BooksBarbecue
Back The Secrets He Kept Save as PDF
Chapters (59)
  1. Cover
  2. Prologue
  3. Chapter One
  4. Chapter Two
  5. Chapter Three
  6. Chapter Four
  7. Chapter Five
  8. Chapter Six
  9. Chapter Seven
  10. Chapter Eight
  11. Chapter Nine
  12. Chapter Ten
  13. Chapter Eleven
  14. Chapter Twelve
  15. Chapter Thirteen
  16. Chapter Fourteen
  17. Chapter Fifteen
  18. Chapter Sixteen
  19. Chapter Seventeen
  20. Chapter Eighteen
  21. Chapter Nineteen
  22. Chapter Twenty
  23. Chapter Twenty-One
  24. Chapter Twenty-Two
  25. Chapter Twenty-Three
  26. Chapter Twenty-Four
  27. Chapter Twenty-Five
  28. Chapter Twenty-Six
  29. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  30. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  31. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  32. Chapter Thirty
  33. Chapter Thirty-One
  34. Chapter Thirty-Two
  35. Chapter Thirty-Three
  36. Chapter Thirty-Four
  37. Chapter Thirty-Five
  38. Chapter Thirty-Six
  39. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  40. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  41. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  42. Chapter Forty
  43. Chapter Forty-One
  44. Chapter Forty-Two
  45. Chapter Forty-Three
  46. Chapter Forty-Four
  47. Chapter Forty-Five
  48. Chapter Forty-Six
  49. Chapter Forty-Seven
  50. Chapter Forty-Eight
  51. Chapter Forty-Nine
  52. Chapter Fifty
  53. Chapter Fifty-One
  54. Chapter Fifty-Two
  55. Two Weeks Earlier
  56. A Letter From Jackie
  57. Acknowledgements
  58. About the Author
  59. Also by Jackie Walsh

‘I’m going to cut my hours as soon as I can, Amber, I want to spend more time with you. There’s nothing I want more.’

‘Except money.’

‘Now, don’t be so smart, you know I’m doing my best here.’

Amber’s face softens. Her lips close into a gentle smile and she lifts her eyes to look at me. Releasing the phone from her grip she places it on the bed beside her and reaches out to me with both hands.

‘I know you are, Mom. I love you.’ Moving closer, she hugs me like she did when she was a little girl. But instead of embracing the moment, I end up feeling sick. Now I’m sure there is something going on with her.

The scent of coconut wafts from her hair, I inhale it, not knowing what I should do. Continue to question her? Ask her what the hell is going on? Or should I tread gently? Little steps. Let her know I’m here when she’s ready to talk. I don’t want to scare her off by pushing it. Christ, I wish there was a manual.

A few more precious moments pass before Amber pulls away from our embrace.

‘Is there anything you want to tell me, Amber?’ I say, stroking her long shiny hair before she moves out of reach.

‘No. I’m fine, Mom, really. Don’t be worrying, you’re always worrying.’ And there she goes. Taking the phone in her hand she pulls the duvet up over her body. Well, that precious moment didn’t outlast its welcome. She’s back judging me in no time.

‘Someone has to do the worrying around here,’ I say, leaning over to kiss her on the head. ‘Don’t stay on that phone too long, you’ve school tomorrow.’

Back downstairs and eventually I have a bit of peace. Tom’s not here flicking through the stations until he finds whatever he wants. The remote is all mine. I switch on the TV in the hope of finding something easy to watch. Something to distract me from my life and something I don’t need to use any brain power to watch.

The news is airing on RTE1. I’m about to switch the station over when I hear the reporter announce the body of a woman has been found in suspicious circumstances at her home in Sycamore, Dublin 15.

Sycamore?

The woman, late thirties, is the mother of one son. The police are asking anyone with information to contact them.