No doubt if she took the stuff to Bella, Bella would be expecting her, and James would have made some arrangement already whereby she, Gina, would be paid only a small share of the money for the loot and he would be collecting the rest when he chose to turn up. Gina didn’t much like Bella and she didn’t trust her. Now, thinking about all that had happened, she decided she didn’t like James and she didn’t trust him either. Look at the way he’d made her believe he cared for her, even talking of her going to join him in London this summer. He’d also told her that he lived in a big house in London, when all the time ‘his place’ in Pimlico was lodgings.

And to think she had thought she was in love with him! What a fool she’d been. It was clear now there was only one person he was in love with, and that was himself. Well, there was a lesson to be learned and, by heck, she’d be learning it. The lesson was: look after yourself and trust no one else.

So, that was decided: she would not be taking the loot to Bella, if only to spite both her and James.

She glanced down into the little side road off the wide main street that ran down towards the sea. An old lady with a little dog was walking slowly along towards the shops. The dog was brown, like Coco, though not a spaniel. Gina thought of Coco, of the fun they’d had, and how she’d trained him to walk so nicely to heel and to amuse Edith with his tricks. She sighed; those days were gone. She’d wanted a life of fun, filled with interesting new people, to get far away from the village of Little Grindle, where nothing ever happened. Well, something would be happening in Little Grindle now, and she would be a big part of it, though not there to witness it. She’d certainly livened things up there, she’d be willing to bet.

She turned and looked at the little hotel room, plain but very clean. She thought of Mary Hathersage, and her sister, Ruth, who last night had been puzzled by their new guest, Diana Thornton, but welcoming and kind nevertheless. Maybe she’d lie low here for a day or two until she’d decided what to do.