Chapter 7
Frank went down the stairs in the building hallway and went out of the main building door, letting the brisk autumn wind hit his face. As the door closed, he lit a cig and took a long draw from it, letting the smoke fill his lungs. He enjoyed the stress release it gave him before exhaling deeply and blowing the smoke out of his mouth. That had gone better than expected when he told her where he was going and he felt better for telling her. He had expected her to demand to come with him but that wouldn't be good for two reasons. Sally could say the wrong thing to Jimmy that could lead to more trouble for them. The second reason was that it wasn't fair to dump James on other people. Yes their friends may have offered but due to work, they dumped the twins on people often enough but it would be unnecessary just now. She was better staying at home, getting some sleep and looking after their little boy.
He leaned against the building wall and let more stress wash away as he smoked his cig. All to quickly it was finished and normally he would light up a second one but he knew that he would have one with Jimmy. Frank pushed himself of the wall and walked towards his car. Pulling the keys out of his pocket, he opened the car, got in it and drove towards Jimmy's restaurant. As he drove through the streets, he had no idea what to say to Jimmy when he seen him. He couldn't just straight out ask? "Did you take my little girl?" he had to go about it in a subtle way and not provoke Jimmy. If Jimmy had taken Sarah, he would have been expecting Frank to contact him, so when he arrived Jimmy would do all the talking. Part of him knew that Jimmy he didn't do this. He was many things however he wasn't capable of something like this but it was their only lead at the minute to get Sarah back.
He drove through the unusual quiet east London streets with only the radio playing trying to keep his mind from over thinking. The 10-minute drive was quicker than he would have liked but he soon found himself parking the car on the street behind Jimmy's place. He turned the car engine off, got out the car, locked it and made his way round to the front of the restaurant. As he got to the front door, he let out a heavy sigh and knocked on the main door as the place was closed during the day. He looked into the restaurant and there was no one inside but soon one of Jimmy's henchman appeared from around the pillars and walked towards the door to unlock it. After the door was unlocked, the guy opened the door for Frank and he stepped inside then waited for the door to be locked again. As the guy locked the door again, Frank recognised him as one of the guys that beat him up when he got Adam out of trouble. Was he here to do the same again if needed? Once the door was locked again, the guy turned around to face Frank and nodded with his head. Frank didn't need a bigger hint. He was telling Frank to go through to the private bar at the back of the restaurant where Jimmy was waiting for him. Without saying anything, Frank turned around and walked towards where Jimmy was with his henchman following him. It felt like at any minute the guy could throw a punch into Frank's ribs and sending him tumbling to the floor but he didn't. Frank reached the pillar and turned left into the private function bar where Jimmy was sitting waiting for him. Frank did a quick search of the room with his eyes but there was no sign of Sarah anywhere and he couldn't hear her crying.
"Hello Frank." Jimmy said as he looked up from some papers on the table.
"Alright Jimmy." Frank said calmly as he sat down.
"Yeah. Long time no see." Jimmy replied studying Frank carefully.
"Been a while. Business still going well?" Frank asked hoping the small talk would end soon.
"Yeah. Turns out my architect knew what he was doing. How's family life treating you? How's those kids of yours doing?" Jimmy asked knowing Frank had come to ask him for something.
"They're alright. Harder sometimes with twins but its worth it." Frank said making eye contact with Jimmy.
"I bet it is. I thought one was hard enough. What about your bird? You still as loved up?" Jimmy asked as he pulled a cig out of a packet on the table and offered one to Frank.
"Sal's fine. We're still going strong." Frank replied as he took a cig from the packet that Jimmy offered him.
"She must be some women to make Frank Mooney become the loyal type and make me lose one of my best debt collectors." Jimmy said as lit up his cigarette.
"She is something else and it was either give up debt collecting or loose my family. It was a no brainer." Frank said as he lit his cig and took a long draw of it.
"I don't doubt it. You never know. Your boy could be just as good as you one day when he's older." Jimmy said as he blew out a mouthful of smoke.
"Plenty of time yet." Frank replied as he blew out a mouthful of smoke as well.
"Well when he needs a part timer, send him to uncle Jimmy. Your girl to if she needs one." Jimmy said taking another draw of his cig.
His words made Frank's stomach churn. He had entered Jimmy's world when he was looking after his mum and was desperate for money to support them both. When she had died he was in to deep to get out and he had no reason to try and get out, so he stayed in Jimmy's world. Sally and the twins were finally his escape that he needed. When James was born, Frank made a promise to his son as he held him for the first time in arms. He promised James that he would make sure that James didn't become the emotionless, cold hearted loner that Frank had turned into before meeting Sally. It was a promise he intended to keep. There was no way he would let Sarah get involved with Jimmy's world either. The only job he would offer to her would be a waitress at his restaurant or in one of his strip clubs. Sarah would not end up like Carole. He would rather die than see James and Sarah dragged into Jimmy's world. As their father we would protect them from getting sucked in when no one protected him.
"Thanks I'll keep in mind." Frank replied as he blew out smoke from his mouth from the second draw of his cig. He had no intention of keeping it in mind.
"So what can I do you for? You looking to see if I have your girl?" Jimmy asked how that the small talk was out of the way.
"How did you know what happened?" Frank asked as he almost shouted at Jimmy. Maybe he was wrong and Jimmy had taken Sarah.
"Oh come on Frank. You can't be that stupid can you?" Jimmy said to him with a sneer in his voice.
Frank was using all of his strength not to get up and deck Jimmy. He was toying with him and it just making Frank angrier. He knew he couldn't deck Jimmy as it could affect when he got Sarah back and Jimmy's bodyguards would just deck him harder.
"Are you telling me you took her?" Frank asked without breaking eye contact with Jimmy.
Jimmy didn't answer. Instead he laughed and took another draw of his cig.
"I guess you are that stupid. No I didn't. I got kids myself remember and I wouldn't do that to another dad. I get why you would think it was me but I wouldn't take another man's kid." Jimmy replied as he softened his look at Frank.
"So how do you know what's happen?" Frank asked with a slight shake in his voice as his disappointment was showing.
"All the years we've known each other, how do you think I got any with so much?" Jimmy asked.
Frank didn't answer but shrugged his shoulders.
"Friends in important places. I got contacts in east London CID. Whenever my name was mentioned in that place, I got word of it and covered my tracks before it was to late." Jimmy said as he finished his cig.
"Makes sense. Take it you got wind about Roebuck as well?" Frank asked as he finished his cig as well.
"Yeah I did so I was one step ahead with Adam. Anyway last night just as I was about to head home, my contact calls me and asks me if Frank Mooney had a daughter and who his bird was. Once I told them it all matched up, they told me what happened. Said they would be looking for suspects and to give me a heads up the coppers might be sniffing around." Jimmy said as he shifted on his chair.
"They won't. I didn't tell them anything and I wasn't followed here." Frank replied as he put his lighter back in jacket pocket.
"Well I guess you ain't that stupid then." Jimmy replied as he studied Frank closely.
"Do you think any of our mutual friends could be involved?" Frank asked bluntly without thinking. Now that Jimmy didn't have Sarah, he just wanted to go home and be with Sally and James.
"I thought you'd ask that as well but no they aren't. I spent this morning chasing everyone on the payroll but no one is involved. A few people didn't even know you had kids." Jimmy replied.
It was not the news that Frank wanted to hear. Part of him knew it wasn't Jimmy or their mutual friends but the answer didn't bring him any further to the truth or make him feel any better.
"Thanks for asking around." Frank said as he shifted in his seat.
"I'm sorry I didn't find anything." Jimmy replied. "So what happens next?"
Frank let out a heavy sigh. He honestly didn't know what would happen next to find Sarah. "I don't know. Go home, wait for the coppers to tell us what they found and then I don't know."
"Well if you need to let of steam, I could help with that." Jimmy said as he could tell how much stress Frank was under.
"I appreciate the offer but you're alright. Isn't that the reason that we keep our birds anyway?" Frank said with a smirk.
It was a lie. Going and punching someone would relive some of his stress but he would be breaking his promise to Sally. He could lie to her but she would notice the bruises on his knuckles and he couldn't lie to her. If he did one more job for Jimmy he would get sucked back in again and potential loose his family. That was the last thing he ever wanted.
Jimmy snorted at Frank's words. "I want to meet your bird one day. She must really mean something to you."
"She does and so do my kids." Frank said as he stood up off his chair. "You know I'll keep my mouth shut to coppers."
"Oh I know you will. Don't you forget, I got enough dirt on you to send you away for a long time. What would your bird and kids think then?" Jimmy replied as he stood up as well.
"I won't. Thanks again for making the phone call. I just had to be sure for myself that you didn't have my girl." Frank said as he put his hand out for Jimmy to shake it.
"Keep me updated. As a dad myself, I know how hard this must be. I hope you find her soon." Jimmy said as he shook Franks hand.
The two men let go of their hands and Jimmy nodded to his bodyguard to show Frank out.
"Let's not leave it so long to catch again." Jimmy said as Frank made to walk to the back door this time.
"Sounds good. I'll call." Frank replied as he followed the guy from earlier out of the room.
Jimmy didn't reply but gave Frank a nod and sat back down at the table where they had been talking as Frank disappeared out of sight. The guy led him through the staff break room, passed Jimmy's office and to the fire escape at the back of the restaurant. He pushed the bar down and opened the door to let Frank out. As he left, the two men didn't say anything to each other and once Frank was back outside, the door slammed shut leaving him alone on the chilly London street.
Not wanting to linger encase Jimmy was watching him on the CCTV, Frank left the empty doorway and walked back to his car. As he walked back he was fighting back his tears of anger, frustration, disappointment and sadness after the meeting had turned out to be a waste of time. He practically ran to the car, opened the car and slid into the drivers and slammed the door shut. As his emotions kept boiling up as he sat in the car he had to do something to release some of the stress. Without realising what he was going, he leaned forward and threw a punch into the passenger glove box using all of his might. As soon as his fist made contact with the dashboard, he regretted it but it did make him feel a bit better. He slowly pulled his fist back to the see what damage he had done but luckily there was only a small dent where one of his knuckles had hit it. It was a small enough dent so hopefully Sally wouldn't be able to see it but if she did he would be honest. Surely it was better to make a small dent in the dashboard than hitting a wall or even a person. Happy that he hadn't damaged the car, he wiped the stray tear that had slid down his face and started the car engine.
He had never felt so many emotions and so defeated before. He missed Sarah so much and it was like someone had cut his arm off. Her big beautiful eyes and her gummy smile was all he needed to make his day and put a smile on his face. He thought Sally was the only girl who could steal his heart but when Sarah was born he shared it with both his girls. He had seen men gush over their daughters before and had never understood it until he had a daughter himself. Now that she was gone, it was the saddest he had ever felt. It was heart breaking as well to see Sally and James so upset. Sally was missing her little girl and just wanted her back. James was missing his other half and it was the first time he had been apart from her, which he didn't like. Frank had hoped when he met Jimmy that he would have Sarah with him in her car seat waiting for him. He thought Jimmy would have blackmailed him into coming back to work in exchange for his daughter. The disappointment he felt when he seen Jimmy didn't have Sarah or that no one on the payroll had her, was unexplainable. Now that he had spoken to Jimmy, there were no other suspects that he could think of. It was frustrating as someone had taken Sarah but they had no idea where to start to look for her which then meant it would take longer to get her back. The more he thought about who could have taken Sarah, the angrier it made him feel. She was only 6 months old and was a happy baby. She had a Mummy and Daddy who loved her so much, a twin brother who was her best friend and lots of family friends who loved her as well. Like James, she always smiling, loved to be passed around people to be hugged but she did already have a cheeky side to her. If James had a toy, snack or dummy she wanted, she took it from him to have herself but luckily James laughed when she did this. If she seen a new object for the first time, she always reached out to grab it but he and Sally were always there encase she hurt herself.
Another stray tear fell down his face and he wiped it away with his hand. He let out a heavy sigh and drove towards the nearest shop he could find to get cigs for him and Sal. She didn't smoke nearly as much as she used to but she didn't have any in her bag for the occasion that she did want one. He had only driven for about 5 minutes when there was a space on the street next to a local corner shop. He pulled into the space, locked the car and went into the shop to get a couple of packs of cigs. As he waited in line to ask for the cigs behind the counter, there was a woman in front of him pushing a pram. Normally he didn't pay attention to things like this but he couldn't help but sneakily look into the pram to see what the baby inside looked like. As he sneaked a glance inside, he was disappointed yet again. The baby in the pram was a boy and looked less than one month old meaning it wasn't Sarah. Luckily the mother didn't noticed and stepped forward to pay for her items before leaving the shop. Once she was gone, Frank stepped forward to get his cigs, paid for them and then left the shop and got back in the car. As he closed the car door, he did a quick sweep of the area but there was no one with a pram or baby walking about. He didn't know what came over him but Sarah could be anywhere and with anyone right now. If he seen anyone with baby right now, he would be checking encase they had Sarah. He did a quick sweep with eyes again but again with no luck and he started the car and drove off.
As he drove back to the flat, he knew that Sally would be upset when he walked in without Sarah and he didn't know what he would say to her. All he would be able to do to comfort her would be to hold her close and be there for her. Hopefully when the coppers arrived they would have Sarah or get them one step closer to getting her back. Right now though he was gratefully for the radio playing to distract his mind and concentrate on driving home to give his mind a rest. There was a little bit of traffic built up as workers were heading back to the office so it gave him a bit extra time to be give his mind a rest. After 10 minutes of driving he arrived back on their street and pulled into a space just down from the building entrance. Knowing that he couldn't put off going up stairs, he got out the car, locked it and went inside the main entrance door. As he climbed up the three flights of stairs, his heart was racing at the disappointment that was going to be on Sally's face. All to quickly he had reached the third floor landing and walked around the corner to the flat entrance. He let out a heavy sigh as he slipped his keys in the door and unlocked the door. He slowly crept inside, quietly closing the door behind him and taking his shoes off once he was inside. He had only been away for just over an hour but he had to quiet encase James and Sally were still sleeping. Frank put his shoes on the shoe rack and walked into the living room but when he walked in, he saw Sally sitting at the kitchen table. She was sitting staring into space but her eyes were red and puffy with tears stains down her face. There was a glass of water in her hand but as she lifted it up to her mouth, her hands were shaking so badly that the water was almost spilling onto the table.
"Sal!" Frank said as calmly as he could as he walked over to the kitchen table.
"Oh hi." Sally said as she wiped fresh tears away from her face.
"What's happened?" Frank asked as he sat down beside her and held her hands.
"Nothing. Just fell asleep and had a really bad dream. It's shaken me that's all." Sally replied as she held onto his hands tightly.
"Want to talk about it? May make you feel better." Frank asked hoping that she would tell him.
Sally took a deep breath and finally looked at him. "I dreamt that I woke up in the hospital after giving birth to the kids. A nurse handed me James but when I asked to given Sarah, she asked me who Sarah was. I said that I had just had twins, a boy and girl. The nurse then smiled and said, "Remember you had an abortion but as it was twins you still had one of the babies." I was arguing with doctors and nurses that I had another baby but no one believed me. I woke up sweating and crying. James is still sleeping but it was just another reminder of what I nearly did and that they might not be here because of something I nearly did." Sally said as more tears fell down her face.
Frank immediately moved closer to her and pulled her into his arms. "Sal it was only a dream. You didn't have an abortion and you did have two babies. The only reason one of them isn't here is because some low lie, selfish person took one of them away from us but we will find her."
"I know but it was just another reminder of what I nearly did. I look at the kids sometimes and think about how selfish I nearly was. I think about it and that I nearly destroyed two of the best things that's ever happened to me." Sally said as she held onto Frank tightly.
"You didn't though. You made the right choice and made our little family come together. You've got nothing to feel guilty about. When the coppers come over I know they'll have an idea of where Sarah is." Frank replied as he moved to face Sally.
"I know. Its just the reminder still comes into my mind sometimes but lets hope the cops do have a better idea of where she is. I take it Jimmy didn't have her?" Sally asked as she smiled at Frank.
Frank's face dropped at the news he was going to tell her. "No. He didn't take her. He may be a lot of things but he's a dad himself and wouldn't do this to someone else's kid. He has a mole in the CID so he knew what was happening. He asked around our mutual business associates but no one has her." Frank said as he watched her reaction.
A fresh tear fell down her cheek and the despair was written all over her face.
"Well at least we know it wasn't him now." Sally said as she wiped away the tear from her face.
"Come here." Frank said to her as he opened out his arms to her.
Sally gave him a weak smile as she stood up off her chair and moved to sit on Frank's lap, burying her head into his neck with her arms around his shoulders as he wrapped his arms tightly round her. They stayed silent for a few moments while they held each other closely. Sally slowly moved her head from Frank's neck and placed a lingering kiss on his lips, which he happily returned.
"I love you." Sally said as their lips parted.
"I love you to." Frank replied with and moved back in to kiss her.
Just as their lips met again, they heard a noise coming from their bedroom. Sally pulled back from Frank's lips to see if she could hear the noise again. After a few seconds James made another baby noise but he wasn't crying then he stopped again. Sally and Frank sat like statues hoping that James would fall asleep again and any noise they made could wake him up if he was on the verge of sleep. Just when they thought he was sleeping again, James started crying softly as Frank and Sally both let out a heavy sigh.
"I'll get him." Sally said as took her arms away from Frank's shoulders and got off his lap.
"You sure? I can go." Frank asked as she got up off his lap.
"It's fine. I'll see if he'll go down again for a bit." Sally said as she walked back into their bedroom to see to James.
As Sally went to check on James, Frank got off his chair, took off his hoodie and leather jacket and went to make them some lunch. He knew Sally wouldn't feel like eating with all the stress but she still had to eat something. He reached into one of the cupboards and pulled out tomato soup for them. Once he closed the cupboard door, he heard Sally come out of their bedroom but when he looked up she was alone.
"He settled again?" Frank asked as he opened the soup to heat it up.
"Yeah his dummy fell out. Popped it back in and he was fine. Should be sleeping again soon." Sally replied as she walked into the kitchen to see what he was doing.
"Need to wake him soon or he'll be up all night." Frank said as he poured the soup into a pot.
"Yeah I'd say another hour and we'll get him up." Sally said as she picked up the pot of soup and placed it on the cooker top to heat it up.
As she turned the cooker on, Frank placed the empty soup containers in the bin. He went back into another cupboard and got two bowls and spoons out for when the soup was ready. Just as he closed the cutlery drawer, James started crying again and Sally let out a heavy sigh again.
"I'll go." Frank said as we walked to their bedroom before Sally could object.
When James cried again, Sally was about to go and see to him again but when Frank said he would go, she was happy to let him see to James. Becoming a dad truly was the best thing that happened to Frank. Since the twins were born, he had such a softer and caring side. Whenever he could, he'd hug the twins, kiss them and spend as much time with them as he could. He showed Sally the same affection but without being clingy or needy. His softer side also came out more at work as well. He mixed in more with crew instead of being a loner and was now one of the lads as well. Not taking that pill was the best decision Sally had made not just for herself, but for Frank as well.
Soon the soup was bubbling in the pot and it was ready to eat. Sally poured into the two bowls but as she poured it out, Frank hadn't come back from their bedroom. It had only been a few minutes but James surely didn't need to be settled that much. Once the pot was empty into the two bowls, she placed it in the sink and quickly washed it and left it to dry on the drying rack. She quickly dried her hands, picked up the bowls of soup and placed them on the kitchen table. She didn't want to shout Frank's name to tell him lunch was ready encase she woke up James. She walked back into the kitchen to get the spoons and then go and see what was taking so long but as she walked back to the kitchen table, Frank came out their bedroom with James in his arms.
"Would he not settle?" Sally asked as she placed the spoons on the table.
"No he's wide awake now." Frank replied as he walked over to the kitchen table.
"An hour was probably all he needed just now." Sally said as she sat down at the table.
"Yeah or he knew it was lunch time." Frank said as he placed James in his highchair.
"There's every chance. I'll get him a bottle." Sally said as she started to get off her seat.
"I'll get it Sal." Frank said as he strapped James securely into his highchair and walked back in the kitchen.
"Can you mash up one of the baby bananas as well. He only had a bottle at breakfast." Sally called to Frank as he reached into the fridge for a baby bottle.
"Yeah." Frank called back as he closed the fridge door.
While Frank made James's lunch, Sally got up from table and walked over the kitchen drawer closest to the table and pulled out a bib to put on James, so he didn't need a change of clothes. As she walked to the drawer, she thought that James would start sobbing as she had left him but when she turned around he wasn't but he was still watching her like a hawk.
"I'm not going anywhere, darling." Sally cooed to James as she walked back over to him.
She carefully placed the bib around James neck and clipped it together. James knew what he would be getting soon and was now fully awake. He started to slap his hands on the highchair tray. Sally smiled at him and kissed the top of his head just as Frank came back to the table with a bottle and a baby bowl of mashed banana in his hand.
"He's wide awake now." Frank said as he sat down and placed the items on the table.
He had to make sure that the banana was mashed enough and mashed it a few more times. This wasn't good enough for James as he could see his lunch but he wasn't getting to eat it. Growing impatient he started making grumpy baby noises to tell his dad to hurry up.
"Calm down mate. Can't have you choking on this." Frank said to his little carbon copy as he kept mashing the banana.
This still wasn't good enough for James. He kept making noises as if to say, "I'm hungry and can see my lunch. Come on dad, just give me my lunch."
Frank gave the bowl a final check and was happy that James wouldn't choke on his lunch. He reached over to his son and took the dummy out of his mouth so he could feed him. He placed the dummy by his bowl of soup, picked up James's baby spoon and dunked it in the bowl of mashed banana to get a spoonful for James. Once he had a spoonful, he moved the spoon to his James's mouth, who had his mouth wide open waiting for the spoon. Once the spoon was in James's mouth, he closed his mouth and happily enjoyed the banana as Frank took the spoon out of James's mouth to get another spoonful for him.
Seeing James happily eat his favourite food made Sally feel better as well. "I'm so gad he's not as fussy as he was yesterday." Sally said as she took a mouthful of soup. Once she had some, she realised she was more hungry than she thought.
"Yeah I know. Whenever he doesn't eat you know he's not feeling ok. Once Sarah's back, he won't be as clingy as well." Frank replied as he gave James another spoonful of banana.
"I hope so. Could you imagine having a clingy kid like that all the time?" Sally asked him.
"Be a nightmare. As much as I love hugging the kids, it's good they don't need held 24/7." Frank replied as got another spoonful of food for James.
"Good for Andy and Elaine as well that they're not crying for Mummy and Daddy all the time." Sally said as she took another mouthful of soup.
"We got lucky that way that they'll go to anyone." Frank said as he took the spoon out James's mouth.
"Or is it a sign of bad things to come." Sally said.
"What do you mean?" Frank asked her.
"They're happy to spend time with other people but not bothering if they don't spend time with us." Sally said with a slightly worried look.
Frank reached forward to her with his free arm and rubbed her hand. "That's our job to make sure that doesn't happen. We got plenty of time to worry about that." He said as he rubbed her hand again.
"Yeah your right." Sally replied as she gave his hand a squeeze.
Frank smiled at her and let her hand go as he went back to feeding James. After a few more spoonful's, the banana was gone and Frank moved the bowl further down the table. James wasn't happy about this and started slapping his hands on the tray again.
"It's finished son. You'll get more later." Frank said to James as he reached to get his bottle.
"I'll give him that. Your soup will be cold soon." Sally said.
"You sure?" Frank asked.
"Yeah I'm finished." Sally replied as she moved her empty bowl away.
Frank didn't say anything but handed her James's bottle across the table, as James's eyes followed the bottle as well.
"Cheers." Sally said as she took the bottle from Frank and quickly checked the temperature of its contents. Happy that it was ok for James to drink it, she placed it in James's awaiting open mouth and the little boy began drinking greedily from it, as Frank ate his soup.
After a few large gulps, James was showing no signs of slowing down so Sally took it out of his mouth for a break.
"Whoa. Slow down or you'll get a sore tummy." Sally said as James looked at her in shock for taking his bottle away from him.
"Slowly." Sally said to him as she placed the bottle back in mouth.
James took another two large gulps but when he felt his mum about to pull the bottle away again, he got the message and slowed down to enjoy his bottle.
"There you go." Sally cooed to James as he slowly drank his bottle.
They sat in comfortable silence as James finished his bottle and Frank finished his soup. Once they were both finished, James slouched in his highchair happy that he had been fed and was full now. As Frank finished his soup, he left the table and grabbed a baby wipe from one of the packs on the living room table. He walked over to James and took the dirty bib off from around his neck and wiped his sons face with a wipe. James let out a few grunts when Frank wiped his face as if to say, "Get off dad. I like having a sticky face." Once James's face was cleaned, Frank picked up the dirty dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash them.
"Come on you. Let's get a comfy seat." Sally said to James as she stood up, unclipped him from his chair and lifted him up into her arms.
"Mm Mm." James murmured as he was lifted from his highchair.
"Mama." Sally cooed to him hoping he would say her words instead of saying the letter M.
"Mm Mm." James repeated as he snuggled into his mum's side.
"Come on then." Sally said as she smiled at James and walked over to the sofas.
She sat down on the cream sofa but instead of hugging James to her chest, she gently laid him on his back on the couch. James seemed confused as to where he was to start with but when he seen where he was, he happily started swinging his legs and arms around. Sally sat happily watching him as he kept kicking his legs around. She didn't know how much time had passed but she felt Frank sit down next to her as he watched James well. They both sat watching James for a few more minutes but the sound of intercom interrupted them and Frank got up to answer it.
"Hello." Frank said as he picked the phone up off it holder on the wall and went silent as the other person spoke.
"Yeah sure. Third floor, first left after the landing." Frank replied as he pushed the button to open the building door and let the person in.
Knowing that the person was inside, he placed the intercom phone back on its holder and walked back over to Sally and James.
"The coppers are here Sal." Frank said as he placed his hands on her shoulders.
"I just hope they have some idea of where she is." Sally replied as she leaned back against Frank and let out a heavy sigh.
"They will Sal." Frank said to her as he placed a kiss on top of her head.
All to quickly they heard someone knocking at the front door and both braced themselves for what was about to come.
"You ready?" Frank asked as he moved his hands from her shoulders and went to answer the door,
"As I'll ever be." Sally replied as she picked James up so he didn't fall off the sofa.
Frank reached the front door and braced himself for whatever news the coppers were going to tell them
TO BE CONTINUED.
