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Back The Lucky Eight
Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Prologue
  4. Five Years Later
  5. One
  6. Two
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Seven
  12. Eight
  13. Nine
  14. Ten
  15. Eleven
  16. Twelve
  17. Thirteen
  18. Fourteen
  19. Fifteen
  20. Sixteen
  21. Seventeen
  22. Eighteen
  23. Nineteen
  24. Twenty
  25. Twenty-one
  26. Twenty-two
  27. Twenty-three
  28. Twenty-four
  29. Twenty-five
  30. Twenty-six
  31. Twenty-seven
  32. Twenty-eight
  33. Twenty-nine
  34. Thirty
  35. Thirty-one
  36. Thirty-two
  37. Thirty-three
  38. Thirty-four
  39. Thirty-five
  40. Thirty-six
  41. Thirty-seven
  42. Thirty-eight
  43. Thirty-nine
  44. Forty
  45. Forty-one
  46. Forty-two
  47. Forty-three
  48. Forty-four
  49. Forty-five
  50. Forty-six
  51. Forty-seven
  52. Forty-eight
  53. Forty-nine
  54. Fifty
  55. Fifty-one
  56. Fifty-two
  57. Fifty-three
  58. Fifty-four
  59. Fifty-five
  60. Epilogue
  61. Acknowledgements
  62. Canelo Crime
  63. About the Author
  64. Also by Sheila Bugler

‘They had a beautiful service in the grounds yesterday afternoon,’ Marcus said. ‘Followed by drinks in the bar, then dinner. They’d booked out the whole house so they had complete privacy. It was all very lovely. Although Mr Gilbert did get rather the worse for wear.’

‘Drunk, you mean?’

‘Yes. Understandable given the circumstances. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be one of the few who survived. The guilt would be terrible.’

‘Any idea how he ended up on the beach?’ Rachel asked.

‘None whatsoever.’

‘I understand one of the other guests discovered his body,’ Rachel said. ‘Which one?’

‘Another survivor called Clodagh Kinsella.’

Also a name Rachel recognised. Vivienne Kinsella’s younger, less famous sister.

‘I’d like to speak to her.’

‘Of course. I knew you’d want to interview all the guests. We’ve got a reading room on the first floor. You can use that. I’ll take you there now.’

‘Before we go,’ Rachel said, ‘what can you tell me about Clodagh Kinsella?’

‘She looks a lot like her sister,’ Marcus said. ‘It was a little unnerving when I first saw them together, if I’m honest. It felt, for a moment, as if the great actress was still alive.’

‘Saw who together?’ Rachel said. ‘I’m afraid you’ve lost me.’

‘My word.’ Marcus smiled. ‘You’re really not up on local gossip, are you? Clodagh Kinsella and Adam Murray are a couple. Last month’s Sussex Life did a big piece about them. They’re living together in the house Adam used to share with his wife.’

A chill ran down the centre of Rachel’s back. A series of images flashed through her mind. The rows of books lined up on the shelves in Waterstones. Vivienne Kinsella’s face smiling out from each one. TV footage of some of the victims’ funerals. A black and white newspaper photo of Adam Murray laying flowers on his dead wife’s grave. A tearful TV interview Adam had given two years after the crash, professing his undying love for his dead wife. Something about those images jarred with the idea of him moving on with his life by moving in with Vivienne’s sister. Rachel didn’t know why the idea bothered her so much. All she knew was that it did.

She pushed her chair back, stood up and beamed at Marcus Chevalier.

‘Time for me to meet Clodagh Kinsella.’

Four