Chapters (64)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Five Years Later
- 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
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgements
- Canelo Crime
- About the Author
- Also by Sheila Bugler
‘Yes.’
There was a moment’s silence. Not long, but enough for Rachel to wonder if she’d been foolish to tell Sharon what she really thought. But then Sharon laughed.
‘I agree. As it happens, so does the Chief Constable. In fact, she’s already been on to London and got them to see sense. The investigation into Tara Coleman’s murder is being passed to us. Which means you’re now leading on both investigations. You think you’re up to that?’
‘Absolutely,’ Rachel said. Her head felt light, as if it was about to float away from the rest of her body. She couldn’t decide if she was terrified or delighted. Either way, she wasn’t able to hold back the big grin she could feel spreading across her face.
‘Good.’ Sharon grinned back at her. ‘I went out on a limb to get you this, Lewis. Make sure you don’t mess it up. Now get out of here. You’ve got a double murder to solve.’
Twenty-seven
A pack of reporters had congregated outside the entrance to Adam Murray’s house. They crowded around Rachel’s car, flashes of light blinding her as she pulled up outside the gates.
‘Bloody vermin,’ Ade said. ‘Disgusting the way the paparazzi treat people. No amount of fame or fortune would make it worth having that lot following you around all the time. The gates are locked, Rach. How are we going to get past this lot?’
‘You’ll need to jump out and ring the buzzer,’ Rachel said.
Ade unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car, batting cameramen out of way. Rachel watched her press the intercom buzzer then speak to whoever had answered. A moment later, she turned around and nodded at Rachel. The gates started to slide open and Rachel pressed her foot on the accelerator. Ade stayed outside, making sure none of the ‘vermin’ followed them into the garden.
A discreet wooden sign informed Rachel the property was called Glebe House. She had a vague memory that the word ‘glebe’ meant ‘parsonage’, although this house seemed too big to have ever been a parsonage. It was a stunning, detached property in its own grounds with unobstructed views of the South Downs from every side of the building. Rachel was no expert, but she guessed the house had to be at least 300 years old. It was the sort of properly she would love to live in one day but could only ever dream of owning.
‘Wow,’ Ade said, joining her at the front door. ‘Maybe it’s worth putting up with all that press intrusion, after all. This is one fancy place.’
Adam Murray wasn’t pleased to see them. He did his best to hide it, but Rachel wasn’t fooled. She’d caught the look of intense irritation on his face when he’d first opened the door.