Finders Keepers by Edie Baylis (epub ebook reader txt) 📕

glanced at the time the message had been sent. 9.18am. If Teagan had spent the night with the man, had he sent that after she’d left?

Robert frowned. Hang on. If she’d been at Darren’s and left before 9.18 this morning, then surely she’d have been back hours ago?

He glanced at his dashboard clock. Almost 6pm.

Unease glimmering, Robert pressed the call button, waiting impatiently as it rang out. He would have to play this carefully.

‘Teag!’ Heath said. ‘Great to hear from you!’

‘It’s Robert Adams.’ Robert said, his voice clipped, already aggravated by the sound of the man’s voice.

There was a pause. ‘Oh, erm... Mr Adams. Is everything ok?’

Robert clenched his jaw, immediately wanting to punch the man in the face. Of course everything wasn’t ok. Would he really be phoning up otherwise? ‘I’m... erm... I’m just wondering if you’ve seen Teagan today? She’s left her phone and it’s late wi...’

‘Today?’ Heath interrupted. ‘No, I haven’t seen her since the funeral when she left with you. Did she say she was coming to see me?’

‘No, she didn’t,’ Robert said hastily. ‘I think my mother must be confused with what was said. Sorry to have bothered you.’

Hanging up, Robert stared at the mobile. How he resented apologising to that smarmy bastard. There was something really not right with that man and he wished he could put his finger on it. Throwing the phone on the passenger seat, he lit another cigarette, slowly blowing the smoke out so it plumed across his windscreen.

So Teagan hadn’t spent the night with Darren Harding? The man had been genuinely surprised. But if she hadn’t spent the night with Darren Harding, then where had she gone?

Wait a minute...

Robert’s face screwed up in concentration as he recalled Darren Harding’s exact words. Hadn’t he just said, ‘I haven’t seen her since the funeral when she left with you’?

Teagan hadn’t left with him. She’d stormed off from him.

Robert bit the inside of his cheek. Who the bloody hell had she left with then?

JOE SHOVED HIS PHONE BACK in his jeans and picked his pint back up. He took a long swig, disappointed to see that he’d almost finished. He glanced at his housemate. Down to his last quid, he hoped Dave would shout him a few more beers.

‘Everything alright?’ Dave asked.

Joe nodded. ‘Yeah, everything’s fine.’ But was it? He turned his cigarette packet around on the sticky pub table.

When Teagan’s name flashed up on his phone half an hour ago, his heart had sunk. He hadn’t spoken to her since Alan’s funeral last week and had to admit he’d been quite glad about that - it was less hassle. Plus, since he’d called that nutter to give him the info, he hadn’t heard anything more, meaning he’d dared to believe things might finally be over where that lot was concerned, but now he wasn’t so sure.

That bloke – Robert Adams, the one who had just called, sounded less than happy. And why had he been using Teagan’s phone? He’d asked of course, but the man was gruff, almost rude - extremely reticent to give anything away.

Nodding in appreciation when Dave signalled to his empty pint glass, Joe watched Dave make his way to the bar for refills.

But why would Robert Adams call to ask if he’d seen Teagan? Joe frowned. Like he’d said to Robert, as far as he knew she was staying at his flat? When he’d asked if that wasn’t the case, the man had blatantly ignored his question. Rude fucker.

Teagan hadn’t been exaggerating when she’d said the man was a miserable bastard. But if she wasn’t with that old bat, Dulcie and wasn’t at the flat, combined with that miserable fucker phoning round contacts from her phone, then it looked like something had happened.

Needles of wariness prickled up Joe’s spine. This wasn’t anything to do with him, was it? Had that Robert bloke discovered he’d pinched Teagan’s keys for Footlights or had the police discovered he was the link to letting those psychos in?

The reasoning behind Teagan’s disappearance only really bothered him when Robert Adams asked for the second time if he was at the wake yesterday. For a start, Joe hadn’t even known there was a wake yesterday, but when the man said it was his sister’s wake and asked if he’d met Teagan at the hotel, alarm bells had begun to clang.

With a pounding heart, Joe glanced at the bar in the search for his top-up, seeing Dave three deep in the queue and huffed impatiently. For fuck’s sake. It wasn’t even 6.30 and the place was rammed. It would be yonks before he got served and he was gagging for another drink.

Stubbing his fag out in the chipped ashtray, Joe wracked his brains for everything he’d said to the nutter. From what he could remember, which wasn’t too clear being as he’d had a skinful the night in question, there hadn’t been a lot to say.

All Teagan had said and all he’d repeated was that her and the old bat were staying at the son’s place and they didn’t know when or if they’d be returning to Footlights. That was it, so what was the big deal? Fuck all, that’s what. And no, he hadn’t been hanging around some strange hotel. What sort of tosspot did this Robert Adams take him for?

Wait! He’d also said something else... What was it? Joe frowned, his brain hurting. That was it. Teagan had mentioned something about the old boot giving her a box. He’d thought it strange because she hadn’t wanted the cops to find it. Something about Robert having a different father to the other kid.

Joe sparked up another cigarette. Yeah, that was it. The box contained something of Robert’s real father and he’d been amazed Teagan hadn’t looked in the stupid thing to see what it contained, he knew he would have.

He rolled his eyes. And all she’d banged on about was not wanting to break the old witch’s trust. Well, fuck that! He’d