Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

like he’d first suggested. He might need the man for locating O’Hara, but he wouldn’t have him disobeying instructions, nor disrespecting women. He was fast beginning to wonder whether he’d got Robert Adams completely wrong.

Fifty Nine

LOOKING AT HIS LAPTOP SCREEN, Robert scribbled down coordinates and times into his notepad before glancing over at Jonah. ‘Your man is definitely making a move.’

Jonah frowned. ‘Yes, but where to? That’s the key.’ It was difficult enough having to be civil to Robert Adams after what he'd witnessed yesterday, let alone put up with vagueness about O’Hara’s whereabouts. He knew O’Hara was planning on turning up somewhere, but it was a question of where. He needed this to be over.

He turned his attention to Gwen. ‘You’re sure he wasn’t more specific?’

Gwen pulled the phone from her bag and opened the text message Jonah was referring to. ‘What I told you was exactly what he put. Look.’ She thrust Lena’s phone at Jonah:

Something’s not right and I don’t like it. I’ll stay with friends of the family until you call me. R x

Jonah arched an eyebrow. ‘So, he’s not going to that hotel I told you to suggest?’

Gwen reined in her irritation. ‘Like I said before, he’s suspicious. He wants to hear from Lena herself. I knew he would if all I ever did was text.’

Jonah chucked Lena’s phone on the desk next to Gwen’s mobile. ‘Where’s he going then if not the hotel? What family friend could he possibly have around here?’ He glared at Robert still stuck to his laptop screen. ‘How long will it be before we know?’

‘He’s on the way over to England now.’ Peering closer at the slowly changing coordinates on the screen, Robert frowned. ‘By the speed of this, I’d say via ferry rather than plane.’

‘So how long?’ Jonah pressed. Could no one answer a simple question?

‘However long it takes him to get wherever he’s going! I can’t be any more exact than that!’

Jonah paced around his office in agitation. Adams’ facetious comments were getting on his wick. The man wasn’t levelling with him and he’d had plenty of opportunities to say he’d attempted to pay Dulcie a visit, but nothing had been said.

Nearing the drinks cabinet, his hand itched to pour himself a large one, but Gwen was watching with that look on her face. She’d already insinuated his increase in drinking was affecting his judgement.

Gwen jumped as her mobile rang. Snatching the phone from the desk, she glanced at the screen:

Unknown number...

With her eyes still firmly on Jonah, Gwen answered the call. ‘Hello?’ she snapped, rolling her eyes when the line disconnected. That probably served her right for giving Teagan an excuse about cold callers yesterday.

Suddenly, a wave of dread washed over her. That was Lena’s phone, not hers. And she answered it... Shit! Thankfully, it wasn’t O’Hara.

Relieved to see Jonah was still too busy pacing around the office to take notice, Gwen quickly shoved Lena’s phone in her bag, rather than putting it somewhere that it could get mixed up again.

Moving back to the drinks cabinet, Jonah grabbed the whisky bottle and poured himself a generous glass, ignoring Gwen’s expression. No one was dictating when he had a drink or how many.

Also watching Jonah, Nero frowned. He was unsure what else had happened to rattle his cage, but something had. Robert going off radar yesterday hadn’t helped either. ‘Have you decided what you’re doing about Lena yet?’

Jonah scowled. Why did everyone have to mention Lena? ‘I’ve already said she’s off under medical instruction. What else do you want me to say?’

‘We can’t use that indefinitely.’ Nero pushed.

Jonah paced around some more. He knew that. Of course he did, but there was too much going on and he needed to think. He’d been rash bringing Adams into the picture. He’d needed his expertise, but now... well, he didn’t know what to do and answers weren’t forthcoming. ‘I’ll spell it out again, shall I? My priority is the O’Hara’s. I don’t know how many times I need to say that everything else can wait!’

Gwen watched Jonah top up his glass. ‘I have an idea, but it would mean taking a dent to your ego that you might not like...’

Jonah span around, his eyes accusing. ‘What’s that then?’ Wasn’t not being able to sort Saul out himself; admitting to strangers that Lena had hurt him; having the son of his arch enemy come to the rescue on every level, but now doubting him as much as he’d doubted Saul. Another was being presumed to be the multiple murderer... Weren’t all of these things enough to question whether there was anything left to be humiliated over?

Nero cleared his throat, seeing Gwen’s reticence to continue. He’d broach the idea himself. ‘Gwen mentioned her idea earlier and it’s a good one. The best we’ve got, anyway.’

‘Glad to see you’ve been busy discussing things in my absence,’ Jonah spat.

‘Tell everyone Lena’s left you. Tell them she’s walked out and you don’t know where, therefore the wedding’s off,’ Nero said confidently.

Jonah stared between Nero and Gwen and clapped slowly. ‘And that’s it, is it? Announcing to all and sundry that my fiancée has decided to leave me? Oh yeah, that’s great! The ultimate public humiliation!’

‘If you want to see it that way, but it would work,’ Nero added.

Jonah slammed his now empty glass on the desk. ‘What does it even matter?’ He yanked his suit jacket from the back of the seat. ‘I tell you what, I’m going home! You decide - discuss it between yourselves and when you reach a decision, let me know and I’ll simply announce it. How does that sound?’

Leaving Nero and Gwen in stunned silence, Jonah stopped on his way out to lean over Robert, still firmly entranced with his laptop. ‘Let me know when you get the next lead, if that’s not too much trouble? That’s if you’re not disappearing off for half the day again?’

Robert frowned, still fixated