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

missing your lunch. I’ll meet you outside in two minutes with the engine running. Diane, continue tracking Stevens’s car. Jax and Marie, begin by checking through the CCTV footage from Caernarfon station and take it from there. Mal, print a copy of that timeline ASAP. I’ll be able to work through it on the way.’ She ran to her desk, ignoring her jacket, instead picking up her mobile, only waiting an extra second or two for Mal who was sprinting back from the printer, his arm outstretched.

Chapter 44

Janice

Tuesday 4 August, 12.30 p.m. Caernarfon

For Janice Stevens parenting didn’t come easily. Following her degree, she’d been all set to become a barrister. She’d even managed to get called to the bar only to have her plans changed when she’d met and married Casper in a flurry of excitement after first love hit. Instead of a life in Chambers, she’d moved to Chester and then Llandudno and, instead of working lunches and late evenings ploughing through briefs, she spent her day assisting local businesses navigate through the minefield that was commercial law. In between her nine-to-five job, which was frequently eight to six, she ran the kids to and from their activities, managed a mountain of washing and produced an array of far from gourmet, kiddie-friendly meals. It was only when cancer hit that she realised burning the candle at both ends meant there wasn’t much in the middle to fall back on.

For a woman to whom work had been everything, it was now only the vehicle to pay the bills, of which there were many. Having a husband on remand came with a host of unexpected costs, which drained her emotions along with her bank account. She was trying to hold on to the family home for the sake of the kids but everything else would have to go. Fate had thrown boulder-sized obstructions in her path, wrecking everything that was stable and turning them into dust. She’d picked herself up so many times that she didn’t flinch at the next obstacle flung under her feet. As far as she was concerned, when you reached rock bottom there was only one way left to go.

Being a mother to three boys didn’t come with any instructions and she quickly found that she had to hone her instincts and moderate her tongue when dealing with her sons. Ronan was the most difficult and any effort on her part to mould him into anything other than the Ronan-shaped box he filled to perfection rebounded with far-reaching consequences. He’d broken her heart in all the ways possible and he was still breaking it despite having reached an age where independence beckoned. Sitting around her parents-in-law’s old table with a mug glued between her hands was the only thing stopping her from grabbing him into the deepest hug and never letting go.

She didn’t take much notice of Ellie; all her focus was on her son. The girl was obviously hurting. She’d probably got herself into some sort of mischief at home and had struck on the idea of running away instead of facing the consequences. The only problem was that she’d chosen Ronan to save her. If he couldn’t sort himself out then there was no way he’d be able to sort out anyone else.

Her mind pulled and stretched, trying to work a way out of her current dilemma. A way that would result in Ronan returning home instead of risking his future with his continued erratic behaviour. The problem was that she didn’t know what he wanted anymore. There was a time when it was easy to meet his needs. She only had to glance in his direction to be able to work out what was going on in that head of his. Now it was like understanding a book on algebra. Impossible on all levels. Ideally she needed to drop the dratted girl off at the nearest police station, leaving Ronan in the car so that he couldn’t get himself embroiled further in her little drama. He’d had far too much to do with coppers as it was.

‘I want my mummy.’

It was like a blessing to hear those fateful words coming from the child’s bow lips. If she wanted her mother then what could be the harm in returning her back into the bosom of her family?

Janice wasn’t stupid, far from it. In her job, she’d come across all types of crooks trying to con the system and she prided herself in her ability to assess someone’s worthiness from the outset. If she had any concerns when she arrived at the girl’s home, she’d resort to plan B – the nearest police station. That way she’d placate both Ronan and her conscience at the same time.

Chapter 45

Gaby

Tuesday 4 August, 12.50 p.m. Caernarfon

Gaby recognised the road even though she hadn’t been back. Caernarfon had been added to her reverse bucket list of places she never wanted to visit again. But here she was with the same man by her side, heading towards one of her worst nightmares. Her throat worked, trying to swallow when suddenly there wasn’t enough spit in her mouth to do the job. A few sighing breaths didn’t do much and clenching her hands only caused her muscles to ache. She relaxed her fingers, deliberately spreading them out across her trouser-covered thighs, the feel of the fabric slightly clammy to her touch. It was an insult to view a beautiful place like Caernarfon with such abhorrence but the brain was a funny thing. Just as she couldn’t dissociate the smell of pasta with thoughts of home, every time the place was mentioned, her mind dragged up a pictorial image of that farmhouse from her memory banks.

‘Do you need directions or do you remember the way?’

Owen didn’t answer and she hadn’t expected him to. It was only something to break the silence as they reached the turning on the left that led to the dirt track circling the property.

The farmhouse