Page 199 of Kiss Heaven Goodbye

Sasha lay naked in Philip’s bed, enjoying the sensation of crisp Irish linen on her bare skin. Her head was foggy from too much red wine – just a couple of glasses was enough to do that these days – and as she started to feel more awake, she felt torn between relief and happiness that she and Philip had got together again and a flood of discomfort from being here, in her ex-boyfriend’s bed, when she should have been in the spare room concentrating on sorting out her career. Hearing a creak at the door, she looked up and pulled the sheet up to cover her bare breasts.

‘I think we’re past that stage now.’ Phil smiled, bringing her a mug of tea.

Sasha giggled, immediately feeling herself relax. Don’t be so uptight, she thought. This is what you wanted, isn’t it?

He sat down and stroked her bare shoulder. ‘You were dead to the world.’

‘What time is it?’

‘Midday.’

She sat up. ‘You are kidding me!’

He laughed and shook his head. ‘How about going out for breakfast at Daylesford?’

She gave him a saucy smile. ‘How about breakfast in bed?’

‘Or lunch, as the case may be.’

Sasha stretched out, smiling.‘How completely decadent,’ she said, feeling happier than she’d felt in ages.

‘Well, in the spirit of decadence, I’ll see if I can whip up something full of fat and carbohydrates,’ said Philip, heading for the kitchen.

Faintly she could hear her mobile ringing. Swinging her legs out of the bed, she scrabbled it out of her bag and pressed accept.

‘Sasha Sinclair?’ The voice was unfamiliar, the accent foreign.

‘Yes.’ She hesitated. ‘Who is this?’

‘Detective Inspector Carlton from the Royal Bahamian Police Force in Nassau.’

Nassau? She felt her skin go cold, her heart fluttering with panic.

‘How can I help you?’ she asked as evenly as she could.

‘It’s in connection with a body found on Angel Cay, the Exumas island belonging to the Ashford family.’

‘Yes, I know it,’ she said. ‘A body? Has there been an accident there?’

‘No, Miss Sinclair. It’s a very old body, discovered buried near one of the beaches. Initial forensics have put time of death around twenty years ago. Mode of death blunt trauma to the head.’

‘That sounds awful,’ said Sasha. ‘But why are you telling me all this?’

‘Because you visited the island regularly around this time on account of your relationship with Miles Ashford.’

‘That’s true. But I don’t know anything about an accident. Or a body.’

She willed herself to stay calm, stay vague with what she said, although her pulse was racing.

‘We’ve interviewed several former staff from Angel Cay working there at that time. Apparently twenty years ago a boat boy disappeared from the island. At the time everyone assumed he’d just left as he was about to get dismissed.’

She sipped her tea, but it just made her feel nauseous. Her heart was pounding fiercely. Her skin felt crawly. Breathe, Sasha, breathe, she thought, focusing on her yoga training.

‘Really? I don’t remember hearing about that.’

‘The week he went missing, you were one of the dozen or so guests on the island,’ pressed Carlton.

‘As I said, I don’t recall anything about a disappearance of a staff member.’