The Forgotten_An absolutely gripping, gritty thriller novel

by Casey Kelleher

  Right now it felt like the most perfect dream.

  ‘That’s only natural,’ Joanie said expertly. ‘I remember being the same with your father,’ she said, the sudden memory twisting at her heart. The ache inside her would never dull. She remembered it like it was yesterday. All those years ago, how she’d first looked down at her boy, Jimmy. How she’d felt the same surge of love for her child, just as Nancy was feeling for her own baby now.

  The fact that he was dead in the ground hurt her heart.

  That her son had gone before her would never sit right with Joanie. No child should ever go before their parents.

  Oh, the endless, unforgiving, bittersweet circle of life.

  Forcing back her tears, she vowed she wouldn’t cry. Today was a happy day.

  ‘I’m so glad you’re home, Nan,’ Nancy said, moving up closer to her nan on the sofa and placing her hand affectionately on top of hers. ‘This place hasn’t been the same without you. I couldn’t have imagined bringing Scarlett back here without you being here to see her, Nan.’

  ‘And I wouldn’t have missed this for the world,’ Joanie said now, the determination in her voice apparent. Glad to finally be home herself after spending the past eight months in a private psychiatric hospital.

  In truth, she’d been ready to come home months ago, only she’d insisted on staying there a while longer than she needed to. Determined to get her head together properly. To have the time she needed to grieve properly for her son.

  The specialists had told her that she’d had a mental breakdown and Joanie had been scared witless that she’d never get back to normal again. Only, somehow she had. She’d become strong again. Almost back to her old self, though not completely.

  A part of her would always be broken now that Jimmy was gone.

  The hospital had helped her greatly. Not only to heal, but in other ways too.

  Joanie had started to remember things.

  Things that had seemed so absurd and misconstrued inside her mind.

  Things that she’d thought she’d conjured up in her own head, only she knew now with clarity she hadn’t imagined anything.

  Everything had suddenly become crystal clear.

  She was back now. Home. Exactly where she belonged. And Joanie had no intention of going anywhere anytime soon.

  ‘Jesus, would you look at all these flowers and balloons,’ Colleen said, flapping around the place, tidying as she went to make room for all the vases of flowers everywhere. ‘The place looks like a florist.’

  She smiled then at her own words. Her eyes shining with fresh tears that she didn’t need to explain to Joanie and Nancy.

  She’d grown up in a florist. Those days had been the happiest days of her life. Flowers were her constant reminder of her dear old mum, Edel. Every time she looked at beautiful floral bouquets and neatly arranged potted plants, she couldn’t help but think of the woman. Oh, how her mother would have loved to have met little Scarlett. She’d be beaming with pride up there in Heaven now, knowing that Nancy had named the beautiful child after her.

  ‘Would you ever sit down, Colleen? Flying about the place like a blue arsed fly. You’re making me dizzy, woman,’ Joanie said, a glimmer of amusement on her lips.

  Purposely ignoring Colleen’s obvious grief.

  Ignoring the fact that since Colleen had arrived here today, she hadn’t even been able to look Joanie in the eye. Not once.

  She was glad that the woman was seemingly nervous in her company.

  And so she should well be.

  Still, right now wasn’t the time or the place for her to put the woman to rights. This was Nancy’s and Scarlett’s moment. Joanie wasn’t going to spoil that for the girl.

  Colleen’s time would come, and Joanie had a feeling that the woman knew it too.

  ‘Jack certainly hasn’t scrimped on spoiling his two girls,’ Joanie quipped, eyeing the beautiful bouquets of flowers and pink balloons. She was glad that the man seemed to be stepping up and taking his responsibilities seriously.

  The revelation that Jack was Scarlett’s father may have left Colleen lost for words, but personally Joanie could have called it months ago. She’d had her suspicions about Nancy and Jack for a while now. From way back after her Jimmy’s funeral, when she’d seen them both together in the kitchen after Nancy had been attacked.

  Jack had always watched out for this family, and Joanie knew in her heart of hearts the man wouldn’t do wrong by Nancy. The girl could have done a lot worse; Joanie only had to look at her Michael to know that much.

  ‘He’s only got one girl, Nan, and that’s Scarlett. We’re not together. I keep telling you all that,’ Nancy said, sounding almost defensive as she repeated herself for what felt like the umpteenth time.

  ‘Whatever you say!’ Joanie said waving her hand in the air; she winked at Nancy, as if she knew better.

  Which, of course, she did. Always.

  She’d seen the way Jack had looked at Nancy. The way that the man acted when he was in her company. He was besotted with her, and Joanie was sure that Nancy felt the same.

  Though the pair of them were adamant that they weren’t together. That they were purely friends and that they were going to bring the child up together without the added complications of a relationship.

  Joanie would give that little notion six months max, before they both realised that they had it bad for each other. She’d lay her pension on it in fact.

  Nancy was an attractive girl; she gained attention from men wherever she went, but it was different with Jack. It wasn’t just lust that Joanie saw in the man’s eyes. Jack genuinely cared for Nancy. He loved her, and it was only a matter of time before Nancy worked that out too.

  ‘Can I hold her, Nancy?’ Colleen said then quietly. Staring down at the small baby as if she was the most delicate, precious thing in the whole wide world.

  She’d been dying to ask Nancy if she could hold her, only she was frightened that Nancy wouldn’t let her.

  Frightened that the girl wouldn’t allow her to be part of her grandchild’s life.

  But Nancy had no intention of being so petty.

  ‘Sure,’ Nancy said, passing the baby to her mother. She watched as Colleen stared down at the child, besotted.

  ‘Oh, Nancy. She looks just like you when you were born.’ Colleen spoke softly. Tears brimming in her eyes. ‘Doesn’t she, Joanie? She’s the absolute image of her.’

  Joanie nodded, her eyes narrow, as they fixed on Colleen.

  So far, since she’d been home, she’d managed to control her temper with the woman. God knows how, but somehow she had.

  Now wasn’t the time to air her grievances, and grievances was an understatement.

  There would be time for that later.

  ‘I’m so proud of you, Nancy. You’re going to be a great mother, and Jack will be a great father.’

  ‘I hope so,’ Nancy said. ‘I know that it’s not the norm, me and Jack doing things like this. But it just happened, and now that Scarlett is here, well, everything feels… I don’t know. Better?’

  Colleen knew just what Nancy meant.

  She had a true purpose in life now.

  No longer living solely to work, she was a mother. A child changed everything. Scarlett would bring Nancy joys that Nancy never knew existed.

  ‘A little girl is just the thing you need, Nancy. You can step back from the business now, and concentrate on being a mum,’ Colleen said, still gazing at the child with wonder.

  ‘Why would I step back, Colleen?’ Nancy said then, unable to hide the defensiveness in her tone. ‘If anything I’ll be working even harder. Especially now I have this one to provide for. I can do both you know.’

  ‘I don’t doubt that, Nancy,’ Colleen said tentatively, aware that she was treading on thin ice when it came to offering Nancy any form of advice. The girl had no interest in her mother’s thoughts or opinions.

  ‘It’s just… you’re a mum now. Running brothels and Christ knows wha
t else, it just doesn’t seem right.’

  ‘Oh, please!’ Nancy said, shaking her head, annoyed that her mother would make an assumption simply because she was a woman. ‘This is 2004, Colleen. I can be a mother and a businesswoman.’

  ‘A businesswoman? Is that what you call it?’ Colleen said, unable to help herself.

  Nancy had taken over the empire that Jimmy had built, and Colleen knew all about that sordid world. The drugs, the brothels and the working girls. All of it hidden underneath a facade of the properties that they invested in and the fancy charity events that they attended, contributing large amounts of money to keep all the bigwigs sweet.

  It was a dark and sordid world, and all the Byrnes’ money was ill-gotten gains, that was the truth of the matter.

  ‘It’s hardly a world for a little girl to grow up in.’

  ‘But it was good enough for me, right?’ Nancy spat.

  ‘Of course you can do both, Nancy. And being a mum is truly the most rewarding job in the world,’ Joanie said, with a smile. Trying to ease the tension that was building between the two women. ‘The most tiring job, too,’ she laughed, catching Nancy stifling yet another yawn. ‘Why don’t you take the little one and go and get an hour’s sleep? We’ll put the champagne on ice when the boys get back, and have it when you’re more rested,’ Joanie said. ‘Hospitals are never good for getting any sleep in. All the noises and nurses checking up on you every five minutes. You need your own bed.’

  ‘You know what, I think I will,’ Nancy said, only too glad to get away from her condescending mother. Not only that, but the idea of getting into bed and catching up on some sleep sounded like just what she needed. ‘Don’t let me sleep for too long though; I won’t sleep tonight otherwise.’

  ‘Get it while you can. You’ll be lucky if you get a decent night’s sleep now for months,’ Colleen piped up again, nodding knowingly at Scarlett. ‘This one might look the picture of innocence, but she’ll soon have you exhausted.’

  ‘I’ll see you in a little while,’ Nancy said, taking her child from her mother’s arms, and doing as the two women advised.

  Joanie waited then. Watching as her granddaughter carried her great-granddaughter from the room and closed the door behind her.

  Then she eyed Colleen.

  The woman’s expression so full of raw emotion from holding her granddaughter for the very first time. Her eyes still wet with fresh tears.

  ‘Oh, you play a good game, Colleen, I’ll give you that,’ Joanie said, glaring at the woman, her eyes colder than steel.

  ‘What do you mean?’ Colleen said, face visibly paling as she stared at the old lady.

  She’d been waiting for this, convinced that the first moment they had alone together, Joanie Byrne would pull her up.

  ‘You know exactly what I mean!’ Joanie said, sitting back in her chair. Looking as bolshy as ever, as if she’d never been ill.

  ‘Though, unlike you and your dramas, I won’t be letting our little discrepancy ruin Nancy’s day. This will keep,’ Joanie said then. ‘But you see all this, you living here in this house…’ Joanie shook her head, defiantly, ‘this won’t be happening. After everything you’ve done, I want you out and I’m going to make damn sure that it happens too.’

  She got up off the chair and left the room as Colleen sat down. Already defeated, rendered silent now by the venom in her mother-in-law’s words.

  Colleen stared around the empty room, left in no doubt that Joanie Byrne knew.

  She knew everything.

  Joanie Byrne was well and truly back, which meant that Colleen was now in for a whole world of shit.

  Five

  Sitting in Alfie Harris’s kitchen, as Jennifer Dawson busied herself making them all a coffee, Nancy took in all the boxes stacked up around the room.

  Moving, perhaps?

  She wasn’t about to pry. But still, she couldn’t help but wonder what this was all about.

  Alfie Harris suddenly summoning her here today, out of the blue?

  She’d been nervous at first, given the history between them. She’d figured that perhaps Alfie had some kind of axe to grind with her, and she’d only managed to relax when Jennifer had greeted her on arrival. Opening the front door to her with a friendly hug and an offer of coffee because Alfie was running late.

  ‘How’s Megan doing?’ Nancy asked, then. Figuring she was safer asking Jennifer this question than Alfie. Even if she was almost too scared to hear the answer.

  It had been a year now since Megan’s drink had been spiked with an overdose at The Karma Club.

  ‘She’s doing amazing, Nancy,’ Jennifer Dawson said, placing the steaming hot mug down in front of Nancy, and taking a seat beside her. ‘She’s almost back to her old self.’ She smiled then. ‘It’s been a really long, tough journey for Alfie, but it’s changed him for the better in some ways. It’s brought them closer.’

  Nancy nodded, recognising the love in the woman’s voice, the fact that she genuinely seemed to care about Alfie and his daughter. She decided that she liked this woman very much. Jennifer wasn’t like most of the women that latched onto men like Alfie Harris. She was a keeper, and judging by the huge sparkly rock on the woman’s finger, Alfie had been wise to spot those qualities in the woman too.

  ‘And you’re a mother now, too, so I hear?’

  Nancy nodded, smiling then, as she thought about her gorgeous baby daughter, how precious little Scarlett was to her, and was once again consumed by guilt at her involvement in poor Megan Harris’s harrowing situation.

  ‘I am, indeed. She’s an angel. Barely even two months old and already showing so much personality.’

  ‘Ahh, I bet she’s beautiful,’ Jennifer said warmly, just as Alfie Harris strolled into the room.

  ‘Nancy!’ Alfie said offering a smile to the woman, letting Nancy know that she was here on good terms, whatever they may be.

  He planted a kiss on Jennifer’s cheek, saying, ‘Sorry I’m late. I was just dropping Megan over to a friend’s house. The traffic out there is dire.’

  ‘Jennifer was just filling me in. She said that Megan’s doing really well? I’m so happy to hear that, Alfie. Truly,’ Nancy said, genuinely.

  ‘She’s done amazing. Really amazing.’ Alfie nodded.

  Neither of them mentioned the elephant in the room between them.

  Nancy’s brother, Daniel.

  Nancy had thought about asking Alfie. Enquiring as to what had happened to him on that fateful night that she’d given her brother up for his reprisal, when she’d handed Daniel over and let him take the fall for what happened to Megan.

  Only she knew better than to start asking questions.

  They’d made a deal. Nancy had served up her brother to the man and Alfie had taken care of the rest.

  He’d got rid of Daniel once and for all, and Nancy didn’t need to know the ins and outs of it all.

  Daniel was gone, just as she’d wanted. They’d both got their revenge.

  ‘That’s why I asked you here today actually. We’ve got some big changes ahead of us.’ He indicated all the boxes.

  ‘You’re moving?’ Nancy asked.

  Alfie Harris nodded.

  ‘We are indeed. Out of the country. London isn’t for us anymore. We’re off to sunnier climates, ain’t we, babe?’ he said, taking Jennifer’s hand, and squeezing it tightly.

  ‘We’re moving abroad, to Spain. The three of us, starting afresh. Megan’s really excited about it, in fact. It’s just what we all need.’

  Nancy smiled. She could understand that. Though she still had no idea why Alfie had asked her here today if everything was going so well.

  ‘I want to sell the club, Nancy. To you, if you’ll have it?’

  Nancy raised her eyes, taken aback.

  Not sure what she’d been expecting today, but being offered to buy out The Karma Club had certainly not been it.

  ‘You want to sell it to me?’ Nancy said, then. Unsure what to say.

  A
year and a half after opening, The Karma Club remained one of London’s biggest on the clubbing scene. The venue was a sensation, drawing in A-list celebrities and the best DJs from all around the world. And Alfie Harris had raked in a fortune from the place.

  ‘I’m putting my girls first,’ he said then, as if reading her mind. ‘The club has been one of my greatest successes, but I hate it, Nancy. I hate being there, I hate what it represents. I hate that I have to think about what happened to my Megan every time I walk through those doors. And that I’m just waiting for it to happen again, to some other poor unsuspecting young girl. Because it’s only a matter of time, isn’t it? Drugs and clubs go hand in hand.’

  Alfie Harris shook his head.

  ‘Gem Kemal’s been running the place for me. And for a while it was all going smoothly; though lately I’ve had word that he’s got himself involved with some fucking scrotes. Some lads from Manchester that think they are the big I am. They’re all about Ecstasy and acid. They’ve been causing a bit of trouble here and there.’

  Alfie drank his coffee, his expression deadly serious.

  ‘And do you know what? I haven’t got the fucking energy to deal with the fuckers. I’m happy just to walk away from it all.’ He laughed then. ‘I never thought I’d say that. Maybe I’m getting old, eh!’

  He winked at Jennifer. The age gap between them had always been their little joke.

  ‘The truth of the matter is, my heart isn’t in it anymore. But I don’t want that place to turn to shit. Not after how hard I worked to get it where it is today. I want someone who can run the club as it should be. Someone who isn’t afraid to get their hands dirty and take care of the shit that needs sorting. Someone like you.’

  ‘Me?’ Nancy said, remembering only too well the deal she’d made with Gem Kemal.

  She’d handed the man all her father’s contacts for his drug runs and he had been using all the drop-off points to bring gear into the country and sell it in the club. Seemingly behind Alfie Harris’s back. Though from what Alfie had just told her, Gem Kemal was making his own way in the world now and he was no longer being inconspicuous about it either.