Chapters (81)
- Cover
- About the Author
- Dedication
- Prologue
- 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
- Fifty-six
- Fifty-seven
- Fifty-eight
- Fifty-nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-one
- Sixty-two
- Sixty-three
- Sixty-four
- Sixty-five
- Sixty-six
- Sixty-seven
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Read More
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Follow Merilyn online
- Dedication
‘When I first arrived in Oxford, from a little farm in Wales, I would spend my whole time looking upwards, amazed by how beautiful it all was.’ She smiled at Carla. ‘Even now I don’t think there’s a week goes by when something doesn’t make me stop and stare.’
‘I grew up in an estate by Blackbird Leys. All this’ – she waved across the view – ‘was just another kick in the teeth for us; another example of how posh Oxford didn’t care about poor Oxford. We were just invisible at best, a blight at worst.’
Nell felt surprise then guilt she didn’t know this. But then she’d spent the first six months of their working relationship trying to exclude Carla from the team, so she hadn’t bothered to know.
Nell pulled her Marlboro Lights out of her jeans, lit two, and handed one to Carla. ‘Seems Alice was agitated last night. Mentioned a man’s name?’
Carla became instantly animated. ‘There were two men in the group – Simon and Ash – standing behind me, talking about Alice.’
Nell checked her watch. ‘Come on, twenty-one hours and counting before Bremer kicks this case back to CID. Let’s get you back to the office, see what you can dig up on Simon and Ash.’
Carla was out of the seat before she’d finished the sentence. But as Nell watched her scoop up her bag and stamp her cigarette out, she couldn’t help worrying this case wasn’t about Alice at all, it was all about Carla. She just had to figure out how and why before their twenty-one hours was up.
Follow Merilyn online
@nellbelleandme
Dedication
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