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.He sipped, savouring the flavour of the drink, and studied the painting of his mother.Patricia had been beautiful in her heyday.She never stopped telling him about her stage career and what she had given up for his father.Then, after his father’s death, how she had made the ultimate sacrifice for her Paul.He often wondered if she would have been able to make a comeback, but he accepted her sacrifice as his due.She returned to the lounge and slipped onto the sofa beside him.‘I feel a lot better now.’ She patted her hair.‘It’s windblown but better than nothing.’ She scowled.‘That odious woman, promise me you’ll have nothing more to do with her.’‘You haven’t told me what Diane came to see you about?’‘She wanted your address.I wasn’t going to give it to her, but she got violent, and I had to.’‘Why would she want my address? We haven’t been in touch for years and the last time I saw her she was adamant she wanted no contact.’‘Something to do with Jade.I don’t know.Promise me you won’t take up with her again.’‘Of course I won’t.You’re the only woman for me now.’Patricia placed her hand on his thigh.‘You’ll stay the night?’‘Not tonight, Patricia.’She had been Patricia to him for as long as he could remember, mother had been a taboo word.When he was a child she’d insisted he tell everyone she was his sister, and when he got older, his girl friend.She pouted.‘I don’t want to be alone tonight.’He pulled her close to him and kissed her on the lips.‘Tomorrow,’ he whispered.‘I’ll come back tomorrow.’ He eased himself out of her embrace.‘Can I borrow the car? It’ll save me getting a taxi and I’ll have it back to you first thing tomorrow.’She nodded her assent, but he could see the tears welling in her eyes.‘Tomorrow,’ he whispered, kissed her forehead and left.* * * *The scrape of a key in the lock woke Megan out of her stupor.She’d thought he would never return, but he was there, a dark shape standing in the doorway.The time had come and she wasn’t sure whether to dread what was going to happen to her, or be glad, because it would all be over and maybe he would let her go.A cold breeze wafted round her legs, and her shivering increased.That awful shivering that never seemed to stop.She wished he would say or do something to put her out of her misery, but all he did was stand, look and listen.‘Please,’ she whispered through cracked lips.Her tongue felt swollen and her vocal chords weren’t working as well as they should.But he turned away from her, grasped something that clanked, and went out, shutting and locking the door behind him.She was alone in the dark again.Chapter Twenty-FourIt was dark when Jade returned.She stood on the top landing, listening, but everything was quiet and the house slumbered, along with its occupants.She descended the stairs in her bare feet, being careful to avoid the creaking step, and once she was in the hallway, she put her shoes on.The slip of paper was still where Diane had put it, in the telephone directory.She slipped it out, grabbed the car keys and silently left the house.The drive was on a slight slope.She turned the ignition key to the first notch, released the hand brake and allowed the car to slip out onto the road before she felt safe enough to turn the ignition on fully and drive off.The roads were quiet and she was soon driving into the Greenfield estate where she planned to confront Paul.She left the car in the parking area opposite the flats, manoeuvring it out of sight into a space beside a dirty white van and a clapped out Volvo.It wouldn’t do if someone noted the number.Glass crunched under her feet, and the smell of beer mixed with all sorts of other unsavoury aromas, nauseated her.A car trundled along the road and she stepped back into the shadows.After it vanished round a corner she hurried over to the stairwell and climbed to the third floor.A cat hissed at her when she emerged onto the walkway, and she sideswiped it with her foot, sending it yowling into the stairwell.The walkway was deserted but she made sure the hood obscured her face as she walked towards Paul’s flat.It was in darkness, and the door was locked.She’d thought he would be at home and had been practising what she was going to say.But this was even better.Now she could surprise him.It only took her five minutes to return to the car, take a screwdriver from the toolkit, and return to Paul’s door.After that it was easy to prise the lock open and enter the flat.She would wait for him inside.Surprise him.* * * *The door swung open at his touch.That was strange.He was sure he’d locked it.He flicked the light switch, nothing happened.Damned fuses must have blown.He felt his way along the hallway to the cupboard containing the breaker box, there was a torch in there and he’d soon have the electric on again.Something moved in the darkness at the end of the corridor.He stopped, alert to the smallest sound.Something rustled, and the shadows moved again.‘Who’s there?’‘Hello, Daddy.Have you missed me?’The voice reminded him of something or someone.Childlike, and at the same time, seductive.It was a voice he hadn’t heard for five years.A voice he’d never expected to hear again.‘Jade?’Time shifted, and he returned to the day his daughter had vanished without trace.‘Yes, Daddy.’‘Oh, how I’ve missed you.I knew you didn’t mean it when you said you never wanted to see me again, I knew you would come back to me.We loved each other too much for you to stay away for ever.’In the silence that followed he could hear her breathing.‘Let me sort the lights so I can look at you.’‘No, Daddy.I’ve been in the dark so long, I like it.’Past and present collided.It was impossible.He knew it was impossible, but he wanted to believe it was her, wanted to believe it so much he convinced himself it could be her.He fumbled in his pocket for his lighter.He had to see her.His hand found the lighter and he flicked it on.‘But you’re.’ The stab of the needle in his neck, cut him short.The lighter flicked off and he slapped his other hand on the spot where she had stabbed him.‘What have you done, Jade?’ He had trouble enunciating the words, and he felt peculiar.His vision blurred and his bones felt heavy.It was as if they’d melted into his feet.He leaned against the wall.It swayed at his touch and he slid down until he was unable to slide any further.The weight of his body made him topple sideways until he was lying flat.Cotton wool encased him in a warm glow and he was back in the past again.Back when he and Jade had been happy.He reached out to stroke her cheek.‘My baby,’ he said, and then he floated away.* * * *The mixture of heroin and GHB in the syringe was massive, and it only took a moment for Paul to succumb to the effects of the drug in his bloodstream
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