Looking for Lucy Jo Read Free Page A

second. ‘Why does father want this little girl, anyway?’
    Stan shrugged. ‘Mum wants a daughter. Something like that, anyway.’
    ‘So now we just take someone else’s child? It’s not right.’
    ‘And you wanna tell him that?’
    Archie stiffened.
    ‘I didn’t think so.’
    ‘There must be more to it. If he could have any child he wanted, why this one? Why come all the way here? What’s so special about her?’ he said, glancing down at the photo of the cute girl holding hands with a slightly older boy as they walked along the beach. ‘There must be another reason.’
    Stan shrugged. ‘Does it matter? Dad wants her, and we have to get her for him. If we don’t…’
    ‘He’ll kill us. I know, Stan. I know.’ Archie looked out of the window, off into distance, wishing he’d been born into another family.

CHAPTER TWO
    ‘Apparently someone’s bought old Josiah’s house.’ Patrick cradled a bottle of beer as he dunked a couple of Mexican chips into the chilli dip on the coffee table before popping them into his mouth.
    ‘Oh, really?’ Audrey replied.
    Nodding, he turned to Declan, who was standing next to the Christmas tree admiring Lucy Jo’s angel, perched on top. ‘Josiah Grimshaw used to own the old farmhouse up on the hill on the other side of the island. He died earlier this year.’
    ‘Yes, it was all very sad,’ Audrey added.
    Declan smiled sadly, glancing across at Lana and Emma knowingly. He knew all about Josiah, of course, because the man’s ghost had travelled with the girls to London and had taken up residence at the academy for a short time before his mystery was solved.
    ‘Who’s the new owner, Dad?’ asked Emma, in between texting her boyfriend.
    ‘Nobody seems to know. It’s a bit of a mystery,’ he laughed.
    Lana raised her eyebrows and elbowed her sister in the side; Emma promptly responded in the same way.
    ‘What’s for dinner, Mum? I’m starving,’ Greg asked as he appeared in the doorway, rubbing his stomach.
    ‘Lasagne. It’ll be ready in ten minutes, if you want to go and wash your hands? Go tell Lucy Jo to come downstairs, too.’
    Turning, he almost ran straight into Saleena.
    ‘Whoa, slow down there, kiddo.’
    ‘Sorry,’ he whispered, his cheeks turning a much darker shade of pink, before running up the stairs. The creaky stair squeaked loudly as he caught his foot on it.
    ‘Lucy Jo was just showing me her Monster High dolls,’ Saleena said, as she picked up her glass of white wine. ‘They’re really cool. I’ve never seen them before. Have you seen them, Dec?’
    Shaking his head, his eyebrows knitted together. ‘I’m more of an Action Man myself,’ he chuckled, before placing his hand protectively on her lower back.
    ‘They are really cool. If I wasn’t nearly seventeen, I’d have some myself,’ Emma added.
    ‘Well, perhaps you’ll get one for Christmas,’ Lana sniggered.
    Emma rolled her eyes. ‘So did you tell Mum and Dad about the idiot that nearly ran you over this morning?’
    ‘What?’ Patrick and Audrey both replied at the same time.
    ‘What on Earth happened?’ Patrick asked.
    ‘It was nothing, Dad. Just an idiot in a jeep skidded on the ice, that’s all.’
    ‘Yeah, and nearly slammed into her. Luckily she just managed to jump over a garden hedge in time. It could have killed her. And it was driving way too fast, especially for those conditions.’
    ‘Darling!’ Audrey exclaimed. ‘Were you hurt?’
    ‘Just a sore back and bum, Mum. I’m okay.’
    ‘Are you sure? Do you want me to have a look?’
    Panic briefly filled Lana’s eyes as she was quick to brush off the extent of her injuries. Since the tattoos had appeared, she and Emma had to be careful not to reveal them to their parents. So far, it had been easy.
    ‘I still think I ought to have a look, darling. Just to be on the safe side.’
    ‘No, Mum. I’m fine.’
    ‘She really is, Mum. I saw earlier. There’s just a little bruise starting to appear