Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

Parking up, Heath hopped out of the car with enthusiasm. He hadn’t been too long, so if he acted suitably excited to be back and glad to see her, that would also earn further brownie points.

Slotting the key in the lock, he opened the heavy front door. He’d even got his own key now. Things were going very nicely indeed.

‘Dulcie? I’m back!’ he called, putting his holdall on the floor in the hall. It was very quiet? Where was she?

Frowning at the lack of response, he moved to the kitchen, finding that empty too. Quickly shoving the carrier bag of food in the fridge, he loped up the stairs. ‘Dulcie?’ She was probably asleep, the lazy cow. It wasn’t like she’d had anything else to do.

Knocking on the ajar door of Dulcie’s bedroom, Heath walked in. ‘Wake up, sleepy head! Wait until you see what I’ve got! I’ve got your favourite for dinner tonight and...’

He broke off mid-sentence as he approached the figure in the bed. ‘Dulcie...?’ Something wasn’t right. He touched her grey-tinged cheek, finding it cool. Oh shit, she wasn’t dead, was she? She couldn’t be fucking dead! She hadn’t changed the will yet... No!

Unable to locate a pulse, perspiration beaded. For fuck’s sake. The old bitch had karked it. How bloody typical was that?

So now what?

Heath feverishly paced around the room, frowning at something on the floor. What the hell was that? It was one of those things from the kitchen used for fishing bacon out of a frying pan! What on earth was that doing in here? And what was that at the end of it?

For a split second, he thought about taking a closer look, but realised he shouldn’t mess about until he’d first dealt with this situation.

Heath ran his fingers through his hair, scarcely able to believe this had happened. He was sick of this. Was his life that doomed for every single set of well-laid plans to be ripped from under him just as he reached the finish line?

He glared at Dulcie, wanting to whack her. The fucking old bitch! She’d probably done this to spite him! Decided to die just because he’d dared to go elsewhere for the afternoon?

Heath sat on the edge of the bed. What was he supposed to do now? He rolled his eyes. Oh, this would give his father something else to bleat on about and could almost hear it already: ‘I told you it was a waste of time...’.

Glancing around, Heath sighed. Should he leave? No one had seen him come back, so if he just went then he wouldn’t be lumbered with dealing with any of it.

Oh Christ! Would he be expected to sort everything out? Things like the funeral and all that?

His eyes narrowed. Fuck that! It wasn’t like he stood to gain anything. If only she could have dragged out dying for a few more weeks then he would have got everything sorted in time. And he’d wasted a tenner on that bloody Duck Parfait!

All but gnashing his teeth with frustration, Heath stood back up. Perhaps he should call an ambulance? Even though Dulcie was dead, wasn’t that what had to be done? He didn’t want to be accused by anyone of not reporting it...

Pulling his phone from his pocket, he fumbled to enter the unlock code when loud banging from downstairs startled him. What the fuck was that?

A wave of cold crashed over him as he heard shouting amidst the banging. Burglars wouldn’t shout, would they?

Dashing to the window, Heath’s mobile fell from his hand at the sight of several police cars.

Wide-eyed, he glanced back at Dulcie’s body lying lifelessly on the bed, just as the front door splintered when the police entered by force.

Fifty Eight

SINCE THE UNCOMFORTABLE and unnerving time spent with Jonah this afternoon, Teagan had remained in her bedroom to avoid running into him again, instead using the time to rid herself of the thick head the whisky had left behind. That and analysing the unanswerable questions of how she could leave this place – away from people who doled out violence in a way that was completely unfathomable.

She’d seen how quickly Jonah’s personality had turned. For a moment, she’d almost been taken in by the strong magnetism emanating from every pore of his being and the unpalatable truth of his attractiveness – something which men like that invariably used to their advantage to wield power over stupid, gullible women, such as her.

It hadn’t taken long before the mask had fallen though, had it?

Teagan fully admitted she liked Gwen – liked her a lot, but to say that Jonah was a decent man?

But if she left, where would she go? She was nowhere near ready to start again somewhere on her own. Her nerves were high and her diminished confidence at an all-time low, but how could she remain here?

Interrupted by hearing Robert return, she’d made her way downstairs and despite how much his earlier words still stung, she had to know if he’d seen Dulcie and also hoped he might feel it necessary to apologise and tell her he hadn’t meant to say what he’d said earlier. In the sitting room, it was clear his mood had not improved and nothing was forthcoming.

Teagan waited patiently for Robert to answer her question.

‘I called round this afternoon, but there was no answer,’ Robert said finally, the resentment at Teagan’s intrusion obvious.

Teagan knew she shouldn’t press the issue, but this was too frustrating. Robert may no longer care for Dulcie, but she did. ‘Did you not go in? Haven’t you still got your keys?’

Robert slammed his pen down on the table and looked at Teagan, irritation leaking from him like a sieve. ‘Why would I just walk in? I don’t know whether you remember, but I don’t live there and want nothing to do with the woman. I said