Contents (57)
- 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
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by Sharon Gosling
‘I don’t know what you’re implying, but you’re—’
‘Implying? I’m not implying anything. I’m merely reminding you of some facts. Here’s another: the developer of the block of flats where you now live, that lovely sea-view apartment you got for a steal – that was Dora McCreedy too, wasn’t it?’
Linley was pale now, but still bullish. ‘So what? That doesn’t prove anything. She’s the biggest developer around here. Most of what gets built is down to her. As for that article – you can take it to a lawyer. I didn’t write anything illegal. No one at the charity sued. What does that tell you?’
Toby smiled, flicking to another scan. ‘Oh, it tells me a lot, Linley. It tells me a lot about you. Anyway, moving on, a few months later, this article appeared – front page again. Just look at that screaming headline. It’s very dramatic, isn’t it? LOCAL FOOTBALL TEAM ACCUSED OF FRAUD. Shall we take a look at what happened to their pitch?’
‘I’ve had enough of this. I’m going.’
‘Really? You’re not going to give me a comment for my article? Because from where I’m sitting, Linley, the truth writes itself.’
Linley looked away, chewing his lip, a frown knitting his brow. ‘I don’t get why you care about this. What are you even doing here? You could be anywhere in the world, writing about anything you want.’
‘Well, right now, this is what I want to write about.’ Toby tapped the article about the lighthouse. ‘Because there’s a pattern here as clear as day, and I’m not going to let McCreedy get her hands on the last of the MacDonald land because you were having a slow news day and you took a bribe.’
‘That’s slander.’
‘Sue me. Let’s see who’ll win.’
Linley shook his head. ‘This is ridiculous. Every copy of that newspaper is already in the bin. It doesn’t mean anything. No one will remember it. It’s just a crappy little story in a crappy little paper, about a crappy little corner of the world that no one who matters has even heard of.’
‘That might be right for 95 per cent of the readership,’ Toby said, ‘but for 5 per cent, it’s life-ruining. And here’s another pro tip. It’s the 5 per cent that any good journalist is interested in, not the 95 per cent. Most people don’t know how to fight this kind of thing, but I do. And I’m telling you right now, I am going to. McCreedy’s not getting that land. Not like this. Not ever, if I have anything to do with it. And believe me, I will. I know what she’s got planned. I’ve even seen the sketches of the development. A nice, chic new housing estate, a leisure and shopping centre. It’s perfect because she already owns most of the land. But none of it will happen if she can’t get hold of the last of it, where the access road will go. That’s a pretty big motive for dodgy dealing right there. I’ve already shown you how easy I found it to put the pieces together. How long do you think it’s going to take me to make the latest connections between you and her?’