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
Clodagh filled the kettle, giving herself time to choose her words carefully before she spoke.
‘I can understand that,’ she said. ‘But the truth is, none of us will ever know why Gary was drinking that day. You could drive yourself crazy trying to work it out.’
Clodagh didn’t add she knew just how difficult it was to try to move on from what had happened that day. She’d spent most of the last five years trying to make sense of it. The fact that she couldn’t remember anything in the hours before she got on the plane didn’t help. She could never shake off the sense that she’d forgotten something important. Something that might explain why Gary’s blood alcohol was five times above the legal limit.
‘You’re with Simon now,’ she continued. ‘He’s who you need to focus on, not Gary.’
‘You’re right,’ Bella said. ‘In fact, that’s why I’m here. I need you to talk to him.’
‘Sorry?’
‘Simon. He’s really struggling to get his head around what’s happened. I think it would help if you tell him your version of things.’
‘What do you mean – my version?’
‘Just tell him what you saw on the beach this morning. Whether it looked like he’d been killed or…’
‘He was dead,’ Clodagh said. ‘That’s all I saw. I don’t think there’s anything else I can tell Simon that he doesn’t already know.’
‘Please?’
She wanted to tell Bella to go home and leave her in peace. But Simon had lost his only sibling and Clodagh knew, better than anyone, how painful that was. Besides, this was Bella asking. Clodagh couldn’t say no.
‘Of course I’ll talk to him,’ she said. ‘I can give him a ring now if you’d like?’
‘Not tonight. We’ll be back home tomorrow afternoon. Are you okay coming to ours?’
Clodagh wasn’t allowed to drive because of her brain injuries. But there were regular trains from Bramhurst, the village she lived in, to Brighton where Simon and Bella lived.
‘Of course. Tomorrow’s fine.’
‘You’re a star.’ Bella stood up. ‘Thank you so much, Clodagh. You’ve no idea how much this means to me. I’m going to head home now and get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.’
After she left, Clodagh drank her tea while her mind went back to the same place it always did – that last holiday before her sister died.