The Betrayed: A shocking, gritty thriller that will hook you from the first page

by Casey Kelleher

  ‘Don’t you worry, Edel. You leave it with me. I’ll have a look for him,’ Jimmy said, not holding out much hope on finding the cat alive from what he’d heard about the fire damage.

  He changed the subject. ‘I can’t believe it, Edel. I mean, I only dropped Colleen home in the cab about two, before going back to my place. I must have only been asleep a couple of hours when she called to tell me you were both here. Do you know how the fire started?’

  Edel shook her head.

  ‘I can’t be sure, but I think I must have left an oil burner on in the shop. I was burning some lovely orange and bergamot oils today. I mustn’t have put the candle out. The thing must have caught light. Unless it was some kind of electrical fault?’ Since she’d regained consciousness, Edel had been racking her brains to try and work out what could have started the fire.

  ‘Well, whatever it was that started it, don’t you fret, Edel. The fire officers will do a thorough investigation and will find out what happened. In the meantime, I’ll get a couple of my guys to go around and see if we can salvage anything, and have a look for Mr Tiddles for you. How does that sound?’ Jimmy said, not wanting the woman to get stressed out any more than she already was after her ordeal.

  ‘Thanks, Jimmy, love. You’re a good man, you know that.’

  ‘Don’t even mention it, Edel. I’m just glad that your Colleen thought enough of me to call me,’ Jimmy said truthfully, glad that he had been the first person that Colleen had thought to call. Jimmy wanted to do all he could to help. Remembering what Colleen had told him about being an only child, and her mother being one too, Jimmy realised that maybe Colleen didn’t have an awful lot of options. She’d said that since both her grandparents had passed away, herself and Edel didn’t really have any family to speak of. Edel had brought her up as a single parent. Colleen had never clapped eyes on her biological father. The man had upped and scarpered before she was born.

  ‘What are yours and Colleen’s plans when you leave here? Have you got somewhere you can go? Some family you can stay with?’

  ‘I guess we’ll have to check into a hotel for now.’ Edel shook her head. She hadn’t even thought that far ahead. It hadn’t really sunk in that she was actually homeless now. She and Colleen had nowhere to go. She had no idea what they were going to do next.

  ‘There’s just so much to think about, so much to try and sort out. I don’t even know where to start.’

  Jimmy was decided then.

  ‘A hotel? No chance. You and Colleen can come and stay with me, and before you say anything else on the matter, I’m insisting. I won’t take no for an answer.’

  ‘Ahh, we couldn’t put you out like that, Jimmy!’ Edel said, not wanting to put him to any trouble.

  ‘You’re not putting me out, Edel. But you will be if you don’t accept my offer. I’ve got loads of room at my place, and it’s the very least I can do to help you both.’

  ‘Thank you, Jimmy. I really appreciate that,’ Edel said, unable to disguise the tears in her eyes at the generous offer. The reality was that they wouldn’t have been able to afford to stay in a hotel. They would have had to look for a cheap B&B or a hostel. Edel was too proud to admit that to Jimmy.

  Seeing the worry written across the woman’s face, Jimmy squeezed her hand gently.

  ‘It’s okay, Edel. We’ll have you sorted out before you know it. Once the fire officers have done their investigation and you get your insurance payout, you can get back on your feet again. Like you said, it’s all replaceable.’

  ‘You’re right, Jimmy. Thank you!’ Edel nodded resolutely, which only made Jimmy smile. The woman was old school. As tough as old boots. Edel Walsh was one of life’s survivors and Jimmy really admired that.

  Then getting up off the bed, Jimmy decided to go in search of Colleen, so that he could break the news to her that she would be coming to stay with him. ‘‘Right, now let me go and see where your lovely daughter’s got to with this tea. I won’t be long, and if I find any gin and tonics on my travels I’ll smuggle one back for you!’

  * * *

  ‘Blimey, Jimmy. This is a lovely place you’ve got here,’ Edel Walsh said, as she nosed around the interior of Jimmy’s apartment, nestled in a bustling street off Mayfair, overlooking Hyde Park. ‘This must have cost you a fortune.’

  ‘Mum!’ Colleen said, nudging her mother, who, ever since they’d arrived, had done nothing but try to add up the cost of everything.

  ‘It’s okay.’ Jimmy laughed, placing his keys down on the large oak dining table that sat directly in front of the huge floor to ceiling window. ‘It did cost a fair few bob, but it’s an investment. I got it for a good price and then did a complete renovation. I’ve probably doubled my money on it already. This place is my pension.’

  ‘It’s very fancy, isn’t it?’ Edel said, casting her eye across the impeccably decorated room, admiring the tasteful neutral colours and statement pieces of furniture.

  ‘It’s like a palace compared to our place, isn’t it, Colleen, with all our clutter and junk we’ve collected—’ Edel stopped then. Catching herself for a moment, as Colleen looked down at the floor. ‘God! Listen to me. “Our place”. It still doesn’t feel real, does it?’ Then not wanting to upset Colleen any further by getting emotional herself, Edel added: ‘I can’t see this place being very child-friendly, Jimmy; you know, if you were eventually going to settle down and have a family of your own.’ She raised her eyebrow questioningly.

  She’d taken a real liking to Jimmy Byrne. Not only was he from back home in the Emerald Isle, but he had proved himself to be worth his weight in gold and now that Edel had seen where the man lived, she’d decided she liked him even more.

  Jimmy Byrne was clearly a good, respectable man who worked hard for his money.

  ‘This is more of a bachelor pad; follow me and I’ll give you the grand tour,’ Jimmy said, knowing full well that Edel Walsh couldn’t wait to have a nose around the place.

  Leading the two women into the kitchen, Jimmy watched as Edel’s eyes lit up at the size of it. ‘It’s more than enough for me, but when I do eventually settle down and have kids I’ll probably look for somewhere a bit more spacious. A house with a bit of land attached, you know, a nice big old garden. I’d like a few more bedrooms too. I quite fancy myself as a family man one day.’

  ‘Well, it sounds like you’ve already put a lot of thought into it,’ Edel said, winking at Colleen as she followed Jimmy through to the master bedroom.

  ‘Wow! Your bed’s huge. You must get lost lying in that thing on your own.’ Edel winked at Colleen again; only this time Jimmy saw her and couldn’t help but laugh loudly at the woman’s brazenness.

  Which in turn made Colleen blush wildly.

  ‘Mum!’ she said, knowing that her pleas were falling on deaf ears. The woman wasn’t going to let up trying to matchmake.

  ‘What? I’m just making an observation!’ Edel said, feigning innocence.

  Colleen was far too cool. Taking things slowly was one thing. Only if Colleen went any slower she’d grind to a complete stop. Jimmy Byrne didn’t seem like he was the type to play games. If Colleen played it too suave, the man might lose interest completely, and there was no way that Edel was having that.

  If anything, Colleen should be grateful for Edel’s encouragement; she was only doing the pair of them a favour. They’d thank her for being so pushy one day, she was sure.

  ‘I just think that you must get ever so lonely. A lovely man like yourself, here on your own.’

  ‘Well, I won’t be here on my own for a while now, will I? Not with you two lovely ladies staying here with me,’ Jimmy quipped, lightening the mood as he saw the look of embarrassment on Colleen’s face at Edel laying it on so thick. ‘Let me show you to your room, ladies.’

  Walking through into the second bedroom, Jimmy pointed out the large double bed and the sofa bed that sat under the window.

  ‘You can share the main bed, or pull out the sofa bed, it’s up to
you, ladies,’ he said, hoping that his gesture of putting the two women in together was okay with Colleen. They hadn’t spent the night together yet, and Jimmy didn’t want to cause her any embarrassment by making her wonder where she would be sleeping. Colleen seemed like a decent, traditional girl, who wouldn’t want to rush into anything.

  ‘There’s an en suite there too for you both to use, and I’ll get you both some keys so you can come and go as you please.’

  ‘Thank you so much, Jimmy! We really can’t thank you enough,’ Colleen said, grateful to him for being so generous and helping them out like this. Welcoming them both into his home. Colleen didn’t know what else they would have done if it wasn’t for him. ‘It will only be for a few days, hopefully. Just until we get ourselves sorted out!’ Colleen quickly reminded him, conscious that Jimmy was going out of his way to let them both stay here. The last thing she wanted to do was take advantage of his generous offer.

  ‘Of course.’ Jimmy nodded knowing how adamant Colleen had been not to be a burden to him. ‘And I’ll do whatever I can to help you both but until then, please, my home is your home.’

  ‘Oh! Don’t go saying things like that, Jimmy! I’ve always fancied living somewhere flash like this. Once I’ve got my feet under your table, you might never get rid of me.’ Edel chuckled and Jimmy joined in. Edel’s humour was infectious.

  ‘Right, now how about I make you both a decent cuppa?’ Jimmy offered leading them back into the kitchen.

  ‘Oh that would be lovely,’ Edel exclaimed as they followed him through to the kitchen and took a seat at the stools around the centre island. ‘Then I’m going to have another shower and a lie down if that’s okay. Last night’s really taken it out of me.’

  ‘I bet it has, Edel. You’ve had an awful shock the pair of you. You both must be exhausted,’ Jimmy said as he busied himself filling up the kettle. He’d stayed at the hospital all morning with the women and insisted on bringing them back here when the doctors finally gave Edel the all-clear and discharged the lady. None of them had had much sleep at all last night.

  ‘We are, aren’t we, missy? It was a night from hell. I can’t even begin to think about how we’re going to rebuild our lives after this. We’ll be starting again from scratch.’

  ‘We’ll be all right, Mum,’ Colleen said, placing her hand on her mother’s. ‘Like Jimmy was saying, once the fire officer does the investigation, we can contact the insurers. We’ll start again. I know it will be hard, but I’ll help you, Mum.’ Colleen smiled warmly. ‘We’ll be just fine.’

  Edel patted her daughter’s hand. Unlike Colleen, she wasn’t able to be quite so optimistic.

  Jimmy smiled warmly at Colleen. He could see the love she had for her mother. He couldn’t imagine how the girl was feeling seeing her mum so upset. Especially as Jimmy himself was so close to his own mum. It would break his heart to see her so broken.

  Then, interrupted by the apartment’s intercom, Jimmy excused himself from the room.

  ‘Sorry, ladies. I won’t be a minute.’

  ‘I might as well make the tea,’ Edel said, busying herself, starting off where Jimmy had left it. ‘The very least we can do while we’re here is help out. I’ll make Jimmy some nice Irish stew later. A big lad like him will appreciate a bit of home cooking I’m sure,’ she said taking a nose inside Jimmy’s fridge and cupboards to see what ingredients she had to play around with.

  ‘I tell you what, Colleen, this place is bleeding immaculate. You could eat your food off the inside of these cupboards.’

  ‘Mum!’ Colleen shook her head in dismay. ‘He’s probably got a cleaner!’

  ‘Of course he has. A thriving businessman like Jimmy wouldn’t have time to clean this place as immaculately as it is. The man’s far too busy.’ Edel nodded in agreement. ‘What a life though, eh, Colleen?’ Then whispering playfully, she added: ‘If you don’t snatch this man up with both bleeding hands, I might see if I’m in with a chance.’

  Colleen giggled, glad that her mum was still finding the funny side of things.

  ‘Sounds like he’s got some company,’ Edel said as she heard Jimmy talking to someone out in the hallway. Not quite being able to catch the conversation, she could hear the hushed tones of a male voice.

  Making her way closer so that she could have a listen, Edel nearly jumped out of her skin when Jimmy walked through the door, almost hitting her with it.

  ‘Ladies!’ Jimmy announced as he entered the room. ‘This is a friend of mine. Jack Taylor. He works on the force. He’s got something that might be of interest to you, Edel.’

  The policeman stepped into the room, holding Mr Tiddles tightly to his chest.

  ‘Oh, my baby! You found him.’ Edel was up out of her seat then, crying as she took her beloved soot-covered cat from the man’s arms and hugged it to her.

  PC Jack Taylor smiled at Edel, before his expression turned sombre.

  ‘I’m afraid I’m the bearer of some bad news, too, Mrs Walsh,’ the police officer said. ‘Do you want to take a seat?’

  Colleen and Edel could see that the policeman wasn’t just here on a personal call.

  ‘Is everything okay?’ Edel said, glad that she had her precious cat back, but the feeling was bittersweet as she sat and waited for PC Taylor to break whatever bad news he had for her. ‘Have you had news about the fire?’

  Seeing the look that the two men exchanged Edel waited with baited breath for the answer.

  ‘I’m afraid I do, Mrs Walsh. I’ve just spoken to the Chief Fire Officer leading the investigation. I haven’t got good news.’

  Jack Taylor shifted on his feet uncomfortably. He’d been working for Jimmy for almost a year now, and when Jimmy had called to ask him to find out what had happened at the flat, and to look for Edel Walsh’s cat, Jack had been happy to oblige. Normally Jack was asked to do something more risky like accessing police records or getting Jimmy some private information about a case or a person. A cat for an old lady was one of Jimmy’s more pleasant requests.

  Only what he’d uncovered hadn’t been the best news for the old lady. There was no easy way to break it to the old dear, other than just to simply say it.

  ‘I’m afraid that the Chief Fire Officer found the cause of the fire,’ he said. Taking a seat across from Edel and Colleen Walsh, he knew this conversation wasn’t going to be easy for either of the women.

  ‘Was it my aromatherapy oil burner?’ Edel asked, still racking her brain to work out how the fire had started. She’d convinced herself that somehow this had all been her fault, wracked with guilt that her home and livelihood had all gone up in flames all because she’d carelessly forgotten to extinguish one of her stupid scented candles. ‘I’m normally so good at locking up at night and checking all my candles are out, but I can’t remember putting that one out. I’d had it burning in the shop all day.’

  Seeing the doubtful look on the officer’s face, Edel continued: ‘Or maybe it was some kind of electrical fault? Did something overheat? I always switch my plugs off at night, but it’s a very old building; the electrics are probably older than I am!’

  Jack shook his head. Then looking to Jimmy as if for reassurance, and seeing the man nod, giving him permission to break the bad news to Edel, Jack had no choice but to tell her straight what the officers had found.

  ‘I’m really sorry to tell you this, Mrs Walsh, but the fire officers suspect that the fire was started on purpose.’

  ‘On purpose?’ Edel said, the confusion written all over her face. ‘But I don’t understand. Why would anyone do that? How do you know that it wasn’t just an accident? How can you be sure?’

  Shaking his head, Jack persevered. ‘They found traces of petrol, Mrs Walsh. The fire officer tested some of the materials that we removed from the property as part of the investigation and it appears that the shop had been doused in the stuff prior to the fire starting,’ he said, as he let the news sink in.

  ‘Do you think it was that gang of lads that were han
ging about, Mum? The ones that broke in?’ Colleen said, piecing everything together. ‘It must have been. They must have come back?’

  ‘A break-in?’ Jack said, raising his brow. ‘Did you report it?’

  Edel shook her head.

  ‘Mum!’ Colleen said, glaring at her. ‘Why not? You said you would?’

  ‘I only said I would so that you’d stop nagging me,’ Edel said truthfully. ‘They were just kids, Colleen. Boys being boys. I thought that it was just a one off.’

  ‘Oh really? A one off? Our home’s been destroyed! They’ve cost us bloody everything, Mum! It must have been them; who else could it have been?’

  Sensing the growing tensions, Jack continued: ‘Do you know who these boys are, Mrs Walsh? Would you recognise them?’

  Edel shook her head.

  ‘There were a few of them. It was dark and they had their hoods up. The ringleader had a scarf tied around his face too. I didn’t get a look at any of them, and as soon as they got the money out of the till, they all scarpered,’ she said, feeling foolish that she hadn’t taken the time to report the crime after it had happened. ‘I’ve never had any trouble before. I’ve lived in Dean Street all my life. I thought it was a one off. I thought that if I got the police involved it would only cause more trouble for us.’

  Jack Taylor nodded understandingly. ‘I’m going to have to ask you to report the break-in and I’ll need you both to make statements. I’ll need a full description of the group of boys,’ he continued, though he knew the chance of catching the scrotes that did this were slim to none.

  ‘Are you sure that the fire officer hasn’t made some kind of mistake? Are you sure it wasn’t just an accident?’ Edel asked, refusing to believe that someone would deliberately cause her to lose her home and her business, along with all her worldly possessions.

  And to think that she and Colleen were lucky to be alive.

  ‘No one would be that cruel surely?’

  ‘There’s no mistake, Mrs Walsh,’ Jack said sincerely. ‘I’m really sorry but the fire was started deliberately. We are treating it as arson.’