Lost Souls by Jenny O'Brien (android e book reader txt) 📕

Gaby curled her feet underneath her and, grabbing the throw from off the back of the sofa, wrapped it across her legs. Her frown lines smoothed as a smile appeared – a smile that was reflected in her voice but not her words.

‘You didn’t. I’d have been mightily hacked off if I had been asleep!’

‘I’ll have to remember that. Gets grumpy late at night. Is there anything else I should know before we continue our relationship?’

Gaby’s smile widened. ‘Lots but it’s a bit late – or should that be early? – to discuss it.’ She shifted her position along with the conversation, addressing the one thing about their relationship that was worrying her. ‘How’s Conor?’

‘Ah. He’s fast asleep but not before he gave me a piece of his very young and immature mind.’

‘Ah,’ she echoed. ‘He’s not a happy bunny.’

‘That’s putting it lightly. The thing you need to remember is that when his mother left, she dragged me through the courts for sole custody, something I battled all the way. She only changed her mind when her new boyfriend came on the scene. To put it bluntly, she dropped him off at the hospital with his belongings stuffed into a couple of suitcases and drove into the sunset.’

‘Poor mite.’

‘Exactly. I told you at the very start that he was my priority and that still stands.’

‘You know I’d never—’

‘But, Gabriella, it’s not what I know that’s relevant,’ he interrupted. ‘It’s what Conor thinks and currently you’re the devil incarnate trying to steal his dad out from under his nose.’

Gaby dragged her hand across her eyes, too tired and stressed to puzzle out how to answer. What did he expect her to say? That they should stop seeing each other for the sake of his son? She opened her mouth to tell him exactly that only to close it again at his next words.

‘I think we have the makings of something good between us but only if we can come to some sort of consensus. I’m not prepared to compromise my relationship with Conor but there’s nothing wrong in trying to make a new family for him out of the dregs of the old.’

‘So, what do you suggest we do?’

‘Continue including Conor in our plans. It means no intimate dinners for two, but it will provide an opportunity for him to realise that things aren’t going to change overnight.’

‘If that’s the way it has to be.’

‘I was hoping you’d say that. We’ll get there eventually and, in the meantime, continue cementing our friendship.’

‘But not right now,’ she interrupted, struggling to squash down a yawn. ‘I don’t mean to be rude but it’s been a very long day and with the possibility of exactly the same tomorrow.’

Chapter 31

Gaby

Tuesday 4 August, 8.15 a.m. St Asaph Police Station

Gaby was late and feeling the impact of forgetting to set the alarm on her phone, something she blamed Rusty for. If she hadn’t heard next door’s car revving up, she’d probably still be in bed. Her forgetfulness had dictated that she’d rushed out of the house, barely taking the time to brush her teeth or check that her hair was restrained in its usual braid. She’d ignored the kettle just as she’d ignored the bread bin, instead opting to stop off at the garage to pick up a sandwich along with the morning newspapers.

All of the dailies carried the story of Ellie Fry’s disappearance on their front pages, for once ignoring the petty government wranglings that normally took up valuable front-page space. After a cursory glance, she threw them on the passenger seat along with her cheese-and-tomato bap and, fastening her seatbelt, put her foot down. There had been no news overnight. It had been the first thing she’d checked, after she’d wiped the sleep from her eyes and realised the time. The old adage that no news was good news was far from reassuring and didn’t reflect her current state of anxiety as to the whereabouts of the little girl.

The station at 8.15 was busier than normal, which was hardly surprising given their current workload. After collecting her post from the desk sergeant, she raced up to her office to deposit her bag under the desk and head for the incident room. They were all there and by the looks of it had experienced just as unsettling a night. Even Owen had put in an early appearance, she noticed, guilt expanding in her chest at the thought of his wife being left to sort out their son in addition to their week-old baby. Jax and Malachy were dressed in jeans and T-shirts, the sight of stubble on their chins a clear sign that they’d decided, against her advice, to join in with the search. She couldn’t blame them and she certainly wasn’t going to call them out over it when it was something she’d done herself when she’d been in uniform.

‘Here you go, ma’am.’ Marie held out a mug for her to take. Gaby couldn’t begin to guess at what time she’d got in but, by the sight of her desk littered with paperwork, a lot earlier than her.

‘Thanks, just what I needed,’ she said, her attention shifting to Amy, who was firmly entrenched behind her laptop, her phone clutched to her ear, only acknowledging Gaby’s entrance with a brief lift of her hand.

Gaby took a moment to take a deep sip, the feel of hot tea against her lips doing little to dim the sudden glow of pride she felt for her team. But being Gaby, she didn’t say anything. They had a job to do, only that. The time to thank them would be when Ellie was safely back at home with her mother. She barely spared a thought for Barbara Matthews except to pick up her phone and invite Jason downstairs to share what he’d told her last night with the rest of the room.

The whiteboard had taken a hit yesterday, scribbled notes marking most of its surface. Gaby spent