Finders Keepers Edie Baylis (phonics readers .TXT) 📖

Gwen knew she was gabbling but couldn’t stop. There was too much to say and she had been holding back for so long. ‘I knew she was hiding something. I snooped around and found some papers: her passport; birth certificate. It’s all on there. Lena is... was an O’Hara,’ Gwen said quietly, the words sticking in her throat like broken glass.

‘An O’Hara?’ Jonah cried incredulously.

‘The very same...’

Jonah raked his fingers through his hair. ‘Then... then she must have been... Oh, Jesus, then she’s one of the O’Hara brother’s children. Mark? Or, fucking hell – Sean? Is she Sean O’Hara’s?’

Gwen looked at Jonah, saw the desperation in his face, the realisation. ‘Yes, she’s Sean O’Hara’s daughter.’

Jonah’s face morphed into a scowl. ‘And Ron? Ron fucking O’Hara? The one in the loony bin?’

Gwen nodded. ‘From what I gathered, Ron and Noeleen were coming over for the wedding.’

‘Christ!’ Jonah processed the implications. This was getting worse by the minute. ‘I’d have been tied to the O’Hara’s... Jesus Christ...’

Getting up, he paced around the table, his face awash with fury. The O’Hara’s would be over for the wedding - the wedding, that as far as they were concerned was still on. He had to find a way to deal with this.

Gwen watched Jonah closely. ‘What are you thinking?’

Jonah’s mouth creased into a twisted smile as he turned to walk into the house. ‘I’m thinking how I’m going to use what I now know.’

‘Where are you g...’

‘I need to make sure no one gets wind that anything’s amiss,’ Jonah said, his face resolute stating loud and clear there was no room for manoeuvre. ‘And I’ll need your help with that. We need to get back to the club.’

Gwen frowned. Get back to the club? How would they explain not only Lena’s absence, but Keith’s and furthermore, Saul’s? It was already unheard of that they should all have been off the radar for two days as it was. ‘But how wi...’

‘I’ll think of something, trust me.’ Jonah interjected.

Forty Nine

IT HAD BEEN EASY MOVING Dulcie back to Footlights. There were only a couple of bags worth of stuff. It also meant Heath could breathe a sigh of relief. Every extra minute they remained at Robert’s flat was an additional minute that made it more likely the man himself would return and put a stop to his plans. Of course there was also the chance Robert could show up at Footlights and he certainly didn’t want that happening.

He didn’t want anything to balls this up. Couldn’t have anything balls this up, but he would have to make a trip back to his own flat at some point. It might have only been two days, but there was only so long he could exist without a proper change of clothes. Borrowing the ones of Robert’s Dulcie had insisted on was unpalatable enough. The man was a lot bigger than him, making him resemble a dodgy geezer who’d nicked a shed load of ill-fitting stuff from the local charity shop.

At least he’d been able to shower and brush his teeth. Without Dulcie having a spare toothbrush he’d have been buggered. Having a mouth like a dog’s arse was not something Heath would entertain.

He’d also borrowed one of Robert’s phone chargers, but he’d still need his proper stuff – including his laptop. Furthermore, he had to explain his absence to this father. There wasn’t a right time for any of these things but they would all have to be done if he were to get anywhere.

Heath pulled his attention back to Dulcie. ‘Did you remember everything? There’s nothing you may have accidentally left at Robert’s?’

‘No, there’s nothing missing apart from the diamonds, but as you well know they aren’t available!’ Dulcie remarked caustically.

Heath laughed weakly. Dulcie had been excited on the way over, but the minute they’d stepped across Footlights’ threshold, she’d changed. Gone was the excitability, replaced by a sullen, antagonistic attitude and he wasn’t sure why. All he could do was play things by ear and hope for the best. ‘I’m presuming you still haven’t heard from Robert?’

Dulcie scowled. ‘No and I’m not likely to. He’s got what he wanted.’

Heath smiled kindly, unsure whether it was too soon, but he had to put out the feelers. He needed to get things moving in his favour. ‘I still think we should try and locate him. I can certainly try if you’d like me to?’

Dulcie flapped her hand. ‘I’m not sure. I’m still too hurt to think.’ Regardless of the diamonds, she’d discovered something else. Whilst Heath was settling into a bedroom, she’d felt compelled to check. Prising up the floorboard in the pink bedroom, she’d seen straight away the gun was missing. Only Robert could have taken it. And if he’d taken it, then he’d worked out what had really happened to Helen. And if he knew that, what did it mean?

‘SHE WON’T BE IN UNTIL after our wedding.’ Jonah smiled at the club staff he’d amassed in the VIP function room. ‘Any issues with the rotas or general club stuff, your port of call as usual, is Gwen. Due to Lena’s absence, event booking and anything VIP related will also be handled by Gwen for the time being.’

Noticing one of the dancers looking at him, concern on her face, Jonah gestured. ‘Terri? You have a question?’

Terri shuffled nervously. ‘Mr Powell, I-I don’t want to speak out of turn, but we’d heard... I mean, there’s rumours that Lena’s pregnant and... well... I just hope everything’s ok with the baby...?’

Biting his cheek, Jonah stopped the immediate flicker of rage. ‘For once, I’m pleased to say the rumours are correct.’ Hearing several gasps of pleasure, he looked around the sea of faces once again. ‘And yes, everything is fine,’ he lied. ‘The doctors have advised Lena take a few weeks’ off for some relaxation, but she’ll be back soon.’

Watching his staff nod