TWELVE

The persistent buzz of the phone finally pulled Erin from sleep. Raising her head from the pillow, she squinted at the morning sunlight pouring through the windows, and winced when the motion set off a pounding headache.

"Hell."

Erin groaned, the inside of her mouth the consistency of cotton wool. How many glasses of wine had she drank last night? She searched her memory but came up blank. Her brain was probably still asleep.

The phone rang again, the sound extraordinarily loud and painful. Erin winced and groped for the offending object.

"What?" She snapped into the receiver.

"Have you seen the paper this morning?" Nicky went straight to the point. Something in her cousin's tone made Erin frown.

"No," Erin pulled herself up, careful not to jolt her head too much. "I just woke up. What's in it?"

Nicky paused for a moment, and Erin could feel waves of disapproval even through the phone.