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
“Why are you saying this?” Jude protested. “Look at the date on this will. When he wrote it, I hadn’t had any contact with Liam since we were at school. I don’t know why he left me that bowl. If you want it, you can have it.”
“It’s not about the bowl. Look at it from my point of view, Jude. My partner has been suddenly murdered and then I hear that on the day it happened, he was planning to meet you in a house outside London. You and I meet and you tell me it’s all very strange and a complete mystery to you. You’ve only seen him once since school and you were doing him a favor. I don’t understand, but when we talk, I think you’re a good person and someone I can maybe trust. The next thing I hear, he’s done a will which he didn’t tell me about and you’re suddenly in charge of it. And he left you his beautiful bowl, which was special to him.”
Jude looked at the bowl properly—it was large and quite shallow and the wood was honey-colored, swirled with darker grains. There was a knot near its rim. It was polished so that it glowed as if it was somehow alive. She had never owned anything as beautiful.
“And special to me,” added Danny, and she reached out and traced the rim with her forefinger.
Jude, feeling the stirrings of anger, took a calming breath.
“I know that you’re going through something that should never happen to anyone, but I didn’t choose this. You’ve read through it. Where do I benefit apart from this bowl? All right, I agree, it’s lovely, but you can keep it. I don’t want it. You say it all took you by surprise. It took me by surprise as well. You’re meant to get the consent of the executor before you write the will, not just spring it on them. Do you think I want this job? Because I don’t. I’m only here because my brother is an accountant and if I get stuff together he can have a look at things, give a sense of the larger picture. Liam’s brother isn’t exactly keen on being the executor either.”
At the mention of Dermot, Danny gave a faint smile.
“I can imagine that. It’s not his kind of thing.”
“It’s not my kind of thing either.”
“So if you’re not the sort of person who does things like this, why did he ask you?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my name just popped into his head.”
“So what does it all mean?” Danny asked. “Do you start going around the house opening drawers and going through cupboards? Poking around.”