The Perfect Mother (ARC)

by Caroline Mitchell

  ‘It doesn’t matter,’ Dympna interrupted. ‘We can wipe

  the slate fresh, start again.’

  But I was not buying into her sentiment. She handed

  me a tumbler of water, as if to stem my words. I took a

  sip, nodding gratefully before handing it back. Soon an-

  other contraction would plunge me into a world of pain,

  and I would not be able to tell her the truth.

  ‘I need to tell you,’ I said, panting as I felt it build up.

  ‘Shh now, there’s no need…’

  ‘There is a need,’ I said, before inhaling a lungful of air. But they were the last words I would utter before

  pain swallowed me whole.

  ‘I can see its head!’ Dympna screamed at the top of

  her voice.

  ‘I can’t … I can’t do any more.’ Exhaustion washed

  over me. I’d had enough. ‘Make it stop. Please,’ I cried,

  digging my fingers into Dympna’s hand as she rejoined

  my side.

  ‘Your baby’s heartbeat is dipping,’ the OBGYN said,

  her face serious now. ‘C’mon, one big push.’

  But my energy supply was depleted, and their voices

  were growing very far away.

  360

  CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE

  Roz

  ‘She looks just like you.’ Dympna pushed back the baby’s

  blanket for a better look.

  I cradled my little one in my arms, overwhelmed by a

  rush of love. At eight pounds two ounces, she was heavier

  than I thought she’d be.

  ‘Just as well I didn’t go overdue.’

  I leaned down to kiss her, inhaling her sweet baby

  smell. She’d emerged into this world just when I’d felt

  like giving up. Too many deep breaths had left me woozy,

  and Dympna had given me a stern talking-to to get me

  through. I was beyond relieved to have her by my side.

  ‘I need to tell you who the father is.’ Every inch of

  me was aching, but I could not carry the burden of the

  secret any longer. Dympna had travelled halfway across

  the globe. The least I could do was to be honest in return.

  ‘There’s no need, because I already know,’ Dympna

  said in a matter-of-fact manner. Cooing, she melted as

  Ashling grasped her little finger. ‘I’m your auntie Dympna, yes I am, yes I am.’ Her voice was as soft and gentle as a

  summer breeze.

  ‘You know?’ Ashling was lying content after her first

  breastfeed, and neither of us wanted to wake her up. Her

  face was pink, soft and beautiful. She was just how I had

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  pictured her, with tiny wisps of blonde hair framing her

  head.

  Dympna nodded, finally meeting my eyes. ‘I’m com-

  ing to terms with it. I know it won’t happen again.’

  ‘Wow,’ I said, feeling the weight of nine months of

  worry fall away.

  ‘What’s the point in holding on to all that anger and

  hurt? You’re the sister I never had. And I’m gonna make

  a go of this. We both can.’

  I stared at my friend with newfound admiration. How

  could she be so calm? The betrayal must have hurt like

  hell, but she was right. It would never happen again.

  ‘And he knows about the baby,’ Dympna said, ‘so

  you don’t need to worry, it’s all out in the open. We’ll

  all work together to give Ashling the best start.’ Tears

  moistened her eyes as her words juddered to a halt. I felt

  thoroughly ashamed for having hurt the most important

  person in my life.

  ‘Does your mam know?’ I said, trying to imagine the

  kind of reception I’d get back home.

  Dympna frowned. ‘No. It’s none of her business. If I

  split up with Seamus it’s nothing to do with her.’

  It was obvious we had crossed wires. She did not

  know the truth at all.

  ‘Wait a minute – you think Seamus is Ashling’s father?’

  ‘I don’t think it, I know it,’ Dympna said, an edge

  growing to her words.

  ‘Then you’re wrong.’ I wondered how she would

  react when she discovered the truth. ‘I wouldn’t sleep

  with Seamus in a million years.’

  ‘There is no point in denying it.’ Dympna’s brows

  knitted in a scowl. ‘I’ve seen how cagey he’s been. I did

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  the maths. When I told him you were pregnant he started

  acting all weird.’

  I shifted in my bed, as after-pains ebbed through

  my body. I needed to clear the air before I could rest. I

  remembered how I had been unable to meet Seamus’s

  gaze, how he had looked at me in disgust.

  ‘Seamus burst in on us. I begged him not to say any-

  thing. I didn’t want you getting hurt.’

  ‘How, if he’s not the dad?’ Dympna punctuated her

  words with a sigh. ‘You don’t need to cover it up.’ She

  leaned back in to Ashling. Like me, she could not get

  enough. ‘I’m your auntie Dympna, and I’m going to

  babysit you all night long.’

  ‘But that’s the thing,’ I said, as a soft knock on the

  door signalled a new visitor. ‘You’re not her auntie…’

  I watched as the baby’s father entered, a huge bunch of

  flowers in his hand. My gaze met Dympna’s. ‘You’re her

  half-sister.’

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  CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX

  Dympna

  ‘Dad?’ Dympna said, before returning her gaze to Roz.

  John had been in the corridor since their arrival,

  speaking to police, filling out forms for the medical bills and allowing Roz to get on with giving birth. Dympna

  watched a flush creep up Roz’s neck as John lay a bunch

  of flowers on the end of her bed. His gaze never left the

  baby and myriad questions invaded Dympna’s brain. This

  was why Roz had asked if her mother knew. She should

  be relieved that Seamus was off the hook, but she could

  not comprehend what Roz had done. Sleeping with

  her father? How could she? No wonder he had been so

  willing to fly over to find her. But where did that leave

  them now?

  Feeling like a gooseberry, she retreated to allow her

  father a better view of his new daughter.

  ‘She’s beautiful,’ he said, just as Ashling opened her

  eyes. Blinking, she stretched in Roz’s arms, and Dympna

  watched as her father seemed entranced.

  ‘Her name is Ashling,’ Roz said, slowly offering her up.

  John took the baby with confident hands.

  ‘She looks just like you,’ he said, echoing Dympna’s

  earlier words.

  ‘Dad?’ Dympna said again, breaking the spell.

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  ‘Sorry,’ Roz replied to her friend. ‘I wanted to tell

  you…’

  ‘It’s OK,’ Dympna said, as the news sank in. She could

  forgive Roz. It was her father who needed to explain.

  ‘Here you go,’ John said after a few minutes, gently

  depositing Ashling in Roz’s arms. ‘I didn’t know about

  the baby.’ He turned to Dympna. ‘Not until you told me.’

  ‘What about Mam?’ Dympna wondered how she was

  going to look her mother
in the eye.

  ‘She knows. We’ve been having issues for a long time

  now. Why do you think I’ve been spending so much

  time at work?’

  Dympna stiffened. ‘So you thought you’d sleep with

  my best friend?’

  ‘You must have known we were having problems.

  Roz and I … it wasn’t planned.’

  Dympna drove her fingers through her long red hair,

  pushing it back from her face. ‘Does she know about the

  baby? What about Diarmuid?’ she said, referring to her

  brother. ‘What’s going to happen now?’

  John lay a hand on Dympna’s shoulder. ‘We’re going

  to work through it. Keep the family together.’

  ‘Can you see why I had to leave?’ Roz looked from

  John to Dympna. ‘The last thing I wanted was to split

  your family apart. I’m sorry. You must hate me right now.’

  ‘Well, you’re not winning any prizes for friend of

  the year!’

  A whine rose from the bundle in the blanket and

  Dympna felt a pang of guilt. Roz and her baby had been

  through enough. She didn’t deserve to lose her best friend, too. The truth was, a part of her was pleased about having

  a little sister. It was something she had dreamt of, ever since she was a girl. She just hoped her mother would be OK.

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  ‘I’ll get over it.’ Dympna offered Roz a hesitant smile.

  ‘I’m glad you’re both all right.’ She did not want her

  sister’s earliest memories to be of her having a hissy fit.

  ‘Here,’ she offered. ‘Why don’t I take her so you can get

  some sleep?’

  ‘Sleep would be good,’ Roz replied, fixing her baby’s

  blanket and giving her forehead a kiss. A sudden flash of

  anxiety crossed her face. ‘Where’s Mike? He’s not here,

  is he?’

  ‘No,’ John replied. ‘He’s under armed guard.’

  Roz’s shoulders dropped an inch as she relaxed back

  into the bed. ‘Don’t leave, will you? If I fall asleep …

  don’t go.’

  Dympna had no idea what her friend had experi-

  enced, but she knew her father had been talking to the

  police.

  ‘I’m going nowhere, chick,’ she said, gazing into

  Ashling’s eyes. Usually, babies were kept in the nursery,

  but her father had explained the circumstances and Ashling

  was being allowed to stay next to Roz’s bed.

  ‘I’ll grab us some coffees,’ John said to Dympna.

  Dympna gave her father a look. He had a lot of ex-

  plaining to do.

  * * *

  ‘Have the police told you what happened?’ Dympna

  asked, sipping her coffee as both Roz and Aisling lay

  asleep. Giving her a sideways nod, John directed Dympna

  towards the window, out of Roz’s earshot.

  ‘Roz isn’t the first woman they’ve kept in that base-

  ment. They’ve got witnesses. There’s a reporter. She’s

  been investigating Sheridan for years.’

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  The Perfect Mother

  ‘Was Kelly Blunt involved?’ Dympna said. Her father’s

  expression was all the answer she needed. For the first

  time, she felt truly validated.

  ‘I don’t know how you figured that out, but you were

  spot on.’

  In the corridor a trolley rattled past, cups clinking

  against saucers as hot refreshments were served.

  ‘The timings matched up,’ Dympna said, grateful

  Kelly’s family would find closure. ‘She looked like Roz

  and fitted the profile, too. She met a celebrity couple

  online, spoke about New York and LA, and she was a

  big fan of Sheridan and Daniel, which is why she was so

  blown away.’

  ‘Apparently one of the photographers from Celeb Goss

  magazine thought they caught sight of her at Sheridan’s

  apartment. That’s when that journalist, Alex Santana,

  went in undercover. She must have got the shock of their

  life when she came face to face with Roz.’

  Dympna stole a glance into Ashling’s cot, grateful

  her new sister was safe. ‘I told you Roz was in danger as

  soon as the baby was born.’ But the expression on her

  father’s face relayed it was much worse than that. ‘What?’

  Dympna said.

  John’s lips thinned as he gazed out the window. ‘I

  shouldn’t be sharing details of the case with you.’

  ‘It’s a bit late for that,’ Dympna replied tartly. ‘What

  happened?’

  ‘They put a gun to her head while she was in labour.

  Roz and her baby could have died.’

  ‘You’re not serious,’ Dympna exclaimed in a harsh

  whisper, her hand planted on her chest. ‘Why?’ How

  anyone could kill an innocent baby and their mother was

  beyond her understanding.

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  Caroline Mitchell

  ‘Who knows?’ John shrugged.

  ‘And here was me, giving her the third degree.’

  Dympna dropped her empty coffee cup in the bin, took

  her father’s and did the same. Roz was snoring softly now,

  finally at peace.

  Reaching out, John touched Dympna’s arm. ‘You have

  every right to be angry with me, but go easy on Roz.

  She’s been to hell and back by all accounts.’

  ‘I can’t believe I have a sister,’ Dympna said. She

  hovered over her cot, feeling an instant bond. She owed

  Seamus a huge apology.

  ‘She’s a determined little thing, all right,’ John chuck-

  led. ‘All hell breaking loose around her, and she decides

  to come into the world.’

  Dympna peeked at Ashling, her heart melting as she

  watched her sleep.

  ‘You’re safe now,’ she whispered. ‘Your big sis is look-

  ing out for you.’

  368

  CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN

  Sheridan

  ‘I’ve dug people out of some holes during the course of

  my career, but nothing like this.’

  The gravelly voice belonged to her lawyer, Elizabeth

  Ross. At almost sixty years of age, she made her living

  from repairing celebrity reputations and was the ballsiest

  woman Sheridan knew.

  ‘Have you had some kind of breakdown?’ she con-

  tinued. ‘Is that it?’

  Sheridan was in no mood to be lectured. Sitting in the

  police interview room, she was well aware of the trouble

  she was in. ‘How’s Daniel? I need to talk to him.’

  Elizabeth glared down her thick spectacles, which

  were attached to her neck by a gold chain. ‘You can’t.

  And even if you could, I wouldn’t let you. He’s laying all

  of this at your door.’

  ‘No!’ Sheridan’s hands curled into fists as she rested

  them on the table. ‘He can’t be.’

  ‘He said it was all your idea. He thought Roz was

  there by consent.’ She glanced around the ceiling be-

  fore rummaging in her jacket pocket and slipping out

  a vaporiser. ‘I paid five hundred bucks for this vape, so

  it better not set the smoke alarms off.’ Elizabeth was a

  chain-smoker, had been since her teens. The evidence

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  Caroline Mitch
ell

  of her habit was set in the deep lines around her mouth.

  She took a sneaky puff and exhaled a stream of vapour

  towards the floor.

  ‘We were in it together,’ said Sheridan. ‘He told me to

  deal with it.’ She crossed her legs beneath her chair, her

  calves aching from wearing flat shoes. Daniel’s betrayal

  cut as deep as if she had taken a blade to her skin.

  ‘Yet he wasn’t there when Mike was around.’ Elizabeth’s

  mouth twisted as she spoke, her scepticism painfully evi-

  dent. ‘He’s denying everything, and Roz backs his story

  up.’ She paused as Sheridan’s eyebrows shot up. ‘Oh yes,’

  she continued. ‘I’ve read her statement. She said every

  time she was with him, he was nothing but kind. He

  made her meals, took her out, and get this … he even

  gave her his keys so she could leave. On more than one

  occasion, he told her she was free to go!’

  ‘But Kelly…’

  ‘Kelly nothing. Never once did he demonstrate any

  knowledge of her death. Even when Roz asked questions,

  he played dumb. Wanna know what else?’

  ‘No … yes,’ Sheridan breathed through her open

  fingers as she buried her head in her hands.

  ‘He claims you were having an affair with Mike. He

  had you followed. A private detective has photos of you

  and Mike in some very compromising positions. How

  could you be so dumb?’

  ‘He slept with her – with Roz. They had sex!’ Sheridan

  screamed the words, but she knew it wasn’t true.

  ‘Not according to Roz. She got close to it but he

  turned her down. Said it wasn’t right, even though she

  was tugging on his pants at the time. Quite the gentle-

  man, by all accounts. Unlike you, getting your leg over

  with an ex-convict in some cheap motel room.’

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  Sheridan’s hands touched her throat as panic rose in

  her chest. ‘I don’t believe you,’ she said. ‘It’s not true!’

  ‘It gets better,’ Elizabeth continued, her words pep-

  pered with vapour as she exhaled. ‘Your mom’s next-door

  neighbour saw the report on TV. She’s identified Mike

  as the man she saw leaving Dorothy’s address. Now I’m

  betting your pal Mike is gonna squeal like the pig he is.

  What else have you been up to, Sheridan? Who else have

  you tried to bump off?’

  But Sheridan’s thoughts were solely with her husband.

  ‘Why … why would Daniel say that?’