goodbyes. She did not come to the airport. She’d barely
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came to the front door. Dympna had left her a present on
the kitchen table: a letter from the Gardaí confirming her
application to join. She tried to imagine starting a new
life when she came home. It was something to cling on
to. It was hope.
316
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
Sheridan
Celeb Goss Magazine
Alex Santana
May 2019
DANIEL WATSON AS THE NEXT JAMES
BOND?
Ever since Daniel Craig announced his plans
to retire, Hollywood has been rife with
rumours about which lucky actor will be
chosen to play the next James Bond. Here at
Celeb Goss, we are rooting for another Dan-
iel – British heartthrob Daniel Watson.
He is no stranger to working with Bond
cohorts, having previously had a great work-
ing relationship with Moneypenny actress
Natasha Clarke. Rumour has it that Daniel
and Natasha enjoyed many a late-night ses-
sion in the private bar of the hotel where their
last movie, Justice, was shot. Daniel Watson,
aged thirty-eight, has stated he would love
to take on the role of Bond. ‘I’ve dreamt
about playing him ever since I was a lad,’ he
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said at a recent charity event. ‘It would be
the ultimate dream come true.’
Sheridan’s eyes narrowed as she scanned the page. She really should cancel her subscription to Celeb Goss magazine. She imagined Alex Santana, an arch-villain type, leering as he
wrote the piece. She paused to sip her coffee, appreciat-
ing the scent of spring flowers that Monica had brought.
But her friend’s visit was not enough to take her mind
off her concerns. The comment about Daniel enjoying
‘late-night sessions’ with Natasha Clarke was barbed, and
Sheridan tried not to let it get under her skin. For once,
they had reported something accurate. Daniel was on the verge of signing for the part of James Bond. Apart from
his family, fulfilling his dream of playing the part was
the most important thing to him in the world. The only
downside was that he would have to spend six months
at a time on set in Alaska. It wouldn’t have been too bad
if it was New York or LA, but Alaska felt so far away.
Natasha made no secret of her admiration for Daniel. A
British actress, she was young, intelligent and stunningly
beautiful – and soon she would have Daniel all to herself.
Sheridan shook her head as she reread the piece. Daniel
was thrilled, of course. He hadn’t even consulted Sheridan
before accepting the role – after everything she had done
to keep him here with her: the risks she had taken, the
commitments she had made. She placed a hand over the
fake bump beneath her dress. Roz could never replace
Kelly in Daniel’s eyes. Sheridan’s plan had backfired,
and she herself was no longer enough to keep him. If he
left her straight after the birth of their daughter, all the sponsorship deals she had fought so hard for would fall
apart. As for his late-night sessions at the bar with doting 318
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Natasha … Didn’t Daniel realise how bad it looked? It
was hardly the behaviour of a family man.
She had hoped the new baby would improve things,
but he hadn’t even helped her to pick a name.
‘Penny for ’em.’ Monica’s voice filtered into her con-
sciousness. She had been in the bathroom, under Anna’s
watchful eye. Nobody was allowed to roam freely in
Sheridan’s house, not even her best friend.
‘I should be happy,’ Sheridan said. ‘Daniel’s over the
moon, but all I can think about is how it’s going to af-
fect us.’
‘Quit reading that trash, for a start,’ Monica said,
her gaze on the report. ‘All that guff about Natasha and
Daniel. Sure, she likes him, but doesn’t every woman
with a pulse have a soft spot for Danny boy?’ Reaching
out, she touched Sheridan’s hand. ‘He’s nuts about you.
Anyone can see that.’
‘Thanks.’ Sheridan gave her a watery smile.
‘Is somethin’ else wrong?’ Monica squeezed her hand.
‘You can talk to me.’
Sheridan shifted in her seat, the padding beneath her
dress making her skin itch. ‘Pregnancy hormones.’ She
sipped her decaf coffee as Monica stared her down. Her
friend wasn’t buying her excuse; she needed to come up
with something better. She sighed. ‘I had postnatal de-
pression after Leo. I’m scared it might come back.’
She remembered how cruel the newspapers had been,
how Alex Santana had twisted the knife. Of course she’d
looked gaunt; Daniel’s sudden act of violence had left her
unable to think straight for weeks. It was why she had
vowed to put things right. Protect their marriage at all costs.
* * *
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Sheridan’s afternoon with Monica had left her emotion-
ally exhausted. There was only so much soul-searching
she could endure. And now Daniel had come home,
consumed by his own wants and needs.
‘We need to talk.’ He patted the sofa, a tumbler of
whiskey in his hand.
Shirley Bassey’s velvety tones filtered through the
ceiling speakers in the living room. It seemed apt, given
the topic of discussion.
‘If you’re going to tell me you’ve accepted the role
of James Bond, don’t bother. I already know.’ Sheridan
pouted as she slid next to her husband. She had poured
herself a Martini. It felt good to have a real drink and
take off that dreaded bump. Leo was asleep; her entou-
rage had been dismissed for the evening, and it was just
the two of them.
Daniel had the grace to look sheepish.
‘This is meant to be a partnership,’ she said. ‘You
could have at least discussed it with me. We barely talk
any more.’
‘I told you they’d shown interest.’
‘But not that you’d signed on the dotted line.’
‘I’m still waiting for the contracts to be finalised. I’ve
not signed yet.’ Daniel paused to sip his whiskey. ‘Who
told you?’
‘TJ called. He presumed I already knew.’
‘I changed my burner phone. Forgot to give him the
new number.’ Daniel swirled his whiskey, his ice cubes
clinking against the glass.
Sheridan watched him intently. ‘Your agent should
be the first person on your list.’ She narrowed her eyes
as Daniel muttered incoherent words under his breath.
‘What did you say?’ She said, her frown deepening.
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‘I thought you’d be happy for me,’ he replied. ‘You
know how much I’ve wanted this.’
She touched Daniel’s hand. ‘Honey, I always knew
you’d get it. But what are we going to do now?’
‘With Roz?’
‘Of course.’
Sheridan could barely stand saying her name.
Something had happened between the girl and Daniel
while she was away. She had felt it the moment she re-
turned. Saw it written all over Roz’s face. Had Daniel
lost interest now his fantasy had been fulfilled? Had
he opened the door, offered Roz her freedom? Had
she chosen to stay? Whatever relationship they had, it
could not compete with Daniel’s lifelong goal of playing
James Bond. Such thoughts produced tiny frown lines
on Sheridan’s face. Botox could only keep them at bay
for so long.
‘You can’t expect me to stay here and look after the
baby as well as your girlfriend.’ The words were spiked
with a jealousy she fought hard to resist.
His jaw rigid, Daniel swallowed the last of his whiskey.
‘She’s not my girlfriend. She’s nothing to me.’
‘I know you slept together.’ Pain rose in Sheridan’s
chest as the words took flight. Daniel did not move.
Instead, he continued staring into space.
‘If we did, you’d only have yourself to blame.’
agree. She could not afford to rise his temper again.
‘What happened?’
‘Nothing.’ Daniel sighed, his voice deep and low. ‘I
thought it could be like what I had with Kelly, but I’ve
been chasing a dream all this time.’ He placed his empty
tumbler on the coffee table, leaned back on the sofa and
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Caroline Mitchell
crossed his legs. ‘It was all a wild fantasy that got out of control.’ He turned to Sheridan, his gaze intense. ‘We
don’t need Roz. Come to Alaska – you, me and Leo.’
Sheridan’s lips parted as she inhaled a sudden breath.
These were the words she had been longing to hear. She
was finally enough for him.
‘I love you,’ Daniel continued. ‘Finding out Mike was
here made me see just how much. It’s not all these wild
fantasies that stop me acting crazy, it’s you. It’s always
been you.’
Sheridan could have cried with relief. ‘Do you mean it?’
‘More than anything.’ Daniel’s face broke out in a smile.
It lit up his features, like the sun breaking through dark
cloud. ‘Playing James Bond is as exciting as it gets. I don’t need anything else. I’ve got my career and I’ve got you.’
‘But we’re skimming so close to losing everything,’
Sheridan replied. ‘Roz…’
Daniel’s smile faded at the mention of her name. ‘Get
Mike back here. He can finish what you started. End all
contact with him after that.’
What she started? Sheridan’s stomach clenched as he laid the blame firmly at her door.
She opened her mouth to speak but Daniel was still
talking. ‘The team can run our social media profiles while
we’re in Alaska. I’ve made a stipulation on my contract. I
want you on set. Leo too.’ He paused, allowing the words
to sink in. ‘You know I love him, don’t you?’
‘Of course. He’s your flesh and blood.’
‘Babe, he’s our son. I know he plays up for the camera, but we don’t need a picture-perfect child.’ Reaching out,
Daniel brushed his hand against Sheridan’s cheekbone.
‘We’ve done some crazy shit together, but we need to
draw a line under it all.’
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The Perfect Mother
‘And there’s nothing wrong with a bit of role-playing
if we get bored.’ Sheridan smiled.
‘Exactly. Give Mike whatever he wants to finish this.’
Sheridan’s pulse quickened at the thought. It was
everything she’d ever wanted. But something held her
back. ‘I can’t leave without the baby. Please. Let’s carry
on as planned. I can pay Roz off, send her home as soon
as she gives birth.’ But each shake of Daniel’s head filled her with dread.
‘Keep the baby if you want. But as for Roz…’ He
rubbed his head, as if his thoughts were an infestation.
‘There’s no way she’ll go quietly. I’ll leave the details up to you.’ Daniel stretched to pick up his empty tumbler
and walked to the cabinet for a refill. ‘Whatever it takes.
You have my blessing. I just don’t want to hear about it.’
Sheridan didn’t want it left up to her. As usual, Daniel
had turned his back on any ugliness in his periphery. But
why should she have the burden of disposing of such a
young life? She watched as he filled his glass. The promise of Alaska was tempting, but could she live with what she
was about to do?
It wasn’t as if she hadn’t done it before. She remembered
the day her mother had tracked her down and threatened
to spill the beans. ‘I know that baby isn’t yours,’ she’d spat.
‘There are papers who’d pay good money to hear about
your infertility.’ And Sheridan knew of just the magazine
reporter who would revel in the news. A payoff might
have silenced her mother, but Sheridan was unwilling
to take that chance. Mike had never liked Dorothy and
was more than happy to comply. But killing Roz in cold
blood … could she be responsible for such a dark act?
‘Top up?’ Daniel hung over her, waiting for her
response.
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‘Yes, please,’ she handed him her glass. Then again …
Roz would never leave without the baby. What choice
did she have? Mike would do her bidding, no questions
asked. It would mean some heavy-duty covering up, but
it was nothing that he wasn’t capable of. ‘I’ll do it after the baby is born.’ Sheridan took the glass from Daniel’s
outstretched hand.
Easing himself back on to the sofa, Daniel picked up
‘Let’s not talk about it any more. I’m going away next
week. Induce her labour and plan it for then.’ It was a
statement, not a suggestion.
‘But shouldn’t we discuss the worst-case scenario?
What if we get caught?’ As she voiced her doubts, she felt
the air cool between them. Her time for asking questions
had come to an end.
‘You know what to do if the police get involved.
Deny everything.’
But it was easier for Daniel to deny things when he
was walking away from it all.
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CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
Sheridan
‘You asked for my advice and I’m giving it. Ain’t my fault
if it’s not what you wanna hear.’ Mike sounded more like
a prison inmate than an ex-actor.
Sheridan folded her arms, hating every second in his
cheap motel room. Each inhalation brought the stale
smell of nicotine, which competed with the stench of
beer lingering on Mike’s breath. She wanted to go home,
to strip out of her dress and shower, but this was not a
conversation she could have on the phone.
‘Couldn’t I ask Doctor Blumberg? Don’t you think
he’ll go along with it?’
‘Keep him out of it. If he asks any questio
ns, tell him
Roz got cold feet and ran away.’
‘But you’re no doctor. How can you help?’ Sheridan
slid her long silver necklace between her fingers, wishing
there was an easier way.
Mike snorted. ‘When you’ve spent as long in prison
as I have, you make contacts. You learn how to survive.
I’m sorry, Sherry, I don’t like this any more than you,
but it’s the only way.’
Sheridan played with the tassel on the chain as she
contemplated his words. ‘But inducing labour. How would
we go about it?’
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‘How do you do think? Drugs,’ Mike replied, sitting
on the faded fabric arm of the sofa, which had seen bet-
ter days.
‘But what about the labour…’ Sheridan said, her eyes
wide as memories of Kelly came into play. ‘What if it
goes wrong?’
‘Then you call Doctor Blumberg. But only if there’s
a risk to the baby’s life.’
Sheridan felt her skin creep as Mike leaned over, felt
the heat of his gaze on her skin.
‘You’ll need a backstory if the cops find out that she
was in your home,’ he continued. ‘Better to have them
think she’s still alive.’
But something niggled at the back of Sheridan’s brain.
Something that told her it wouldn’t work. She tuned back
into Mike’s words, tried not to cringe when he placed
his hand on her back.
‘Film Roz having the baby, make out she backed out
of the deal and you sent them both home. Have her say
it on camera if you can.’
‘Right,’ Sheridan agreed. It always came back to setting
the scene. Daniel would not object to having a camera
present at the birth, now that he had lost all interest in Roz.
But Sheridan would only film what she wanted to film.
‘Put a story together,’ Mike continued. ‘Make the
room nice. You don’t want marks on her wrists or face.
Treat her good. Make her happy. Understand?’
Sheridan nodded. After everything that had happened
between her and Roz it was a big ask. But the girl was
desperate to keep her baby and go home. Sometimes
when you want to believe something so badly you cast
aside all common sense.
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The Perfect Mother
‘Make it a nice moment,’ Mike said. ‘Buy her a plane
ticket home. Dress in her clothes and pose as her leaving
the building if you have to.’