Chapters (78)
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Prologue
- 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
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Remarkable Praise for Nicci French
- Also by Nicci French
- About the Publisher
She opened the door. It was Dermot. He looked even worse than when she had last seen him. Her first impulse was to ask why he was here but then, when she saw his pale, sallow skin, his bloodshot eyes, she felt a pang of sympathy. Was it possible that she was the only person he could turn to?
“Are you okay?” she said.
“Can I come in?” He spoke in not much more than a whisper.
She would really like to have said no, he couldn’t, but it didn’t seem possible and so she stood aside to let him enter. Once inside, he took his jacket off and laid it on a chair by the wall. He was wearing a red T-shirt decorated with the logo of a vintage motorbike. Twisty blue veins stood out on his thin, strong arms. Jude waited for him to speak but he was just looking around the flat as if he had no idea where he was or how he had got there.
“What have you been up to?” she asked.
He looked at her as if he was surprised to be spoken to.
“Just seeing people.” He rubbed one cheek violently. “You know.”
“Were you up at the house?”
“What do you mean?”
“You know. Danny. Vin. That lot.”
His eyes widened slightly and he took a couple of spasmodic steps toward her. “How do you know?”
“I don’t know. I thought you said you were going. I was just asking.” She looked at him more closely. “Dermot, are you all right?”
“I’m all right. Dealing with things. Things that need to be dealt with. I’m tired, that’s all. I’m very tired.”
He looked twitchy, nervous, as if he hadn’t slept at all. Jude wondered if he was on something.
“Do you want some tea? Coffee?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t know what I want.”
“I’ll put the kettle on.”
He followed her into the kitchen and she took the kettle from the stove, filled it with water, put it back and turned the gas on. She was aware of him behind her, bustling around. It was as if he couldn’t keep still. She regretted having offered him tea. She should have said she was on her way out.
“So how’s Danny doing?” Jude asked, trying to talk in a bright tone.
“Danny?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. You said you’d just been there and it’s an obvious question to ask.”
“Right. Right. Danny is Danny. A bit stressed maybe.” He rubbed his cheek violently again. “She said you were there.”
“Yeah. I went to tell her that my brother is going to take over the stuff with the will. Sorry, I guess I should have told you as well. He’s an accountant. He knows how to deal with things like this. So that’s one thing less for you to worry about.”