I take the urn from the rucksack and carry it to him, worrying how traumatic he might find this last part.
‘I’m all right,’ he says, reading my mind. ‘This is all, all right.’
He uncaps the top and puts it down. I grab Polly’s hand so she doesn’t get too close to the edge of the hill. ‘This was your mummy’s favourite spot,’ I tell her.
‘I know that, Grandma,’ she says indignantly, ‘and Daddy’s too.’
Tom takes the open urn in both hands. ‘I love you, Lily Parker. Polly and I will never stop talking about you. We’ll never forget you and you’ll live forever in our hearts. God bless you – you wonderful wife and mother.’
He shakes the opened urn. Ash billows and swirls upward like a genie in the high-rising wind. He shakes it again. Polly snuggles against my leg and says, ‘Mummy’s up in the clouds with Granddad now, isn’t she?’
‘She is, sweetheart, she is indeed.’ I pick her up and hold her tight as Tom empties the last of the ash and then walks toward us. He has his brave face on. A smile masking tears.
‘Well done,’ I tell him.
He hugs me and Polly at the same time, then he says resolutely, ‘Time for food and drink.’
‘Not until you’ve washed your hands,’ his five-year-old says sternly. ‘Grandma, just look at Daddy. He’s covered in Mummy dust.’
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Acknowledgements
An enormous thanks to the team at Aria, especially my talented editor, Lucy Gilmore, for her support throughout. Also, the copy editor Sue Smith and proof reader Sue Lamprell for their advice and attention to detail.
My gratitude to my agent Luigi Bonomi of LBA for your help and encouragement. Lastly, but by no means least, thank you to you, my readers.
DLM
About D.L. Michaels
D.L. MICHAELS is a former award-winning TV executive, who married in Tuscany, has one teenage son and lives on an old converted farm in the Peak District. Favourite writers include Harlan Coben, Patricia Cornwell and Nicci French.
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Addictive Fiction
First published in the United Kingdom in 2018 by Aria, an imprint of Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © D.L. Michaels, 2018
The moral right of D.L. Michaels to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781788543583
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Table of Contents
Welcome Page
About Dead and Gone
Contents
Dedication
Part 1
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Part 2
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Part 3
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Chapter 96
Chapter 97
Chapter 98
Chapter 99
Chapter 100
Chapter 101
Chapter 102
Chapter 103
Chapter 104
Chapter 105
Chapter 106
Chapter 107
Chapter 108
Chapter 109
Chapter 110
Chapter 111
Chapter 112
Chapter 113
Chapter 114
Chapter 115
Chapter 116
Chapter 117
Chapter 118
Chapter 119
Chapter 120
Chapter 121
Part 4
Chapter 122
Chapter 123
Chapter 124
Chapter 125
Chapter 126
Chapter 127
Chapter 128
Chapter 129
&n
bsp; Chapter 130
Acknowledgements
About D.L. Michaels
Become an Aria Addict
Copyright
Dead and Gone: A Gripping Thriller With a Shocking Twist Page 40
