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"Hope you’re right Do put down that bloody remote"

"Sorry Chris looks bad but he seems in decent spirits"

"To you"

"What do they say?"

She shrugged "They won’t Can we talk about so else?"

"Depends"

"Oh, you won’t want to, but you’re going to listen Two Js Judith Connolly Jane Fitzroy"

"Nothing doing, old girl Do you want another glass of wine?"

"Sit down"

But he was out of the roolass of wine being poured, cupboard doors banging No, she thought, he’ll duck out of it, as ever And suddenly, she didn’t care She’d had enough She eary Let Simon look after himself and let him think what he liked about their father

He cah what kind of person shoots at randorudge?"

Si No, Cat thought Nothing doing, as you said

"We don’t know for sure it’s only one"

"What, two gun an open mind, as they say I think it’s one un He can shoot at close range and at a distance The Chief wants us to bring in a profiler I’ainst it, I think they’re useless I can profile this bloke as well as anyone Man Loner Gun-savvy Grudge against wo Athletic Good sight Doesn’t stand out in a crowd Local--knows the area well Psychopath Clear-headed--not on drugs, probably doesn’t drink, or nothis tracks Easy when you kno find hi to do?"

"Wait till he slips up Try and keep one step ahead--think like him Difficult that" He shook his head

"You love it"

"Yes You didn’t hear me say it, but yes … this is the sort I like Am I warped and twisted?"

"No Fascinated by huo God, I can’t take this in This family doesn’t deserve another--" He stopped

"Death You can say it"

"Yes …" He put his ar onto hihtly for a second "No chance" She moved away from him, walked to the television and switched it off Looked round Say it, she thought Say

"Don’t leave it, Si Don’t duck your feelings It doesn’t co, as she had known he would

Fifty-one

There was a single note on the organ, the sign for everyone to turn and look round and of course, she was beautiful, Chelsea Fisher, the most beautiful bride in the history of the world, as every bride was Her mother had wanted to make the dress, said it was a waste of , was it, this was Designer, she and her sister-in-law had been to London to the showroos Never mind what it cost, no one had to know, least of all her mother, and if it was the same price as half a new kitchen, who cared? No one, at this one scarlet and then chalk white in the face as he watched her No one

It was tight, skimmed her so she could hardly walk, and it had a fishtail and a long train like a mermaid and she shilistening, clinging ed with her skin almost The top was like silver snakeskin wrapped round her, but her long pale ar of what felt like goose down She had looked at herself in thetiara and the soft foa veil, and floated away, then floated on Uncle Ray’s arm, floated in front of Lindsay and Flick and little Arins a mile wide Floated past theette and lavender crêpe and black and white and purple cravats Floated Andrew’sdown her face Reached out her hand to touch the floating silk and gossaoose down as it drifted past

Floated

Andrew’s cravat looked odd The pin was askew She wanted to reach out and straighten it and her hand was shaking, the baby’s breath trees of her bouquet Andrew sing as everyone sat down behind her but she floated Still floated Behind her, little A what she had to do now Lindsay whispered back Andrew touched his hand to his cravat

She went on floating

The priest made them feel like the only people in the world and certainly the only ones he had ever married He looked into their eyes and he sh Warht, it was a warhter and then, when he pronounced them man and wife, they turned round, eht church

The thing that took her by surprise, holding tightly to Andrew’s hand as they started to walk down the aisle, was how quickly it was over The one into the service, the printed sheets with the silver swans on the front, practising it a couple of tione and they were married The doors at the back were opened and beyond the car They walked towards the brightness and it was as if they alking towards their bright future Everything was right

Behind her, Amy’s new shoes slithered on the polished floor and she alhted her and spoke to her to stop herdoll dressed in the sa over the wall You were not allowed to throw confetti but Andrew’s sisters surprised them with bubbles, pink bubbles blown out of the little ands, and the pink bubbles floated up into the air and burst softly, silently onto Chelsea’s hair and her dress and fell onto the gravel and rested there, iridescent, caught by the sun Then everyone was co small cameras and feathers bobbed on heads and a few of the arettes Froan music and then the church went quiet

What happened next happened so fast it was like a film speeded up so that afterwards no one re different

Chelsea was beside Andrew but he had stepped forward and little A her way out to be in the front, to be seen and adiven her a bubble pot and wand and she was trying hard to blow, but the bubbles wouldn’t forravel There was shouting--"Andy, turn round, get closer to Chelsea … Andy, look this way … Chelsea, over here"--and then a roar, aby The rider … who saw the rider? Yes Black leathers, helmet … he skidded up and seeain, and in between, the split second of the flash, sunlight onand the flare and blaze and Andreas spinning round and grabbing hold of his shoulder with the other hand And Around and her face and dress were pouring blood and the blood splashed out onto the gravel and splashed up, onto Chelsea’s wedding dress

And people were screa, theup dust

So by the wall s, down the road fast the way the

Chelsea’s dress was covered in so ht it was her Someone screamed, "The bride’s been shot … the bride’s been shot …"

But it was not Chelsea as lying face down on the gravel, one hand stretched out and holding a rag doll Beside Aravel, h!" DC Louise Kelly threw her pencil in the air