Page 68 of Hidden Daughters (Detective Lottie Parker #15)

‘That inspector of yours is something else,’ Mooney said, clearing files from one side of his desk to the other.

Kirby wasn’t sure if he was complimenting Lottie or ridiculing her, so he didn’t comment on it.

‘Thanks for seeing me,’ he said. ‘I believe we may have a crossover on our respective investigations.’

‘Robert Hayes, you mean?’

‘Yes, but also the woman who was murdered in Ragmullin, Edie Butler. Though I don’t have any proof, it appears she was in the Sisters of Forgiveness laundry at some stage in her life. My boss got that information from Brigid Kelly.’

‘Yes, I know about that. Nevertheless, as you say, we have no way of verifying it. We contacted the bishop, and he says there are no longer records from that institution. Claims the nuns took them all when they left. But I’m wondering if old Mickey Fox had access to them.

He had been burning papers before his body was found.

We sent the fragments and scraps, mainly ash if I’m being honest, to a specialist forensic lab, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. ’

‘That’s a shame. Have you made any headway in locating Robert Hayes? We know he got on the Galway train.’

‘We have him on CCTV exiting Ceannt station in the city. After that, it’s like a needle in a haystack. We’re checking CCTV around that locality and whatever we can get our hands on out in the Moycullen area where he used to be the parish priest. So far, nothing.’

‘At least the CCTV footage can prove he is in Galway.’

‘All it proves is that he got off that train. God only knows where he went after that, and he’s had days of a head start.’

Kirby was not to be discouraged. ‘Is there anything in his background that could lead us to where he might be?’

‘All we know is that he spent time as a deacon before being ordained a priest. The bishop reluctantly handed over a file that he had prepared about allegations of abuse of a minor.’

‘I didn’t see any record of it on PULSE,’ Kirby said.

‘It was never reported to the gardaí. The bishop now says he shelved it for lack of evidence. God Almighty give me patience. Hayes got kicked out of the clergy but was left to his own devices to roam the country and settle in Ragmullin.’

‘The Church has a lot to answer for.’

‘You’re right there,’ Mooney said. ‘How did he come to meet Edie Butler?’

‘Well, he said he originally knew her in Galway in the eighties.’ Kirby had yet to get to grips with Edie’s life story.

He felt he was jumping all over the place.

Two steps forwards, one step back. What he’d learned from her son was that Edie was like a wounded bird.

Noel had been sure she’d carried some early life trauma in her heart.

‘Hayes may have sought her out if he learned she was living in Ragmullin, or he may have bumped into her. Ragmullin isn’t like Galway.

It’s a small enough town in a smaller county. ’

‘Still, of all the women he could meet…’

Leaning back in the comfortable chair, Kirby patted his shirt pocket, as usual craving a smoke. ‘You’re right. Something or someone could have led him to her.’

‘Was she ever featured in the local papers for anything? He may have seen a photograph of her.’

‘From what I can gather, talking to the salon staff where she worked, and her son, she was a private person. Not involved in anything in the community, as far as they could tell me. Liked her alcohol, though, and Hayes worked in a pub as a chef, so he could have spotted her there.’

‘What about a husband?’

‘He died in an accident right before her younger lad was born. She has two sons. Noel works as a mechanic, the other, Jerry, is a student. He’s just flown back from an end-of-school trip abroad. Such a sad time for them both.’

A knock came on the door and it was opened without Mooney answering.

‘Sarge, Councillor Wilson is downstairs spitting fire.’

‘That’s all I need. What’s his problem this time?’

‘It’s about his wife. He says she never came home from work and she’s not at her shop.’

‘Maybe she went to the pub for a drink. Met a friend. Went shopping or something. Fob him off.’

Kirby eyed Mooney. ‘I wouldn’t be so quick to do that if I were you.’

‘You don’t know Wilson like I do. If there’s a day without his puss in the paper or his voice on the radio, he blames us. A fucking head-the-ball, he is.’

‘My boss told me that she spoke with her today. Something about a disturbing conversation. And if she really is missing…’

Mooney rubbed his beard, tightened his tie and stood.

‘What has Lottie Parker done now? God give me strength. Seems I better give the Pope his audience then.’

‘What are you doing to find my wife?’ Wilson exploded before Mooney hardly had his toe across the threshold. He noticed that the councillor was without his customary cravat.

‘You’d better sit down and explain it all to me,’ he said, keeping his voice as low and even as he could muster.

‘I told that other guard. He wrote it down. I want to know what you’re doing about it.’

‘We have three murders to investigate, Mr Wilson.’ He refused to call him Councillor. ‘Unless you can show me some proof that your wife has been harmed or is missing, you must wait a few more hours.’

‘Proof she’s been harmed? You want me to bring you her body?’

‘No need for theatrics.’

‘You have three people murdered and no one charged. You arrested that prick O’Shaughnessy and then you let him go. Do you even know what you’re doing? Are you waiting until my wife turns up dead as number four?’

‘Not at all. Have you checked the pubs and?—’

‘My wife does not drink in public houses. You are insulting me now, Sergeant.’

‘Maybe she went for a drive. Is her car at her work or at home?’

Wilson looked momentarily confused. So perhaps he hadn’t checked, Mooney thought.

‘It’s not at home,’ he said. ‘It’s not at her shop either. But if she went anywhere, she’d have told me. She’d have phoned or texted me. She never, I repeat never, goes anywhere without telling me.’

‘Did you know she met and spoke with Detective Inspector Lottie Parker today?’

Wilson squinted at him, head to one side. ‘Who the fuck is she?’

‘She’s from Ragmullin and is here to attend the wedding of Grace Boyd and Bryan O’Shaughnessy.’

Wilson shifted on his chair, hands fidgeting. ‘And I’m supposed to know her?’

‘Do you?’

He shook his head. ‘Her name doesn’t ring any bells, but I’ll be sure to check her out.’ He paused, as if trying to get some normality back into his cadence. ‘What was my Ann talking to a detective about anyway?’

‘That I don’t know, but it seems Mrs Wilson had something upsetting to relate. Perhaps she needed some time to herself afterwards.’ Mooney made a mental note to contact Lottie as soon as he got rid of Wilson. ‘Does your wife’s shop have CCTV?’

‘Are you joking? Have you seen it. A glorified cabin at the tail end of Spiddal. But it keeps her happy.’

‘Okay. Give it a few more hours, and if she’s not home then, I’ll put someone on it.’

‘There’s a bloody maniac going around murdering people, and now my Ann is missing and you don’t seem to give a damn. I want your best team out looking for her! Do you hear me?’

‘I have three investigations on the go and I can’t spare any more personnel unless it’s absolutely necessary.

’ Mooney crossed his fingers. He would most likely be sidelined tomorrow by the arrival of new detectives.

Maybe then he could go look for Ann Wilson, if she was still missing.

Perhaps she’d seen sense and left her bully of a husband.

At least he hoped that was all it was. He ran a finger along the inside of his shirt collar, suddenly sweating.

‘I’m going straight to your superintendent to report you for insubordination and neglect of your duties.’ Wilson shoved back the chair as noisily as he could and left the room, banging the door behind him.

Mooney breathed out a sigh of relief, which was closely followed by a surge of panic. What if Ann Wilson was another victim? He needed to talk to Lottie Parker.

Lottie was sitting on a wall outside the hotel, gazing out at the sea, which in the late afternoon was placid and mirror-like.

‘Can I join you?’ Mooney asked.

She kept staring at the mesmerising water without looking at him. ‘You’re here and it was a free country last time I checked. How did you locate me?’

‘Larry Kirby told me you got kicked out of O’Shaughnessy’s house and gave me the name of your hotel.’ He sat on the wall beside her. ‘Listen, we have a bit of a situation. Well, it’s not a situation yet, but it could be.’

‘And everyone says I’m the one who talks in riddles.’

‘Not the time, Lottie. I know you met Ann Wilson earlier today. I need to know what you two spoke about.’

‘And why would you need to know that?’

‘Her husband seems to think she has disappeared. That’s what he claims, anyhow.’

Lottie turned to look at him for the first time since he’d joined her. ‘Really?’

‘He’s full of blather, but I don’t go seeking out a detective inspector who is on her holidays for the good of my health.’

‘Shit.’

‘Yeah, shit,’ he echoed. ‘Thing is, I’m not sure she is actually missing. Denis Wilson is a pumped-up eejit who likes making a drama out of a molehill. He claims she never came home from work and isn’t at her shop.’

‘Did you check?’

‘Where would I get the time for that with three mur?—’

‘You had the time to find me.’

‘That’s because I want to know what Ann Wilson talked to you about.’

‘You think it’s relevant?’ she asked.

‘Might be.’

‘In what way?’

‘Don’t. Please. Just tell me.’

‘It was confidential.’ She felt unexpectedly sorry for Mooney and didn’t like the sense of unease that squeezed something tightly in her chest. ‘What you need to know is that she spent time in the laundry. During her years there, she witnessed a particularly vile attack on a child. I think that could have put her in the cross hairs of the killer.’

‘Oh my good God. What happened?’

She ignored his question. ‘Did you find Robert Hayes?’

‘No, but we traced him getting off the Galway train on Monday evening. He has to be around somewhere.’

‘He was involved in the incident Ann witnessed all those years ago. And he knew Edie Butler who was found murdered earlier this week in Ragmullin. He is very dangerous.’

‘What exactly did Ann witness?’

‘A young child was shoved into one of the washing machines. Hayes locked her in and turned the machine on. She died shortly afterwards. Ann claimed the child was Bryan O’Shaughnessy’s little sister.’

‘Fuck.’

‘Yeah. Fuck.’

‘This could mean that it’s O’Shaughnessy going around killing those he deemed to be involved in his sister’s murder.’

‘Possibly, but I think it’s more likely Robert Hayes who is killing witnesses.’

Mooney lowered his head, tugged his beard and sighed long and hard. ‘Where is Bryan O’Shaughnessy now?’

‘I have no idea. But he doesn’t know what Ann told me.

I haven’t spoken to him yet. I’ve been kicked out of the house and I seem to have fucked up my relationship with Mark Boyd.

All in a day’s work, even though it’s not my work.

I just wanted to uncover the truth. It’s up to you to follow the evidence and nab the killer.

’ She paused, listened to the purring of the Atlantic Ocean.

‘I can’t stop thinking about that child and what happened to her.

And I can’t stop thinking about Brigid Kelly. Just as defenceless as the child.’

‘Was Brigid involved back then?’

‘She was born in that convent.’

Mooney stood, shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed long and hard. ‘Is it the same person doing all this?’

‘I suspect it is. Have you found Imelda Conroy?’

‘No. She’s in the wind too.’

‘She could be more of a suspect than a victim in all this,’ Lottie said quietly. ‘Did you get the advanced DNA results?’

‘Nothing’s back yet. You know as well as I do that this type of analysis takes time.’

‘Have you found out any more information on Assumpta Feeney?’

‘Just that she entered the convent at eighteen, but by the time she was twenty she’d left the Sisters of Forgiveness and was studying to be a nurse.’

Lottie stood. ‘It’s likely that she was in the convent at the same time as Ann and Edie, even Brigid.

’ She felt a perverse sort of excitement that they were getting somewhere.

‘Mooney, you have a serial killer on your hands and it’s more than possible that the motive relates to the incident with the child that Ann told me about.

This killer won’t stop until everyone who witnessed it, or took part in it, is dead. ’

‘She told you that Robert Hayes locked the child in the machine. I need to elevate him from person of interest to a serious suspect in all the murders.’

She didn’t want to state the obvious again, but felt she had to. ‘Don’t forget that the little girl was possibly Bryan O’Shaughnessy’s sister.’

Mooney looked around wistfully. ‘There’s that too. What do I do?’

‘Find Ann Wilson before it’s too late. She can tell you who else was there that day.’

‘What if you’re wrong about this?’

‘What if I’m right?’