Jade had to work at maintaining her fa?ade as she assured the family liaison officer at the door that Melissa was fine, that she was sleeping and that she would be here for her when she woke. A thought had occurred to her: Mark might well have been charged by now, in which case it was possible police would soon be crawling all over the house like flies over dog shit, searching for evidence. Something else was worrying her, too: her conversation with drippy Dylan. She hadn’t been able to properly concentrate, what with the brat peering at her through the crack in the door. He’d said something about taking Angel to his house. He’d also said ‘as well’. What had he meant? God, the man was a liability. If he’d got it into his thick skull to do anything off his own bat, she’d boil his balls and make him eat them.
The officer finally handed her a card and told her she’d call back. Jade smiled sweetly, closed the door calmly and then turned to the stairs spitting with rage.
Everything had been going nicely to plan, albeit an alternative plan, and now she was under pressure. She needed to get this done. She needed to get out of here and get to Dylan, who infuriatingly wasn’t answering his phone, before the moron messed everything up.
Mounting the stairs, her eyes fixed upwards, her mind on the woman who’d stolen her life, Jade didn’t notice the dog until it emitted a low growl behind her. Would the stupid beast not just lie down and die? Seething, Jade carefully back-stepped. And then laughed. The pathetic animal’s attempt at a snarl was more a drool, disgusting creature. She noted the whites of its eyes as the dog’s eyes rolled, the distinctly wobbly legs. ‘Awww, what’s the matter, Hercules? Did the drugs make you feel poorly, hmm? Can’t you make it upstairs? Tough shit!’
Lunging forward, Jade caught hold of the dog by the collar and heaved it through the kitchen to the back door. She might have been impressed by its loyalty, its heroic attempts to dig its claws in, if it hadn’t snapped its head around and bitten her.
Now she was annoyed. Very. Assisting the animal out with a vicious kick, Jade slammed the back door and returned to the stairs, blood popping through the teeth marks on her wrist.
Flinging the bedroom door open, Jade locked eyes with the brat, who immediately scurried closer to her mother, as if the woman was capable of doing anything other than lie slumped on the bed. She was still attempting to keep her eyes open, Jade noted, her fuse fizzling steadily. She was obviously fighting the drugs. Silly bitch. Could she not just get it into her head that it was time to give up? This was her bed. It was her man the slut had been sleeping next to. It was time Melissa learned a few home truths, since she was insisting on being so bloody obstinate.
‘Out!’ Jade glared at Poppy, enough fire in her eyes to let the brat know she meant business. ‘Now, or there’ll be trouble.’ Eyeballing the girl meaningfully, she waited while, sniffling irritatingly, Poppy shuffled off the bed to sidle to the door, where she paused to look pleadingly back at her.
Heartbreaking, it really was. Jade smiled nastily, and then tipped her head back, raised her hand and made swallowing goldfish gestures that had the brat scuttling out in a flash.
Turning back, Jade walked across to the bed, her brow furrowed in concern. ‘Oh dear, you haven’t drunk your medicine,’ she said, looking down at the cold tea on the bedside table.
Melissa tried to raise herself.
She was a fighter, Jade conceded wearily, pushing her back down. ‘Not to worry,’ she said, leaning down to peer into Melissa’s pretty green eyes, noting the hugely dilated pupils with satisfaction, ‘you’ve had enough to ensure you sleep soundly. I’d give in to it, if I were you. The alternative might not be very pleasant. Still, on the bright side, at least you won’t have any more nightmares.’
Clearly as stubborn as her brat child, the woman stirred again, attempting to lift her rusty-haired head from the pillow. ‘Mark. Where’s Mark?’ she mumbled, wiping the smile from Jade’s face in an instant.
‘Bitch!’ Jade spat, bringing her hand back to slap the slut’s face hard. ‘He doesn’t want you! Haven’t you seen what’s been going on right under your nose? Stupid cow! It’s me he wants.’ Placing a hand the other side of Melissa, she glared down at her, almost eyeball to eyeball with her. ‘Me he’s been fucking, for months. Right here, in this bed.’
Her chest heaving with anger, Jade jabbed a finger into the pillow right next to the woman’s face. ‘Anywhere and everywhere, and every which way. In the nursery, Poppy’s room, the kitchen, the lounge, even your precious fucking workshop,’ she snarled, making sure to paint a graphic picture for the useless cow to contemplate as she drifted off.
Melissa attempted to focus on her, but couldn’t, finally closing her eyes as the truth sank in.
Satisfied, but not finished, Jade straightened up. ‘He needs a real woman, a proper mother for his kids,’ she went on, driving Melissa’s failures home, ‘not some whingeing, weak, pot-making freak.’
Jade curled her lip in contempt as Melissa made a last valiant attempt to sit up, groping sideways as she did, presumably in search of her phone. Sadly, it was just out of reach. Calmly, Jade nudged it away.
‘Useless.’ She sighed, and then turned away, humming. Hush, little baby, don’t you cry… She headed to the dressing table, extracting a piece of paper from her pocket as she went. It was a nice touch, Jade thought. A goodbye note addressed to Poppy, showing the poor little mite her mother’s last thoughts were with her.
Jade smoothed it out carefully, and then, smiling at her own thoughtfulness, she turned back to help Melissa finish her tea.
Seventy-Four
LISA
Instinct telling her to proceed with caution, Lisa peered through the lounge window. Poppy was standing in the middle of the room, one hand twisting her hair into tight ringlets, her thumb plugged in her mouth. Lisa tapped lightly on the glass. Finally managing to attract the little girl’s attention, she smiled encouragingly and gestured towards the front door.
Peering through the letter flap, Lisa mentally crossed her fingers as Poppy cautiously approached. The girl looked traumatised. She desperately didn’t want to scare her. ‘Hello, Poppet,’ she whispered, hoping to put her at her ease. ‘Where’s Mummy, sweetheart?’
‘Sleeping,’ Poppy said, around the thumb she was still sucking nervously on.
Leaving her daughter wandering around on her own? Whatever shit Mel had been through, however depressed she was supposed to be, the Mel Lisa knew would never do that.
‘I need to see her, Poppy, urgently. Do you understand?’
Poppy nodded. Her eyes were full of trepidation. Picturing her own daughter at that age, feeling how she was feeling, Lisa prayed inwardly. ‘Do you think you could be a big girl, Poppy, and help me?’
Again, Poppy nodded.
‘Good girl,’ Lisa said. ‘I need you to open the door, Poppy. Can you reach it?’
Poppy gave another short nod, before she promptly turned around and scooted towards the kitchen.
Not sure where she’d gone, or whose unwanted attention she might attract, Lisa prayed harder, and then blew out a sigh of relief as Poppy reappeared, dragging a chair slowly but determinedly behind her. ‘I have to do the bolt.’ she said.
Minutes later, Lisa was in, immediately crouching to pull Poppy into a hug. ‘Well done. Daddy will be so proud of you,’ she said, close to her ear. ‘Now, I need you to do something else for me, Poppy.’
Taking her personal mobile from her pocket, Lisa eased back, holding the little girl’s gaze with a reassuring one of her own. ‘I want you to go to the lounge and stay there. If you hear or see anything that worries you, I want you to press nine three times on my phone, and then the green call button. Can you do that?’
‘Uh-huh.’ Poppy’s nod was resolute.