Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

Apart from this business with Saul, things on the home front had unexpectedly improved dramatically. ‘Is Lena working well with you?’ Jonah asked. ‘What I mean is, there’s no animosity?’

Gwen shrugged. ‘No, she’s been fine.’ Jonah was happier today and she didn’t want to ruin his good mood by pissing on his bonfire with her suspicions. Not until she’d got cast-iron proof.

Jonah smiled. ‘You were right to push me about involving her. It’s done her the world of good.’

I bet it has, Gwen thought caustically, making sure her face outwardly appeared benign.

‘Now Saul’s the only fly in the ointment,’ Jonah spat, his cold expression returning. ‘I still haven’t got hold of him, which makes it even more obvious he knows he’s in the shit.’

‘About that,’ Gwen said. ‘I saw him yesterday. After you had gone, I should add.’

Jonah’s eyes narrowed. ‘How unsurprising for him to show up after I’d left for the day. Did you tell him what Lena said?’

‘No!’ Gwen spluttered. ‘That’s for you to do.’ She could hardly say she had told Saul. Neither could she admit she’d confided her suspicions over Lena’s pregnancy either.

Guilt raged; the concept of betraying Jonah sitting heavily, but she’d done it purposefully to avoid hurting him. ‘We were talking about something else, but from the things he said, I don’t think what Lena told you can be right.’

Jonah folded his arms. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve fallen for his bullshit? I thought you were more intelligent than that! Are you saying Lena’s lying? You never had any trust in her, but y...’

‘I’m not saying that at all,’ Gwen exclaimed. ‘I think perhaps she may have misconstrued the situation.’ The fact that Jonah was protective of Lena at the moment was all too painfully obvious and she didn’t want to rub him up the wrong way.

‘That I doubt,’ Jonah growled. ‘Saul’s a bastard. Lena was extremely upset. She didn’t even want to tell me what had happened, so I find it unlikely she’d have misread anything.’

Gwen held her hands up. ‘Ok, ok. Just saying it might be possible, but you’ll do what’s needed, I know that.’ And Lena would be relying on that too, the sneaky cow.

There had to be something she could find on the woman to nip all of this in the bud before it really was too late and the little bitch succeeded in milking the business and ruining what was left of the Powell family.

Nineteen

DULCIE KEPT HER FACE NEUTRAL, kindly even, when really she wanted to scratch the eyes out of Teagan’s pretty little head. It was a good job she’d possessed the foresight to conveniently stage that fall to break up their tryst in the kitchen last night, otherwise something could have occurred between her son and that woman.

Her jaw tightened. She’d seen the way Robert had looked at the girl and that was the most worrying thing.

Although it was many years ago, Dulcie well remembered the comments from Robert’s teachers. How they’d gone on about his lack of empathy, his insistence for routines, not mixing with the other children. They’d almost insinuated there was something not quite right about him.

Dulcie tutted indignantly. Something not quite right about him indeed! Robert was fine – perfect. Extremely bright and extraordinarily talented, he just wasn’t a social butterfly. What was wrong with that? Besides, he had a good relationship with her and that was all that mattered. These so-called ‘foibles’ of his meant she didn’t have to worry he’d squander his life on pointless relationships, or get involved with the wrong crowd.

But now, if her suspicions proved to be correct, something was beginning to change in Robert’s way of thinking and that had to be quashed without fail. She must be on her guard, but she couldn’t watch them all the time, so it was a blessing in disguise that Darren Harding had appeared today. It was perfect timing and something to diffuse this horrible situation.

‘It’s obvious Darren’s made a big effort to be here today, which I think is very nice,’ Dulcie said. ‘And you don’t need to apologise for his presence. I’ve told you before, he’s a lovely young man.’

Teagan glanced in Darren’s direction and watched him stare out over the Temple Hotel’s manicured lawns. She knew she’d have to make the effort to go and speak to him, but in all honesty she didn’t want to. It felt wrong.

Dulcie placed her hand on Teagan’s arm. ‘Please don’t let what I said before put you off.’ She smiled. ‘I know I said he had a resemblance to my Michael, but surely you realise I was talking utter rubbish?’ Her watery blue eyes saddened. ‘It was the pills - they made me chatter nonsense half the time.’

That first time she’d seen Darren Harding was the only time in years that she’d let her guard down. Seeing the Pointer features had knocked her off kilter and thrown her from her usual controlled and strategic behaviour. It had been remiss of her. Very remiss indeed.

Dulcie chewed the inside of her cheek. It was possible her theory about Darren Harding was wrong After all, the resemblance was not obvious, but there was a resemblance. Her instinct was telling her the same and she needed to find out, but the only way to confirm that was to coax Teagan into getting close to the boy.

The Powells being on to her was bad enough, but she had to rule out this other possibility too. Maybe this would kill two birds with one stone? Once that was done she could move on to step two of her plan.

Teagan smiled weakly. ‘Don’t think about those pills, Dulcie. All that’s over now.’

‘But it won’t be if you allow what I said to cloud your judgement,’ Dulcie implored, tapping Teagan reassuringly on the arm. ‘You deserve a good man in your life.’ Just not my son.

Teagan glanced