Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

This is the latest in a line of murders and attacks linked to this family. Anyone with any additional information to assist the police with their enquiries, are urged to call.

‘Oh my God...’ Teagan’s hand flew to her mouth, her head spinning. Dulcie was dead? Murdered?

Her body trembled as sorrow engulfed her. Robert hadn’t had the chance to make his peace with his mother. This would crush him.

Grateful for Gwen’s arms around her, the tears escaped from Teagan’s eyes. Regardless of anything else, she’d truly cared for Dulcie and always believed they could put things right. Now they couldn’t.

‘He’s gone!’ Jonah appeared back in the doorway of the study, breathless and agitated.

‘Gone?’ Gwen parroted. ‘What do you mean, gone?’

Storming straight over to the drinks cabinet, Jonah poured himself a large shot, downing it in one. ‘Robert was in the sitting room. I saw him with my own eyes when I returned. I was about to go and speak to him.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘He’s gone and so has all of his stuff.’

Snatching up the newspaper, he stared at it once more before given Gwen a pointed look.

Reading the meaning behind Jonah’s eyes, Gwen gave an almost imperceptible nod, then steered Teagan towards a seat. ‘Come on, love. Come and sit down.’

Bewildered, Teagan lowered herself into the chair. ‘I-I don’t understand how this could have happened. That must have been why there was no answer when Robert went round.’

Jonah placed a glass of whisky in Teagan’s hand, watching Gwen slip out of the room. He wanted extra security at the Feathers with immediate effect and he also wanted men stationed here 24/7 and knew Gwen would call Nero and arrange it.

Teagan’s mind raced and sweat soaked into the back of her cotton top. Why would that man want to kill Dulcie? Unless... ‘This isn’t because of those diamonds again is it? You’ve got them back, so I thought it was all over?’

Jonah dropped to his haunches in front of Teagan. He took the glass out of her hand and placed it on the desk before taking both of her hands in his. He would have to do this subtly. Teagan would be shielded from this – all of it. She’d already been through enough.

‘It is over. What’s happened has nothing to do with those diamonds. I don’t understand it myself.’ He looked deeply into Teagan’s frightened eyes. ‘You’ve seen them for yourself. They’re here and the feud is over. I promise this is nothing to do with me. I would hardly have accepted Robert here otherwise, would I?’

Fear raged through Teagan and she clutched at Jonah’s jacket sleeve. ‘But who is this Heath Pointer person? That’s the same surname as Robert’s real father. Is there a link? Are we all in danger? I...’

‘How could there be a link? It must just be a really weird coincidence,’ Jonah lied, his reasoning sounding fake even as the words left his mouth. He could only hope Teagan was too distressed to pick up on it. ‘Listen. Nothing bad will happen to you or any of us.

And it wouldn’t. He wasn’t going to let anyone else pay for the curse surrounding those bloody diamonds. He glared at the bookcase where they were safely stashed, wishing his father had never ever been involved in the heist all that time ago.

And he was certainly not going to let Teagan be hurt any further because of it.

But it was true that this wasn’t about the diamonds. At least, not this part of it, but he had an inkling of what it was to do with. There were so many things Teagan didn’t know about this whole situation and it had to remain that way.

Jonah stared deeply into Teagan’s eyes. ‘And I’m sorry about Dulcie. I know you cared for her deeply. This must be a dreadful shock.’

Teagan began sobbing again. ‘I did. I loved her. I know what she did to Helen and that she’d lied to Robert about his father, but she was a good person. A genuine one. There must have been a reason for all of the decisions she made.’

Jonah nodded, pretending to believe he agreed. Despite the light of this next and unexpected situation with Robert and what it might mean, he couldn’t help the overwhelming pull towards Teagan and that urgency of need unsettled him. Like it or not, it was there all the same.

He placed his hand on her shoulder, silently longing for it to be something more. ‘Teagan, I...’

‘Are you alright, love?’ Returning to the study, Gwen looked to Jonah and then to Teagan.

Teagan sniffed loudly. ‘I can’t get my heard around any of this. I’m devastated!’

The proximity to Jonah was bothering her too. The distress of hearing about Dulcie was hard enough without having to allay the ravaging guilt, that as well as that, like a demonic alter-ego, the other half of her mind was centred on Jonah Powell. And that was wrong. Plain wrong. All she was thinking of was herself and what did that make her in light of this present situation? She rose from her chair and stumbling forward, leant against the desk for support. ‘I need some fresh air.’

Jonah glanced at Gwen as Teagan left the study. He waited until he spotted her figure through the window in the garden before sitting back down. Resting his chin in his hands, he exhaled loudly.

‘Nero will be over as soon as he’s put everything in place,’ Gwen said.

Jonah nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes narrowing. ‘Teagan is not to be made aware of the situation. She is to know nothing further than what she already knows. About anything.’

Gwen watched Jonah carefully. ‘How much danger are we in? I mean, realistically?’

Jonah’s lips set in a thin line. ‘I don’t know, but we have to err on the side of caution. I think you have already worked out that Heath Pointer didn’t kill Dulcie Adams. It was Robert. He went round there that