Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly

Author:Paula Daly [Daly, Paula]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Suspense
ISBN: 9780802121622
Publisher: Grove Press
Published: 2013-04-29T04:00:00+00:00

20

I’M BACK AT WORK trying to syringe-feed some fluids into these kittens, but it’s no use. I know I’m hurting them, and I’m reaching the stage when it’s going to be kinder to go ahead and get the vet to give the blue juice. I’m pissed off and sad, but trying not to let myself get angry about the bastard who’s left them like this. It takes too much out of me. One good thing to come of it, I suppose, is that we know Banjo the Staffy is okay with cats. That’ll improve his chances of rehoming. Even if prospective owners don’t have a cat, they’re not keen on the idea of adopting a dog who’ll happily eat one.

The buzzer goes, meaning there’s someone outside in the office, so I leave the kittens and go on through. I could do with a break from them anyway, maybe have a cuppa.

It’s Mad Jackie Wagstaff.

People call her Mad Jackie because she was prone to thumping people on a regular basis, particularly when she was going through a bad time a couple of years back.

Her husband frittered away all of their money – re-mortgaging the home without Jackie knowing it – and getting them into a whole heap of financial trouble. To get them out of it, he had the bright idea of raffling off the house. It was a nice property, valued at about three hundred thousand, and everyone (including me and Joe) bought tickets at twenty-five pounds a go. Apparently, they sold close to eight thousand tickets, after putting adverts in the Gazette and dropping fliers about the village, which gave them close to two hundred thousand pounds in total.

Then Mad Jackie’s husband ran off with the money. Disaster.

And suddenly everyone was gunning for Jackie. She says people still cross the street when they see her coming; she’s lost the friends she’d had for over thirty years.

Now Jackie works as a carer, bringing me the pets of those that have died.

I look at her surprised when I see she’s standing in the office, empty-handed.

‘What?’ she says, then realizes. ‘Oh, don’t panic, I’ve not brought you anything today. I’ve come to see you. See how you are. Our Joanne said that missing girl was staying with you when she disappeared.’

‘Yeah, she was, kind of,’ I tell her. Then: ‘Your Joanne? You mean Detective Aspinall? Is she your daughter?’

‘Niece.’

‘You never said.’

‘Yeah, well, she doesn’t like me advertising the fact. Paranoid, if you ask me. She thinks if everyone knows she’s CID she’ll have her tyres slashed. Anyway, our Joanne said you were pretty cut up about it – the girl – so I thought I’d just look in on you, see if you’re okay, since I was passing.’

‘Trying not to think about it, if I’m honest. Well, trying not to imagine what’s happened to her. It’s helped coming in here. You don’t want a cat, do you?’

‘No.’

‘Kitten?’

‘We’re not allowed any pets.’

‘You could sneak one in. No one’d know.’

Mad Jackie laughs. ‘The landlord would.

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