While Ma busied herself throwing out years and years of ‘stuff’ around the house, I tried to plan the logistics of the move. Every time I thought that I had got somewhere close, the weather changed and the whole area was treated to another large dump of snow.

“I’m Special Agent McBride,” said the lead agent as I met him at the entrance to the Office.

“Welcome to Custer County Agent McBride. I’m Matt Beecher. I was the one who called you guys about this case,” I replied as we shook hands.

"Rona? What on earth are you doing here? Weren't you supposed to be sunning yourself in Cancun or Acapulco?" I said when I answered the door.

"I was actually sunning myself in Thailand, but the opportunity to do some good business was enough to get me on a plane home."

Lucia had made plans for us to go away for the Christmas/New Year break. I’d been so engrossed with running the business and the impending takeover that I'd just grunted when she asked me what I wanted to do for the holidays.

I spent an uncomfortable night after Lucia’s revelations. The visions of me looking like one of the girls from the Benny Hill show running around a house using a pink hoover while Scamp looked on looking bored would not go away. It both attracted me and appalled me at the same time.

It is amazing how an unsolicited phone call can turn your day upside down. I’d been on the phone for almost half an hour with one of these before I ended the call feeling both mystified and frustrated. I sat at my desk for well over half an hour trying to make some sense of what had transpired on the call. Finally, I called out to Sue Fredericks, my No 2 and right-hand woman.

[At a layby on the A3 near Guildford, UK]

“Hello Amy. This is George,” said the driver into his phone after parking in one of the layby’s that provided a place of refuge from the fast moving traffic.

Danielle was as good as her word and gave Josh a full makeover that night. She fussed over ‘Josie’ for what seemed like hours until she was happy with her work.

“Ready for this?” ask Danielle as she prepared to remove the towel that she’d used to cover her mirror.

The night was almost over when Danielle and Josh were finally finished with the Police. Once they’d shown the video recording to the Officer who had arrived, he called in the local CID.

[Monday morning]
“Broadway Electrical Supplies. How can I help you,” said Abby as she answered the phone.

Roberta Galbraith - Rookie Days

“Hello?” said Roberta slightly nervously as she stood at the reception desk of Colindale Police Station.
This was her first day ‘on the job’ since she’d graduated from the Hendon Police College two weeks before.

[Colne, Lancashire 3rd January]

“How much farther,” complained Taylor as she looked out at the grey skies and lashing rain.

This little short came to me while waiting for a Funeral Cortege to go slowly along the road and into a local church. It is a variation on a piece that I wrote for my writing class.

[four months later]
It was a slow Wednesday morning when Ray and Jade came into the shop. She said her hello's to Sylvia, and me before leaving on an errand for Ray.

Ray’s son Phillip descended on our little world three days later. I say descended because his first port of call was the coffee shop where he said loudly,

[Late October 2017]
“Good morning Ray. Shall I prepare your usual?” I said to the latest customer who had ventured into my coffee shop that morning. It was blowing a bit of a hoolie out there. A strong south-westerly wind that was predicted to become a full-on gale before midday was dragging rain squalls along with it. Not a nice day to be out and about.

Heather left me to sort out our travel arrangements while she beat the hell out of some pork for her Scottish influenced version of schnitzel.

The news that there was still a price on my head rocked me sideways, backwards and finally a somersault that ended with me landing flat on his face.

The pair of us worked long into the night cleaning the house. Despite my best endeavours, Heather would not divulge what she had planned for us when we finally left out current location.

[three days later]
“Thanks for picking me up. This is most unexpected,” I said as I embraced Sylvie at Sky Harbor airport in Phoenix.

She grinned.
“It is all your fault you know!”

I felt at a bit of a loss the next morning now that Sylvie was going back to her duties with the FBI. She had arranged for my stay to be extended by one more day and as one or other of the FBI or DOJ were picking up the bill. The only upside I could see was that I was under no pressure to check out by 11 am.