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“Your brother?” she asked, her tone casually curious.
“He’s Gerard Murphy’s son,” I stated bluntly. “You know, the father you never told me about? He found me because Gerard died about a year ago, and his name was on my birth certificate.”
She folded her arms and sat back. “Yeah, well, you weren’t missing out on anything. I did you a favour not telling you about that rat bastard.”
Eamonn’s eyes grew wide, while Shelly let out a little gasp hearing the swear word.
“Maybe soften your language in front of the kids,” I said quietly, and Mam’s eyes hardened. Her glower vanished, her expression softening when she looked to Vivi. “Why don’t you and the others go grab yourselves some snacks from the vending machines? Maggie and I need a little chat.”
“I don’t have any money,” Vivi said, and I immediately dug in my purse for some coins before handing them over. The kids left, and I glanced back at Mam. She was watching them go.
“It’s a damn shame they have to live with those strangers. I would’ve thought you’d take them in,” she said, but I didn’t let the criticism penetrate. I refused.
“They’re only strangers to you. And personally, I think it’s more of a shame their mother is in prison.” My retort had a sharp, cruel grin curving her lips.
“Well, you have me there, now, don’t you.” She looked away, clasping her hands together before returning her attention to me. “So, tell me about this brother of yours. What kind of work has he got you doing?”
“I’d rather you tell me about my father. By the sounds of it, there was a big age gap between the two of you.”
For the first time, I saw a flicker of vulnerability in her expression, but it was gone in an instant. “Dirty old perv,” she spat. “I didn’t see I was being taken advantage of at the time. He had his own place and a car. I thought I’d bagged myself a catch. I could leave my parents’ house and start off fresh. It’s only looking back I realise I was no more than a child, and he was old enough to be my father. That’s what you come from, Maggie. Are you satisfied to know your old man was a scumbag pervert? You should be thanking me. I saved you the heartbreak of knowing him.”
I still had the heartbreak of knowing you, though, didn’t I?
“That wasn’t your decision to make.”
“Yeah, well, what’s done is done. The prick is in the ground, and you dodged a bullet, but clearly you have no intention of thanking me. You were always like that, ungrateful. All this time, I thought you’d eventually come around and pay your poor mother a visit, but no. I don’t hear a whisper in eight years. You’re cold-hearted, Maggie. That’s the truth.”
I didn’t know whether to lash out or laugh at that statement because she was the most cold-hearted woman I’d ever known.
Inhaling sharply, I managed to keep my cool. “I’m sorry you fell victim to a man like Gerard. You were young, and your parents should’ve looked out for you.”
She sniffed. “I could take care of myself.”
“Right, but you shouldn’t have had to.”
She was quiet then. I had no idea what was going through her head. I thought maybe my sympathy had softened her enough to just talk to me without scheming or digging for information. I knew it wasn’t to be when she brought the conversation back to Jonathan.
“Tell me about the brother, then. If he’s anything like Gerard, I can’t imagine he’s a decent bloke. What business is he in?”
“I haven’t gotten to know him very well yet, but he seems like a good person so far. Gerard wasn’t really in his life either. His mother raised him.” I didn’t answer her question about his business because I knew that was the information she was really after. She wanted to know if it was lucrative. I saw the flicker of annoyance in her eyes. She wasn’t very good at masking it.
“And you like working for him? It must pay well. You know, I could do with a few quid in my commissary—”
“I’m not giving you money,” I said, cutting her off. My heart sank because that was always what it came back to with her. I knew her hard life had misshapen her, but I’d had a hard life, too. It didn’t turn me into an opportunist who valued people only for what they could provide.
Mam’s expression soured, her lips tightening, eyes narrowing to slits. “I don’t need your money,” she spat, then leaned forward, firmly gripping my forearm and digging her fingers in. I tried to pull away, but her grip was too tight. I was surprised none of the supervising guards noticed. “I just thought it would be a nice gesture because it’s Christmas and all, but I forgot I was dealing with a spiteful little cunt.”
