that gleams in the summer sunshine. She’s wearing a swimming costume, an old one of Lotte’s. She’s lost some of her baby teeth and her face is slimmer, her legs longer. Amy notices her bracelet glittering on her thin wrist: a tiny silver unicorn on a thread of coloured beads that Lotte made for her, and on her lap sits Pearl, her doll, naked apart from a purple ribbon round her neck. Ruby-May turns and smiles at her mother.

‘Yes,’ Amy says. ‘It’s time.’

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would, first and foremost, like to thank my readers. All writers say they’d write anyway, whether they are published or not -but if were not for people who love books, we would not have the exquisite pleasure of being able to hold our finished novel in our hands, nor be able to engage with those of you who are kind enough to share our imaginary worlds for a short while. Thank you, particularly to those of you who’ve followed my thriller-writing journey from the start.

One Year Later is mainly set in Tuscany in Italy, which I love and have visited many times. The island itself, Isola del Piccolo Giglio, whilst fictitious, is in a real location, off the coast of Isola del Giglio. I’m by no means an expert on Italy and have been guided by my friends, Enrico Carsano and Kate Clifford. Enrico has saved me from the perils of using Google Translate, and added an authenticity I would not have achieved on my own. I’m indebted to Paul Whitehouse, who once again has helped me with police procedure, and David Cohen, whose medical knowledge has, as always, been invaluable.