Page 68 of Her Last Breath

‘Jane?’

Everything was telling her to keep walking. Instead, she used her free hand to turn the door handle of the front room, resigned to facing her mother. The room was bathed in a comforting orange light, feeling deceptively cosy, inviting. Then she saw Maeve and her rage came roaring back.

‘I was worried, where have you been?’ her mother demanded.

‘I let the carers know, I have to be away for a few days. For work.’

‘Can’t you stay here?’

‘No.’

‘I’m on my own, what if something happens to me?’

Opening her mouth to respond, Jane swallowed back the words that she wanted to say.

‘The carers were late this morning. I was afraid and I couldn’t get settled for the rest of the day. I need you.’

Feeling the anger gripping her heart, Jane struggled to find the words to respond. Ed had needed their mother and she had failed him. Jane couldn’t muster any sympathy, not today.

‘I don’t have a choice,’ she said through clenched teeth. ‘Work.’

Jane started to walk away, she didn’t want to do this, but her mother called out to her.

‘Go then, leave me. Like the rest of them. I knew this wouldn’t last.’

Breathing in deeply, Jane refused to bite. There couldn’t be anything but accusations and recriminations if they continued down this road.

‘You shouldn’t have come back. Leaving me like this is worse than if you hadn’t bothered at all.’

Jane’s patience snapped and, in an instant, she whirled round to face the accusations her mother was throwing at her.

‘I’m leaving because I can’t do this anymore.’

‘Just like your father …’

Jane couldn’t hold back anymore.

‘No, Mum. I can’t stay because I know the truth now.’

Maeve looked confused, fearful even.

‘What are you saying?’

‘You knew, didn’t you?’ Jane said, her voice getting louder with each word. ‘About Phil and Melody. What they did to Ed!’

Her brother’s name echoed round the small room. Maeve whimpered, shocked, her hands raised to her mouth.

‘Jane …’

‘Ed told you, didn’t he? It all makes sense now. Why you kicked Melody out of his funeral, why you never spoke to her again. What did you do when Ed told you?’

Jane’s voice was trembling with the rage she was feeling. She wanted to shake her mother like she had Melody.

‘What are you saying … Ed … oh my God, my beloved Ed …’

Maeve was in tears, but Jane had no compassion for her.

‘If you had done something, maybe Ed would still be here. You let him down. How could you hide the truth about what they did? They raped your son.’