Read The Tangling of the Web for Free Online Page B

would work. And didn’t she now have the word of the gypsy who had read her hand. Oh yes, Gypsy Rose Lee had assured her everything would work out as she had planned. The only problem she could see for Josie was that of a man, not British, who had a grudge against her and would make trouble for her in the future if she riled him further. So she was cautioned to be careful.
    When the buses arrived from Edinburgh in September, Josie was poorly with a cold. The hotel manager suggested that she should take some time off to nurse her affliction but she refused. As soon as the guests disembarked, she was down on the pavement asking if she could assist anyone with their cases.
    She couldn’t believe her luck when Flora Stuart replied, ‘That would–’ However, Flora, her mouth agape, broke off abruptly. ‘Oh dear God in heaven please tell me I’m no dreaming,’ she exclaimed. ‘It is you, Josie, isn’t it?’ she hollered, holding Josie by the shoulders. ‘But of course it’s you. Nobody else could have such a bonny, bonny face.’
    Josie wriggled herself free. ‘Oh Flora, please don’t tell anyone you found me,’ she lied.
    ‘That’ll be right.’ She stopped to ponder before adding, ‘No, I won’t tell them, because when I leave on Monday morning you’ll be on the bus with me.’
    During the whole journey from Blackpool back to Elgin Terrace, Josie rehearsed again and again what she was going to say about her disappearance. The only way she could justify her vanishing without telling anyone was to lie. This would pose no problem to Josie because it was an art she was now an expert at. To be truthful, she had told so many lies that she herself wasn’t quite sure what the truth was about anything now.
    So when Sally asked for an explanation, Josie was ready with her pat answer. Hanging her head, she began, ‘Oh Sally, I have missed you so. B-b-b-but you have to try and understand why I couldn’t tell you …’ She paused to ensure she was having the right effect on her sister and, satisfying herself that she was, she drew in two deep breaths before hesitantly continuing through gushing tears, ‘A man, who I thought was our friend, our friend, Sally … tried it on with me and when I refused to be sullied by him he threatened to tell you all I had led him on!’ She stopped again to wipe the tears from her eyes, then sighing loudly she slowly continued, ‘You see … he said that if ever I should tell anyone … about his advances he would give me … such a doing that nobody …’ she stopped to run her hand over her face, ‘… would ever think me beautiful again!’
    ‘And I bet I know who you’re talking about. None other than that despot Paddy,’ Sally hissed.
    The words had just left Sally’s mouth when Josie was gripped by terror. She had never meant to identify anyone, least of all Paddy, so quickly. Without a sign of a tear or a sigh, she added, ‘No. No, it wasn’t him.’
    No matter how much she tried to convince Sally that in no way was Paddy to blame for her disappearance, Sally just wouldn’t budge from her interpretation of Josie’s story because that was what she wanted to believe.

    * * *

    Frustrated by Sally’s reluctance to give her an answer as to whether she could move in or not, Josie suddenly lifted her suitcase up and banged it down on the table.
    Sally, however, was completely oblivious to Josie’s action. She was too busy thinking that there had never been any problem in the past with Josie moving in because Sally would have bedded her down with her two daughters. But Margo was now fifteen and working and was quite happy to share her bed with her nine-year-old sister Helen but would not be willing to do so with Josie, who reeked of cigarette smoke. But what really made things awkward now was that eight-year-old Bobby had problems with his legs and Sally always insisted he had a bed to himself.
    Suddenly Josie broke into Sally’s thoughts when she thrust a carrier bag