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

her. He’d learnt far more than he’d expected since running away, much of which he’d never be able to forget despite wishing it otherwise. He knew what happened to the young and uninitiated and it was down to luck and a kindly word in his ear from Reverend Honeybun that his instincts had been sharpened to stiletto thin. A kid her age, pretty too, would be torn to shreds by the sharks that inhabited the streets.

‘How old are you?’ he continued, slowing his stride to match hers as he made his way down the gentle slope towards the Happy Valley and the road beyond that led to the pier, ignoring the goat that skittered away into the undergrowth ahead.

‘Fifteen.’

‘Fifteen. If you’re fifteen, I’m fifty.’

‘You’re looking good for your age.’

He found he was hiding a smile at her quick responses. Growing up in a house with two younger brothers, brothers he longed for with an ache that gripped his insides, the banter that peppered their relationship was the thing that he missed the most.

‘Ha, very funny, not. If you don’t come clean, I’m going to leave you here to fend for yourself.’

He felt a pull on his arm, her finely boned fingers remarkably strong for someone so little.

‘I’m ten, all right?’

No, it’s not all right. It’s far from all right. Ten!

He glowered down at the top of her fair head, struggling not to grab her by the hand and march her to the nearest police station. But he wouldn’t do that, not yet. The reason he’d left home was now mangled into a giant tangled mess that he couldn’t unravel. His beef wasn’t only with his mother, it was with the world in general. A world that had robbed him of his father and turned his mother into a parody of her former self. But he wouldn’t have considered leaving at ten, no matter what the issues were within his family. He’d learnt a lot in those first few days huddled in a doorway along Mostyn Street, too scared to close his eyes for even a second. Primarily he’d learnt that for some children a life on the streets, while a tragedy, was the safer option.

The outline of his keyring in his pocket was a sharp reminder that home was only ten minutes away. His mother didn’t know he’d taken the spare key that lived under the third plant pot to the left of the back door and he didn’t want her to find out. It was his safety net but one he’d never planned on using. But this was an emergency. He couldn’t desert the girl, and putting her in the hands of the police might mean returning her to the very situation she was trying to escape from. No. It seemed like he’d have to resign himself to her company until she trusted him enough to confide in him.

Kneeling down on his haunches, he said, ‘If you’re going to throw your lot in with me you have to promise to do exactly what I say and not ask any questions. In return, I promise to mind you in the same way I would one of my kid brothers.’

‘Do we have to spit on it?’ She flexed her palm and moved it to her mouth.

Ronan laughed, the first genuine laugh to get past his wall of grief since he’d lost his dad. Instead of replying, he took her hand, her cold fingers curling around his. He had no idea if he was making the right decision but one thing was certain: the loneliness that gripped him from the second he opened his eyes to the moment sleep grabbed him at night seemed suddenly to be a thing of the past.

‘Come on, we have a lot to do before it gets dark.’

Chapter 4

Gaby

Monday 3 August, 7.50 a.m. Colwyn Bay

Will you be able to find her?

Gaby dreaded this question more than all of the others put together because she didn’t know how to answer. She could quote statistics at Ms Fry but that wouldn’t help. They all knew that the first hour was the most precious of the lot. If Ellie wasn’t found in that hour – and she hadn’t been – the likelihood of her being found alive shrunk from the realms of most likely to hopefully. But the woman in front of her wouldn’t be of a mind to accept such lame words and, if their positions were reversed, Gaby wouldn’t accept them either.

Instead of replying straight away, she picked up one of the mugs of coffee Jax had produced and, shifting to sit on the sofa beside her, offered it, handle facing outwards.

‘Have your drink.’ She watched Anita raise the mug and take a tentative sip only to place it on the coffee table and push it away.

‘You still haven’t answered my question?’

And I’m not going to because I can’t. If I tell you the truth you’ll never forgive me.

‘I think you probably know that it’s not a question I can answer right now but please believe me when I tell you that we are going to do everything possible to find her.’ She lifted her head at the sound of the front door opening and just managed to suppress a sigh of relief at the sight of Amy Potter, the FLO.

Gaby leant forward and picked up the mug again, placing it in Ms Fry’s loose hands. ‘Have another sip of your drink. I’d like to ask your permission to search Ellie’s bedroom if I may? And while I’m having a scout around, my DS, Amy Potter, will stay with you and fill you in on the steps we’re taking.’ She tilted her head at Jax to follow her and once back in the hall turned to him.

‘Right, any news?’

‘Not a peep, ma’am,’ he said, phone in his hand. ‘Malachy has contacted Dafydd Griffiths, the country park warden, who’s rounding up a search party for both Ormes, while Marie is heading up the sea and beach one.