Hannah Flynn was listening to her arch enemy with interest. Lana wasn’t her favourite person, but she did oftentimes have a good insight into her daughter’s life.
‘I tell you, Hannah, my Josephine is getting worse. If it wasn’t for that little boy I don’t know what she would do.’
Hannah nodded slowly in agreement. Her daughter-in-law was not a bad girl; as the years had gone on, she had become quite attached to her. Josephine was weak, that was her problem. She had no backbone. Jessie’s antics had been the last straw really. Her pregnancy had knocked them all for six, but it had broken Josephine. She had never recovered.
She had made her way round to Lana’s because, for the first time ever, Jessie hadn’t turned up at her house for a late lunch. She always came to her on a Thursday. Jessie saw her dad first, picked up her cash, and then she came straight to her nana’s. Hannah made them lunch, and they chatted together. It was the highlight of her week. But today she hadn’t shown up; that wasn’t right. Jessie never missed their lunch together. She had tried her mobile over and over again, and nothing – it had just rung. She had come round to Lana’s house in the end, hoping to find out something about her granddaughter. But it was obvious Lana knew even less than she did.
‘Has anyone seen Jessie today?’
Lana shrugged. ‘Not that I know of, Hannah. When does anyone ever see the mardy bitch? I could smack her face at times.’
Hannah sipped at her tea. She was aware that Jessie didn’t really bother with her mum’s family, and that pleased her usually. Nevertheless she still felt uncomfortable about Jessie being a no-show. As unreliable as Jessie could be, she always came round to her house on a Thursday. It was their little secret.
Chapter Ninety-Six
Jake was so boisterous and loud, Josephine could hear him even through the tightly shut French doors in her bedroom. He was tearing around the gardens as usual and, smiling to herself, she made her way out on to her balcony to watch him. His nanny, Dana, was chasing him, and he was easily getting away from her. She could see the glee on his face as he laughed loudly. Jake had such a lust for life. She saw him standing on the lawn, his hands on his hips. He looked so much like her Michael, she felt the sting of tears in her eyes. She thanked God every day that her grandson didn’t look like whoever had fathered him. It would have been very hard to look at the child if he had nothing of his family in him.
Josephine sat down on the nearest chair and wiped a hand across her mouth. She hated to think like that, but she couldn’t help herself. Jake meant the world to her and, even though she couldn’t bring herself to do much with him, she made sure that inside the house he spent quality time with her. He was already questioning her lifestyle, asking her why she never took him to school, or went for a walk with him. He was always asking about his mum; he knew she should be around more, that his friends’ mums were always there. He didn’t have his mum, and he didn’t have his nana there for him either. She couldn’t be there for him – she couldn’t leave the house, not even for her grandson. Jake was getting to an age where he was noticing these things.
She saw Dana pick her grandson up and swing him around. The girl was so good with him. She genuinely did care for the child.
Josephine could feel the erratic beating of her heart and the shortness of breath that heralded a panic attack. She was sweating profusely, unable to prevent it happening. Closing her eyes tightly, she concentrated on her breathing, taking deep breaths slowly and evenly, like the doctor had taught her. She felt the panic subsiding, and the terror left her body as quickly as it had arrived. Then she heard her name being called and, standing up, she saw that Jake was now down below her, on the patio, looking up at her balcony, his handsome face cross. He had his hands on his hips; she had been away with the fairies, and had not heard him calling her name.
‘Really, Nana, it’s not good enough, you know! I’ve been calling up to you for ages!’
As he stormed off, Dana looked up at her and shrugged, before following him into the house.
Josephine closed her eyes in distress. This was happening to her more and more lately; she seemed to be losing all sense of time and place. She saw her pack of cigarettes on the table, and she lit one quickly, drawing on it deeply. Then she smoked it slowly until the trembling in her body subsided once again.
Chapter Ninety-Seven
‘So you’re sure she wasn’t there?’
Daniel Carter nodded. ‘I let meself in, Michael, as you told me to. I’m telling you, there wasn’t a soul in that flat. I searched everywhere. Jessie had definitely left the building.’
Michael expected as much; his big fear had been that she would be in there, but dead as a doornail. With her lifestyle, that wasn’t exactly unheard of. ‘OK. Thanks, Daniel. I appreciate it.’