To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Full frontals

You’re not going to believe what’s happened. This morning in post, got A-4 envelope, full of photos of Racey and Detta riding the arse off each other. Nothing left to imagination—mickeys and full frontals and the whole war-crime business. You’d need strong stomach.

So they were at it all along! Harry was right, I was wrong. But why is someone sending me pictures of them, especially now I’m off case?

Rang Colin. Asked him what should I do?

Let’s discuss it, he says. In bed.

Oo-er, don’t mind if I do, missus!

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: All is revealed

Dear Anna,

I know you have a fair bit on your mind at the minute but I must admit I am slightly hurt that you haven’t seen fit to reply to me with your guesses. I know that our little “drama” here isn’t anything as exciting as the things that go on in New York city but I thought you might humor us a bit. So go on, guess who Nan O’Shea is. Go on, try! You’ll never guess!

Your loving mother,

Mum

P.S. If you don’t “guess,” I will be very annoyed.

To get her off my back, I dashed off an absentminded reply.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Re: All is revealed

I don’t know. I give up. Is she an old girlfriend of Dad’s?

I’d waited so long to talk to Aidan that I’d started to believe that eight-thirty would never come. But it did. Light-headed, I looked at the two hands on the clock; they were in the magic formation, the time had finally arrived. I picked up the phone and punched the numbers.

It rang four times, then a woman’s voice said hello and I was shaking so much I could hardly speak to say, “Hello, is that Neris?”

“Yeees?” Said cautiously.

“Hello, it’s me, Anna Walsh, I’m calling from New York for my reading.”

“Um.” She sounded perplexed. “Do you have an appointment?”

“Yes! Yes! Of course I do! I’ve paid and everything. I can give you the name of the person who set this up.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, honey, I’ve got construction workers in here, running all over the place. I told the office. No way can I concentrate on a reading.”

Shock robbed me of speech. This couldn’t be happening. My call waiting started clicking. I ignored it.

“You mean you’re not going to channel for me?”

“Not right now, honey.”

“But we have an appointment. I’ve been desperate for this day to come—”

“I know, honey. Call the office. Let’s reschedule.”

“But I had to wait three months for this appointment and—”

“I’ll tell them to prioritize you.”

“There’s no chance we could do something quick just now, is there?”

“No, there sure is not.” Her breezy tone stayed breezy but with a steely addition. “Call the office. Y’all take care now.”

And she was gone.

78

I stared at the phone, then a tangle of outrage, disappointment, and thwarted hope erupted together. Unlike the occasional surges of terrible anger, which usually departed after one snarky sentence, I was overwhelmed by an entire reservoir of white-hot fury—not with Neris but with Aidan.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” I screeched. “Why are you blocking me at every fucking turn? I’ve given you every fucking opportunity.” I was pulling at my hair. “And why did you have to die? You should have tried harder, you lazy, useless BASTARD. If you’d loved me enough, you’d have stayed alive, you’d have held on to your life. You fucking useless PRICK, just giving in like that.”

I hit redial and got the engaged tone and that just made me worse. This was no accident.

“Why won’t you talk to me?” I shrieked. “You’re too fucking CHICKEN, that’s why! You had a CHOICE, you could have STAYED, but you didn’t care about me enough, you didn’t love me enough, you were more concerned with YOURSELF.”

Eventually I ran out of words, and over and over again, I shrieked into my hands, tearing my throat raw as I tried to get the rage out of me.

I couldn’t stay in the apartment; it was too small to contain my feelings. In a haze of red, I made for the door. Passing the computer, I saw that a new e-mail had arrived. I didn’t know what I was hoping for—a new appointment time with Neris, maybe?—but it was only from Helen.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Subject: Full frontals

Showed photos to Harry. Colin said he had right to know. Harry was broken man. Vay funny. Then he said to Colin: I’m going out to Dalkey to kill Racey O’Grady. I’ll be back in a couple of hours, depending on traffic. You hold the fort.

I ran out of the apartment and stood on the street and found I had nowhere to go except work. I didn’t give a damn about the pitch, but, as is the way with these things, I got a cab immediately, there was almost no traffic, and every light was green. I’d never got to work so quickly in my life.

I took my time ambling from the lift to my desk, where Franklin, Teenie, and Lauryn were in a head-to-head.

“…flaky bitch,” Lauryn was saying. “We should never have let her come back after her husband…”

Franklin was the color of chalk. Then he turned and saw me and I almost laughed when I saw his expression. He was too relieved to be angry. “You’re here.”

“Yeah. Teenie, I’m so sorry to mess you around like this.”

“No way,” she said. “It’s your pitch, it’s your baby.” She gave me a little kiss. “Way to go.”

79

They’re not here yet,” Franklin said breathlessly, taking me by the arm and hurrying me to the boardroom.

“Here she is!” Triumphantly, he displayed me to Ariella, who said, “Cutting it a little fine, no?”