Tick Tock by Mel Sherratt

Author:Mel Sherratt [Mel Sherratt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2019-03-31T16:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-NINE

Grace had been surprised when Kathleen Steele had asked her to call round. In the middle of a murder investigation, she could hardly pop in for a cuppa. Yet, she had said she might drop in, and a few minutes wouldn’t hurt. So Grace sent a text message to Kathleen and took a detour when she left the Waybridge home. After all, she’d been worried about Megan.

Despite her eldest half-brother, Eddie, wanting her to play happy families, Grace hadn’t got in touch with any of them since last year owing to the criminal activity they were known to be involved in. But she had a strange draw to the Steeles. Mostly she felt guilty for breaking up a family unit of mother and daughter, even though prison was where her half-sister Jade deserved to be after wreaking such carnage last year.

Her other half-brother, Leon, had been left for dead by Jade, too. You’d think he would be grateful to the police for finding him in time, but no. He’d been as hostile as ever. It had shocked Grace when he’d told her in no uncertain terms to stay away from him. Luckily, she didn’t bump into him too often, which would have made things awkward.

Grace knocked on the door of her childhood home, trying not to remember what had happened here all those years ago at the hands of her violent father. It was a sprawling pre-war detached house, set in four acres of land. Since she’d last been there, recurring nightmares had surfaced, but she’d eventually been able to push them away. She hoped this visit wouldn’t start them up again.

Every time Grace saw her, Kathleen’s hair was preened, make-up and clothes just so. Grace reckoned at times that you could easily put her ten years younger than a woman in her mid-fifties.

‘Thanks ever so much for coming. Please, come on through.’ Kathleen tottered away in heels amid small talk, showing Grace into the living room.

It still gave Grace the shivers to step into the house, all the memories rushing back to her. It never got any easier and she was glad she didn’t have to visit on a regular basis.

‘Isn’t it dreadful what’s happened to these women?’ Kathleen started as soon as they were seated. ‘Do you have any idea who it is yet?’

‘We’re working on a number of leads.’ Grace could say the patter in her sleep now, always using it even when it wasn’t quite true. ‘You wanted to see me?’ she pressed, looking at her watch purposely.

‘You don’t have time for a cup of tea?’ Kathleen looked on eagerly.

‘Sorry.’ Grace shook her head. ‘I need to be quick.’

‘Okay, I’ll come straight to the point, then.’ Kathleen took a deep breath. ‘I’m concerned about Megan.’

Grace frowned. ‘Has she done something to worry you?’

‘Oh, I worry all the time. She’s very hard to control.’

‘She’s pushing new boundaries, I guess,’ Grace reasoned.

Really, she had no clue what would be going through sixteen-year-old Megan’s head. She’d be trying to find a place in her family, she assumed, now that her mother wasn’t around to look out for her.

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