Page 43 of Her Last Breath

‘She was devastated, wanted to be close to the kids a lot. She stayed here for a few nights, then left again. We didn’t hear from her for a week.’

‘You didn’t worry?’

‘We were busy with the funeral arrangements, sorting out my mother’s things, looking after the children. This was how Alice coped, went away and then always she came back.’

‘She attended the funeral?’

‘Yes. She said she wanted to make sure she did my mother proud by being different. Being better. She was alert, present. She would visit the kids twice a week, call almost daily.’

‘You didn’t see her slide back into the drugs?’

‘No. We knew the signs by then. She wasn’t doing that stuff again. She was hopeful, she wanted to live.’

Jane wasn’t naïve enough to dismiss the cycles of use and mental health incidents that long-term junkies were susceptible to. No matter how strong the desire to change, the power of their addiction was near impossible to beat sometimes. Maybe Alice had a bad day, her grandmother’s death hitting her hard? Maybe she went back into the darkness to get her next fix? And met her killer.

Kangna Kandasamy would have access to medication, strong pain-killing medication. What was to stop her mixing it up or selling it on? Is that what she offered Alice?

‘Did Alice mention moving to a new place?’

‘Leaving Burnley?’ Owen asked.

‘No, a new home. She put a deposit down a few days before she died. A much nicer flat, closer to the church. In cash.’

‘We didn’t know,’ Trish said.

‘Are you sure?’ Owen added. ‘It doesn’t seem like something she’d be able to do.’

‘Do you have any idea where she got the money from?’

‘She didn’t ask us,’ Owen said. ‘I mean the odd bits of money here and there to get the kids presents is one thing, but I can’t imagine how she came across enough for a deposit.’

‘She didn’t mention a new job?’

They shook their heads.

‘Could she have sold something left to her by her grandmother?’

‘I still have the ring,’ Trish said. ‘The house was sold when Owen’s mum had to move into a care home. She refused to let us pay, always so independently minded. Maybe that’s where Alice got her spirit from?’

There was nothing more she could learn from them, so Jane left the Rogers to their grief. As she was heading to the front door, she stole another look at the kids.

‘I think they still expect her to just come home,’ Trish said behind her.

Jane watched as Emily started to whisper something to her older brother. He shushed her. Emily turned her head towards Jane. This time she waved, and Jane waved back.

Alone in her car, the tears slid down Jane’s cheeks. She thought coming here to check on the children would ease her anxiety. Instead she wondered what her own life would have been like if Ed had been there for her. Jane wiped her eyes, more determined than ever to give Alice Rogers’ children closure. First thing in the morning, she would head over to the hospice and drag the truth out of Kangna Kandasamy.

Chapter 27

‘What happened to this place?’ Jane asked mockingly. ‘Is that a Costa?’

‘Hey, we have our own shopping centre now! Burnley’s up and coming,’ Sameer insisted. ‘Didn’t you watch Bank of Dave?’

Jane laughed, louder than she should have, releasing the tension she had been holding in for weeks. Going home after work to make sure the carers had given her mother dinner, she waited until Maeve was asleep before sneaking out of the house. Teenage Jane was back in play, the secretive trips into town to meet unsuitable boys. As they walked around looking for somewhere to get a drink, Jane checked over DCI Malik; he was just as unsuitable as anyone from her past.

‘I can see your nipples through that t-shirt,’ she chided. ‘You always were such a tart.’

‘Careful, I’m your boss.’