Page 67 of Hidden Daughters (Detective Lottie Parker #15)

Kirby went off to meet Mooney. He said nothing to Lottie concerning Grace’s outburst. Just patted her arm to show his sympathy for her predicament.

The only thing she’d said to him was to not tell Boyd that Grace had evicted her.

He promised he wouldn’t, but she knew they were buddies so she couldn’t count on him.

Bryan had not returned to the house while she packed her case.

She got on the phone and found a room in a hotel between Spiddal and Salthill.

Google Maps showed it overlooking the sea.

Maybe she could jump out a window and disappear in the water.

She sniffed away her tears and sat on the bed, phone in hand, Boyd’s name and number open on the screen.

Was this really the end for them? Had she been that bad a partner?

Wasn’t he the one who was disagreeable? Surely he had to accept that she could not walk away from a crime, or a supposed crime.

It had yet to be determined if Bryan was involved or not.

At the very least, he was guilty of not searching for his little sister or trying to find out what had happened to her.

Likewise regarding his old girlfriend and baby.

The images from Ann’s story about what had occurred in the laundry decades ago caused her to shiver violently.

How could anyone be that cruel to a defenceless child?

And it seemed the crime committed in Ragmullin in recent days bore some similarity to those that had occurred in Galway.

No matter which way she looked at it, she could not see Bryan as the sort of man who would scald and burn people.

It had to be Robert Hayes. But what had Imelda Conroy learned from Bryan? Why had she sought him out initially?

And then there was that DNA Mooney had mentioned. Shaking her head slowly, she put her phone away. Would her pursuit of the truth deny her her own happiness? Possibly. She zipped up her case and made her way down the stairs.

She exited using the front door, not wishing to encounter a distressed Grace.

By the time Lottie and Kirby had left the kitchen earlier, Grace was crying into her hands, childlike.

And that was why she felt so protective of the young woman.

She was trusting, loving, a prime candidate to be taken advantage of.

To be hurt. Lottie could not bear for that to happen.

But at the very least, Grace was entitled to know the truth, and she was determined to find it.

Even if it put paid to the impending wedding. She was right, wasn’t she?

She extracted the phone from her pocket again, pressed the number.

Listened to it ring before voicemail cut in.

She hung up. She didn’t know what to say to Boyd on a voicemail.

She had no idea of how to fix things. Not now.

Not yet. She could work on him once she either discovered the truth or let go of her need for it.

The hotel was luxurious and she didn’t even look at the price. A few nights would not break the bank. She hoped. She took a long, warm shower, just because she needed to feel the power of water after three days of dribbles. Drying herself, she marvelled at the softness of the big towel.

When she was dressed, she stood at the bay window and concentrated on the whitecaps on the sea. She couldn’t hear a thing because of the triple-glazed windows, but the sound was echoing in her ears from all the time she’d spent outdoors at Bryan’s house.

Kirby had texted her to say he had a meeting scheduled with Mooney and the sergeant had specifically said it would not happen if Lottie turned up. So be it, she thought. It wasn’t going to stop her doing her own investigation.

First, though, she phoned Chloe.

‘Yeah, Mam, Gran is good. She’s knitting and ripping and knitting. Her friend Betty calls in every day.’

‘How is Louis doing?’ She was missing her grandson more than her own children. That made her smile.

‘He’s pining for Sean. I think it’s more that he misses the PlayStation. I never knew my brother could have that much patience with a child. I think he should be a teacher.’

‘I believe he is aiming for something more in the tech world. But you never know. And Katie? How is she?’

‘She’s being a pain in the arse. We have a rota for caring for Gran this week, especially when I’m at work. And what does Katie do the other night? She goes out on a date. Selfish wagon.’

‘Did she leave Rose on her own?’ Lottie gripped her phone tighter, horrified. Chloe was employed in Fallon’s, a local pub, and she worked most evenings.

‘She wrangled Betty to stay. She has a new boyfriend. God knows who he is, given her track record. My sister’s a piece of work.’

‘At least she didn’t skive off and abandon Rose. Give her some credit.’

Chloe groaned. ‘Katie can do no wrong in your eyes, Mam.’

Lottie could hear the plea in her daughter’s voice. ‘You are my star, Chloe. I can depend on you so much more than the others. You know that.’

‘Whatever. But thanks, Mam. We’ll see you at the wedding. Betty confirmed again that she’ll stay with Gran.’

‘That’s great. Chat you soon.’

After the call, Lottie wondered if her girls would still be welcome at Grace’s wedding. Would she herself be welcome? Would there even be a wedding?

Ann was unable to finish her sewing work after her conversation with Lottie Parker on the beach.

She was annoyed with herself. Why had she been so open?

Revealing things she’d only spoken aloud to one other person in her life.

On the other hand, she hadn’t told the detective everything.

A frisson of guilt caused the shake in her hands, and she decided to abandon her work for the day.

Hopefully Denis wouldn’t notice her anguish when she arrived home, though she suspected he would.

He was very astute. That was what made him an ideal county councillor.

His constituents loved him. He was a fighter, too.

Fought tooth and nail for the children’s playground located outside the village.

He’d even completed the funding application for the local community group, and in the end the council had carried out most of the work.

She tidied up the fitting room. Put away the material she had been working on. Stowed the cash Grace had paid in the floor safe. Plugged out anything that was connected to a socket.

At the door, she took one last look around and found all was in order, but the tremor had moved from her hands to her entire body.

She suddenly felt cold, as though ice was flowing through her blood.

The terrible memories she’d resurrected refused to abate.

Home to a hot bath and a glass of wine and she’d be fine.

She held the shop keys in her hand and switched off the light. As she reached for the latch, a knock on the door made her jump backwards. The door opened.

Her hand flew to her chest. ‘You scared the living daylights out of me.’

‘Are you leaving early? I could see you through the window tidying up.’

‘What if I am? I’m my own boss.’ Where was she getting this courage from? ‘I’m sorry, but I’m finished for the day. I’m heading home now.’

A hand clasped her shoulder as the person walked in, pushing her backwards. ‘We need to talk. And I will decide when and if you can leave. Got it?’

She stayed silent, not trusting what words would come out of her mouth.

The ice in her blood froze solid with fear.