‘It would have played right into his hands. Mulholland didn’t care about his own life. He only cared about stopping me living mine. And besides which, he was your father.’ Turning to her daughter, she says, ‘Would you have pulled the trigger?’

‘And let him determine the course of the rest of my life? Absolutely not.’

A flock of Canada geese whirrs by, underwings in shadow, the stragglers honking encouragement to those ahead of them, burdened by the keen edge of the wind. Bewitched, Honor and Nevis watch the birds as they sail in V formation high above the bridge and grow smaller as they near the sea, disappearing at last.

The fast, brown water chops around the boat. The engine hums and churns. Up at the bow, Satnam leans on Alex, her body small and shrunken, clasping firmly in her fingers the white lilies she will scatter at the spot where Jessica fell.

Nevis reaches for Honor’s hand and, squeezing it, says, ‘I think I see why you didn’t tell me about him before. I wish you had, Mum. I wish you had told me years ago. But I understand.’

‘Thank you,’ Honor says, her eyes burning. ‘Take the tiller now, darling. Take us wherever you want to go.’

Author Note

Two Wrongs is a work of fiction. Avon, Midland and St Olaf’s universities are invented institutions. The characters and events in this novel are imagined. Any resemblance to any real-life person, event or institution is entirely coincidental.

Acknowledgements

My heartfelt thanks to everyone who worked on this book with special mention to the dedicated teams at HQ and HarperCollins, Rogers, Coleridge & White and Sayle Screen, and to booksellers (especially the indies) everywhere. Emily Kitchin, you are a dream to work with. Thank you to Jeremy White and Lynn Keane for being there. And a very big thank you to readers, bloggers and book enthusiasts. You make everything possible.

Extract

Turn the page for an exclusive extract from the gripping and shocking psychological thriller from bestselling author, Mel McGrath…

1

Cassie

2.30 a.m., Sunday 14 August, Wapping

I’m going to take you back to the summer’s evening near the end of my friendship with Anna, Bo and Dex.