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
At the house, they said an awkward goodbye before Adam left Clodagh to pack up her things while he went to meet Jake off the train at Lewes. It was harder than she’d imagined, walking around the house they’d shared together, packing her clothes and the few other belongings she had. She’d been happy when she first moved here. It had felt like a dream come true, finally getting together with Adam. But like all dreams, it didn’t last. No matter how hard this was, the alternative would be harder over time. They weren’t right for each other.
She had just finished packing when the front doorbell rang. Looking out of the window, she recognised Bella’s car parked in the driveway. She ran down the stairs and opened the front door.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said. ‘I meant to call you back, but other stuff got in the way.’
‘Is Adam here?’ Bella said. ‘His car’s not in the driveway so I assume he’s out?’
‘He’s gone to meet Jake,’ Clodagh said. ‘Why?’
‘Because I don’t think he should be here when you see this.’ Bella held up the memory stick. ‘Mind if I come inside?’
‘Do you want a coffee or anything?’ Clodagh asked.
‘I’d rather get this over and done with,’ Bella said. ‘Where’s your laptop?’
‘Upstairs in my room. This way.’
Halfway up the stairs, Clodagh stopped and turned around to look at Bella.
‘You’re scaring me,’ she said. ‘Can’t you tell me what you found first?’
‘I’d rather not. I’m sorry, Clodagh. You’ll understand when you see what’s on the stick.’
Something dark in Bella’s face, anger maybe, underpinned by gleam in her eyes that looked like giddy excitement. Guilt tugged at the back of Clodagh’s mind, mingled with the fear of anyone – especially Bella – finding out what she’d done.
‘Is it me?’ she asked.
‘Of course not.’ Bella frowned. ‘Why would you say that?’
‘It doesn’t matter. Let’s just get this over and done with.’
In the bedroom, she took her laptop out of the suitcase and put it on the table by the window.
‘Are you going away somewhere?’ Bella asked.
‘Adam and I are breaking up.’ Clodagh motioned at the laptop. ‘Will the memory stick work on this now?’
‘It should do,’ Bella said, inserting the memory stick into the laptop’s USB port. ‘I’ll need your password.’
‘DublinBay,’ Clodagh said. ‘All one word. Capital D and B. Not very original but easy to remember.’
‘Here it is.’ Bella slid the laptop across the table. ‘I’m sorry, Clodagh. I really am.’