by Martina Cole
The damage looked worse than it was, according to the doctor, who had babbled on about skin grafts and plastic surgery in the future. But it was watching his son that had really opened Patrick’s eyes; the man was distraught at what his wife had been capable of. It was also evident to Patrick that Joseph didn’t know what to do about the situation, and was still coming to terms with what his wife had done to the woman he loved.
He had to admit he had been shocked by the attack but, unlike his son, he had guessed from his first meeting with the delectable Bella that she was a few slices short of being the full loaf. There was something about her that Patrick had seen in some of the hardest men he had ever known; the suspicion that they were capable of great violence was evident to anyone who cared to take the trouble to look. It was how controlled they were, because they needed to be. Bella had that same suppressed violence about her. Now he had been proved right – and that did not give him any satisfaction.
He stood awkwardly by as his son and his girlfriend tried to make some kind of connection. Which, after the turn of events, was not an easy thing to do. Christine was naturally in pieces and Joseph was helpless to comfort her. Patrick made his excuses and left them together, knowing that his presence was not helping the situation in any way.
Outside the hospital, he lit a cigar and drew on it for a few seconds as he pondered this new set of problems. Once Bella was found and charged, he would be having his son and his grandchildren living at his house until things were sorted out. Bella would be looking at going to the Big House or to the nuthouse. He had a feeling it would be the latter in this case, as Bella O’Loughlin was as mad as a box of the proverbial frogs! She definitely didn’t have her nut screwed on tight like everyone else around her.
He was worried about his granddaughter being left with her now. Even though Joseph didn’t think Bella was capable of hurting the children, Patrick wasn’t so sure. Bella was vindictive, and vindictive people did outrageous things to hurt other people if they felt it was needed. He remembered, years before, an old friend of Renée’s had stabbed her old man while he slept, and that had been over a bit of strange as well.
Women were unpredictable coves, especially the ones who had a high opinion of themselves. It did not do to antagonise certain people. It wasn’t a good idea to antagonise him, if truth be told, and Bella had fucked him off big time. He would see to it that those kids were as far away from that mad bitch as possible. He wouldn’t mind betting his son had known she wasn’t right for a long time, but Bella could put on a good front for the short term.
He understood that finding out about his bird was not something she would be exactly thrilled about, but this reaction was over the top; it was cruel and it was calculated, and it was about doing permanent damage. It was a planned and vicious attack by a woman whose blood ran in his grandchildren’s veins. He wasn’t too happy about that, but all he could do now was be there for his son and his new-found family. And he intended to do whatever was needed to sort this out for everyone concerned. Anything that kept those children near him could only be a good thing in his book. He was looking forward to having them in the house. It would become a home again, he was sure of it, and he relished having his grandchildren close by. He was just sorry it had to come about in such terrible circumstances.
Chapter Eighty
Annie Carr was trying to concentrate on what DC Karim was telling her, but she wasn’t sure she could believe it. ‘You’re joking?’
He shook his head sadly. He had not wanted to be the one to break the news, but there was no one else willing to do it.
‘Acid! Dear Lord, is Kate all right?’
She had been very busy since Janet Cross’s body had been discovered, and she knew that Kate had rung her a couple of times. But she had assumed it was about the case and she would get back to her when she could and bring her up to speed on the latest developments. She had never dreamt of anything like this happening.
‘Kate’s been trying to get you for a while. She’s with Bella, but she won’t tell me where. She says she wants to talk to you first.’
Annie sat down at her desk and nodded imperceptibly. Then, standing up once more, she said quickly, ‘Find me a coffee and find it quick, please. I’ll call her now and see what is going on. Does everyone know?’
He nodded, but said quietly, ‘Obviously police had to attend. But no one of importance knows that Kate’s been trying to get you, or that she’s with the suspect.’
Annie sighed heavily and thanked him. With all that was going on, this was the last thing she needed.
Chapter Eighty-one
Bella was agitated and Kate felt her heart go out to this fussy, stupid woman who, it seemed, had finally cracked. Bella was staying at a small hotel in Essex and, even though Kate knew she should not feel any sympathy for her, she couldn’t help herself. Whatever she had done, she was a broken woman now; it had gone too far, and there was no going back.
Little Amanda was all big eyes and nervousness when Kate had finally reached them, and she was glad she had stopped off for colouring books and felt-tip pens. It seemed that in the hurry to leave they had not brought any chargers with them for her to watch anything on their iPad, and she was happy to see Amanda settle down to colour happily. She knew that the little girl felt safer with someone else there, and that knowledge saddened Kate.
Bella had had the presence of mind to drop Joey off with a friend, so that was something. He was old enough to understand everything that was going on if he was here and to realise there would be consequences. It was best he was out of the way for a while. She had been worried at how much the children had witnessed. But from what she could gather, they had no idea of what exactly had happened.
It was getting late and she poured more tea. Placing a cup beside Bella, she said quietly, ‘Look, Bella, you and I both know that you have to face up to this, and I promise I will help you in any way I can.’
Bella was staring at her without any real expression on her face. Kate could tell that she was having difficulty in accepting what she had done. She could understand that, of course, but there was something about this woman that unsettled her, because people like Bella were not trustworthy. She was passive now, but Kate was aware that she could go off at any moment. She could only hope that Amanda’s presence would keep this woman under control.
If the police turned up mob-handed, there would be far more trouble, because Bella was not in her right mind, and Kate wanted to avoid that. She also felt that she owed it to Patrick to try to give this sad state of events the best outcome she could. She might not be a serving police officer any more, but she still had enough clout to pull in a few favours.
She picked up the teacup and placed it in Bella’s hand, watching as Bella sipped it automatically. The woman looked defeated, and Kate knew that the enormity of what she had done was starting to hit her.
‘I did love him, you know, Kate. Not how he wanted me to love him. But the knowledge that he was with her killed me. I could feel him pulling away from me – she was giving him something I couldn’t. But I believed that the children would be enough, you know? He adores his children, especially little Amanda. But it turns out I was wrong. They weren’t enough.’
Kate sighed heavily. ‘It happens, and I know how hard it can be. But you have to face up to what you have done. I can bring you in quietly and with the least amount of fuss. Because there is no going back from here.’ Bella looked at her with those empty eyes, and Kate instinctively grabbed her hand. ‘Make this easy on yourself and the children, Bella. I promise you I will do everything I can to help.’
Bella swallowed noisily and, pulling her hand away, she grabbed the front of her T-shirt and scrunched it up into a ball, and then the tears finally came. ‘I will go to prison, won’t I?’
Kate tried to smile reassuringly as she said, ‘Maybe not. Patrick will see that you get the best representation that money can buy. He will help you and so will I, Bella. But you need to end thi
s now. I put myself out on a limb here for you because I know that it was a moment of madness. It could happen to any of us.’
Bella smiled crookedly. ‘I imagined doing it, you know? Seeing her face burn up. I wanted to hurt her so badly. If I am honest, I still do, Kate. I still want to harm that fucking cunt who destroyed my life and my children’s lives. I would happily rip her fucking head off her shoulders, if I had the opportunity.’
Her words turned Kate cold but she just shrugged. ‘I’m going to ring my friend Detective Annie Carr, and she will make sure that you are taken care of properly, OK? But, Bella, this has to happen. You do understand that?’
Bella looked into Kate’s eyes and she nodded her head. ‘I don’t have any choice, do I? That is the hardest thing for me. I can’t get out of it this time.’
Kate wondered what she meant but she stayed silent; she didn’t know what to say.
Chapter Eighty-two
Janet Cross’s mother had gone to pieces, and Annie wasn’t going to get anything of value from her for a while. The doctor had sedated her and, though Annie knew it was the best thing for the poor woman, it didn’t help her in any way.
Sue Border – the mum’s friend and, by the sound of it, young Janet’s mentor – had been as helpful as she possibly could. What Annie had gleaned, though, from the photos she shared was that Janet had recently changed her appearance, and Sue had been the brains behind that. Annie didn’t have the heart to tell her that she was probably the reason that Janet was now dead. As she rubbed her eyes with tiredness, she saw PC Boyd coming over to her desk, and she smiled automatically. He was a nice lad and he would go far, she believed. Tall and good-looking, he suited the uniform, and he had a natural reticence that attracted the ladies. In short, as Annie had once remarked, he had the whole package. Annie also knew that he was gayer than a Mexican tablecloth but she kept that bit of knowledge to herself.
He handed her a file. ‘Interesting reading, ma’am.’
Annie smiled her thanks and watched him walk away. She took a sip of her coffee and then opened the file. Boyd was absolutely right; this did make interesting reading, but for all the wrong reasons. She sat back in her chair and wondered at the scale of some people’s lies, and the thought made her feel depressed. She saw that young Boyd had made two copies of the file and she put one into her bag for Kate’s perusal later in the day.
Chapter Eighty-three
Amanda was subdued, and young Joey was trying his hardest to keep her amused. He clearly understood more than they realised about what had gone on and that he was aware that they needed to keep as much from his sister as they could. Joseph O’Loughlin was walking around like ‘a tit in a trance’, as Patrick had so colourfully put it, and, in between running to the hospital to see his amour and then coming back to the house and drinking with his father, he was not exactly being what Kate would term helpful. Beverley was being an absolute star, and she was relishing looking after the children, especially little Amanda.
Kate was doing her best to make everyone welcome and see that they all had what they needed but, if she was brutally honest, she resented the way her home was being taken over. Unlike Patrick, who was loving every second of having his new-found family around him. She understood that she had to allow for it. Patrick was being given a second chance at a life, at a family, and she knew how much that meant to him. But what she wouldn’t give for a quiet night together, just the two of them! It looked like that wasn’t going to happen any time in the near future.
She consoled herself with the fact that, when this mess finally started to be sorted out, Joseph would move back into his own home. She hoped so anyway. If it was up to Patrick, they would all move in, bag and baggage, and she knew that Joseph would be quite happy for that to be the case. He had given over all the responsibility for his children to her and Patrick, and she was determined to make sure that he understood this was only in the short term. If she heard the music to Frozen one more time, she would not be responsible for her actions. But then, when Amanda climbed on her lap, needing to be hugged, she couldn’t deny her. She was a lovely child who had been put into an impossible situation. She missed her mother, even though she had cottoned on to the fact that her mother had done something bad. Kate really didn’t know how they would ever explain the truth of the situation to her.
When she’d explained to Patrick why she’d gone to find Bella, he’d been a diamond about it. After all, he wanted to see her punished for what she’d done and this way she’d been brought in with the minimum of fuss. Annie Carr had been fantastic, and even Patrick had been singing her praises – which was unusual, to say the least. He had never really taken to her, but that was understandable; Patrick had never really taken to anyone in the blue uniform – except Kate, of course. She was what he said was his only exception to that rule.
She went out to the kitchen and poured herself a coffee. Bev was out there making a huge dinner for everyone and Kate, as always, thanked God for this woman. Without her, she didn’t know what she would do. She sat at the table and sipped her coffee, and then she lit a cigarette and drew on it deeply before letting the smoke out in one long continuous stream.
Bev smiled at her then. ‘That bad, eh?’
Kate laughed gently. ‘I know – I should feel ashamed, and considering what’s happened . . .’ She left the sentence unfinished.
Beverley smiled and, walking to Kate, she sat opposite her. Placing her hands over Kate’s, she said sadly, ‘It won’t be for that long – just until they all digest what’s happened. It’s a tragedy, as we all know. Where do you go when something like this happens? You go to your own, Kate. To your own flesh and blood. Did you know my father died in the Maze prison? Patrick knows – I never asked if you knew. I suppose I assumed. But it was a terrible time for us all, and it’s a terrible time now for those children. And Joseph? Well, he needs to be near someone strong, and you and Patrick are strong.’
Kate didn’t know how to reply. She had believed she knew everything there was to know about Beverley, and yet she had known nothing about her father. Patrick had, but that was him all over; he would feel it was Bev’s business who she told, and Kate respected that. It still rankled that she had waited this long to tell her though.
‘I remember when I first came to work here, I felt like I had won the lottery, Kate. I had my lovely flat and I had peace of mind. Do you know how important that is? I had my own place in the world. That is what these children need, for a while anyway. Joseph is no good to man or beast. He has to come to terms with his wife’s lunacy. And sure, Jesus, she was a fecking nutcase of the first water. I’ll help you in any way I can, Kate, because I owe you and Patrick, but also because it’s the good Christian thing to do. Now I think that you can trust me to babysit if you need to get out of this madhouse!’
Kate looked at this plain woman, with a heart that should have been given a family of her own, and she knew she was being given, if not a lecture, then a reminder of what was important. She also knew that Bev was right; this wasn’t about her, or her home being invaded. This was about her accepting that Patrick had another family, and they were not going anywhere. Not that she wanted them to, of course, but she was honest enough to admit to herself that she did hate having her whole life and home taken over.
Amanda ran out into the kitchen and climbed on to her lap, and Kate automatically put her arms around the child and hugged her close.
‘Nanny Kate, why does my granddad call me Mandy? Is it because I look like the girl in the pictures who died?’
Kate smiled gently and, kissing the top of the child’s head, she said quietly, ‘It’s a bit about that, but also your granddad has a habit of shortening people’s names. Like Joey is really a Joseph, like his dad.’
Amanda nodded at her words, and then she said, ‘Is Mummy coming back soon?’
Kate sighed softly, and then she said honestly, ‘I don’t think so, darling. She did something naughty, I’m afraid.’
�
��She hurt Daddy’s friend, didn’t she?’
Kate didn’t answer her, because she didn’t have the words.
‘I heard Granddad and Joey talking about it, and Daddy said she wouldn’t be home for a long time. So we have to live here.’ She pulled herself out of Kate’s embrace and looked her in the eyes as she said, ‘You will take care of me, won’t you, Nanny Kate, until my mummy comes home?’
Kate smiled then and, hugging the girl tightly, she said, ‘Of course I will, sweetheart. You have your own room here and we all adore having you here with us! Your poor mummy isn’t well, darling, and she needs to get better. Until then, you will be here with us and we will keep you safe.’ She felt the child’s arms going around her waist, and she hugged her back tightly. Amanda started to cry then, and Kate held her closer to her body until she felt the child relax into her.
‘Mummy had her scary face on that day.’
Kate looked over the girl’s head and locked eyes with Beverley. ‘Mummy is OK, darling. I promise you that when it’s the right time, I will take you to see your mummy myself.’
Amanda pulled herself away and, looking up into Kate’s face, she said honestly, ‘I don’t want to see my mummy yet. She can be very frightening sometimes.’
Kate felt all the breath leaving her body; she was genuinely deflated. She heard the door opening and she saw Joey Junior looking at them with a look of complete horror on his handsome face. She knew he had been listening to them talking.