Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

Joe glanced towards the bar again, pleased to see Dave getting served. At last. His mouth salivated with the prospect of a fresh beer and sat back happily. That was until cold dread swamped him.

Had he told the nutter about the box? He closed his eyes to recall the conversation word for word. Shit, he had - he knew he had. He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now...

The clear memory of what those blokes had said when they’d bashed their way into the house terrifying the lives of him, Dave and Alan, leapt into his mind. They’d said the old woman was in the possession of something of theirs that they wanted back. Had what he said given those blokes the impression that Teagan had what they been after? Fuck.

Sweat broke out on Joe’s back. He could already feel his T-shirt sticking clammily to his skin.

‘Here you go.’ Dave deposited two fresh pints on the rickety table. ‘What’s the matter with you? You’ve gone a funny colour.’

‘Just gagging for another drink,’ Joe muttered, reaching for his pint.

Dave laughed. ‘Jeez, if you’re at the point where you’re withdrawing after five bloody minutes without a beer, then you’ve got some serious problems, mate!’

Joe slurped at his new pint. Serious problems? That could be likely, but how the hell did he find out without dropping himself in the shit?

Twenty Six

DULCIE HAD WAITED ALL morning, plus the afternoon and Teagan still hadn’t shown her two-faced self and she wasn’t waiting any longer.

She tugged viciously at yet another drawer in Teagan’s cupboard, impatiently shovelling her way through the contents. Picking up handfuls of clothes, she dumped the items on the bed, shaking each one out just in case the box was cunningly concealed within one of the neatly folded tops.

Her anger increased, adrenaline pounding as she fruitlessly tossed each item to one side. It was plain to see how, make no mistake about it, the double-crossing little mare had done a runner.

Dulcie bit back the tears of frustration. She might have known the only person she could ever trust was herself.

Hadn’t she learnt that enough over the course of her life? Look what had happened to her Michael. He’d only ever worked his backside off for those Powell bastards. They owed him those jewels and yet they’d killed him for taking what was rightfully his. Disgusting, greedy bastards the whole lot of them. And as for Teagan...

Dulcie’s eyes darted around the room. Where else would the conniving little cow think to stash the box? It had to be in here somewhere?

She should have shot Teagan the same night she’d shot Helen. And she would have, had she thought something like this was on the cards.

Dulcie scowled, her face becoming ugly and twisted as she snarled in pure rage. She’d genuinely believed the girl to be pliable and deemed her perfect for coaxing Helen into the trap she’d waited so very long to spring. And Teagan had helped immensely.

Dulcie sighed heavily, her breath ragged. By being so involved with how things unfurled with her darling daughter, Dulcie knew she’d taken her eyes off the ball with Teagan and missed what was under her nose all along. The girl had her own bloody agenda. Everyone always did.

As she rummaged under the bed, such was her annoyance with both herself and her rage, she didn’t notice the front door shutting.

Dulcie pulled at Teagan’s suitcase, fumbling to unzip it, her hands shaking. Yanking open the main compartment, she stared at an old receipt – the only thing there. She opened the compartment in the vinyl lid and shoved her arm deep inside to feel around. Nothing.

She was just about to sling the whole thing back under the bed, when a small pouch-like section in the wall of the case caught her eye. Putting her hand in for good measure, she felt around. There was something there. It was hard. Was this it?

Heart pounding, Dulcie pulled out the object, relief flooding over her like a waterfall. Thank God for that.

She shook the box gently. What if Teagan had opened it and taken the contents? Had she thought about that?

She shook it again, pointless really, being as it was impossible to tell whether it was empty or not. The small box was fashioned from thick wood and the diamonds were carefully wrapped in strips of material, so it wasn’t like they’d be jangling about. They must still be in there. They had to be. She was the only one with a key and the box nor the lock was damaged.

Dulcie smiled. Grabbing the bed frame, she pulled herself from her aching knees to her feet and shoved the box into her cardigan pocket. She wasn’t leaving anything to chance now and would keep hold of this, regardless of whether the Powells or Pointers were on her tail. She’d find somewhere else to place it. Somewhere where no one except her could get their hands on it.

‘What are you doing?’

Dulcie swung around in shock to find Robert standing in the doorway of Teagan’s bedroom.

‘I said, what are you doing, mother?’ Robert repeated, his eyes full of suspicion.

‘I HAVEN’T SEEN EITHER OF THEM,’ Nero insisted. ‘What’s the issue?’

Jonah scowled. Saul and Keith disappearing was becoming a frequent occurrence. Aside from his disrespectful play for Lena, he didn’t trust what his brother was planning with the business either.

Both enforcement teams were busy and things seemed to be running to plan, but in real terms that meant little. Saul and Keith were rarely on site and that only caused Jonah to wonder exactly what they were up to. Saul hadn’t even mentioned Dulcie Adams for a few days either and that alone set off alarm bells. Saul setting up new arrangements behind his back wasn’t part of the deal. Everything apart from the enforcement and the show side of things