Page 94 of Hidden Daughters (Detective Lottie Parker #15)

Grace dressed Bryan’s head wound with a handful of plasters while Lottie made a fresh pot of tea.

Boyd stayed with Sergio in the living room.

Wilson had been taken away in a squad car.

Mooney remained to tell her some of what he had read in Assumpta’s notebooks.

When she had the teapot and cups on the table, Grace took over and Lottie and Mooney went outside.

‘It was pure greed and gross negligence on behalf of the nuns,’ he said grinding his teeth in disdain. ‘She wrote that they got paid for the girls by those in power at Knockraw. How low can human nature sink?’

‘It was criminal, that’s what it was.’

‘What I can’t get my head around is that so many people seemed to know what was going on but no one stepped in to stop it.’

‘Our recent past does us no favours as a nation,’ she said. ‘All we can do is highlight what went on. And that’s something Imelda can do with her documentary.’

‘She won’t be allowed to broadcast it any time soon.’

‘I get that, but she will in time. So did Robert Hayes kill Edie Butler?’ Lottie asked. ‘I noticed you didn’t mention her name when you arrested Wilson.’

‘I don’t know yet. Hayes is still adamant he didn’t.

’ Mooney blinked, his eyes tired. ‘I’ve asked Detective Kirby to track Wilson’s SUV.

I gave him all the details. Now that he knows what he’s looking for, it should be a simple exercise to eliminate Wilson if he didn’t kill Edie, or confirm that he was in Ragmullin last weekend when she disappeared. ’

‘He’d have had to keep her from Friday until at least Sunday night,’ she said. ‘Could he have done that?’

‘I will follow the evidence. There’s a long and twisty road ahead of me to uncover everything.’

Lottie looked at the sky, trying to digest all that had happened.

‘Imelda is not totally blameless in this either.’ Mooney interrupted her thoughts.

‘She had information that she should have shared with us. We may have been able to prevent Ann’s death at least. I suspect that having talked with Imelda, Ann was about to reveal her husband’s past. And after I left her home last night, she was either provoked by Denis or got up the nerve to accuse him and he had to shut her up.

He will tell me what actually happened, because he is arrogant enough to blurt it out. Eventually.’

‘I feel sorry for Imelda. I think she found herself in a difficult situation and didn’t know which way to turn, or even what was the right thing to do.’

‘I didn’t think you were one of those people,’ Mooney said with a small grin.

‘What people?’

‘Those who allow others the benefit of the doubt.’

‘Don’t forget, I was on the outside looking in on this one. I could afford to be totally neutral and objective.’

‘Isn’t that what we have to be at all times?’

‘Yes, but I found it different when not running the investigation.’ She paused and noted the weariness in his eyes, a sort of sadness. She knew what had caused it. ‘Can I read the notebooks?’

‘I’m sorry, but no. They’re logged into evidence. And in all honesty, you don’t want to know what’s in them.’

‘I can imagine, which isn’t a good thing either. Is there any mention of Bryan?’

‘No.’

‘Of his girl, Mary Elizabeth?’

‘Yes. She’d just had a baby, who was taken from her. Then she was brought over to Knockraw with other girls, where Wilson and God knows who else abused, violated and injured her. She died not long afterwards. Assumpta left the nuns then and went on to be a nurse.’

‘How could she walk away?’

‘She wrote in her notes that she was a coward. But I think she was traumatised and scared. When she returned and saw Wilson strutting around the city, she knew then that she had to do something, and Imelda’s documentary was just the vehicle to tell her story.’

‘If she had told her story to Imelda, why didn’t Imelda warn Ann?’

‘Imelda believes Assumpta came to the cottage that night to tell her everything, but she was murdered before she could do so.’

‘How did Imelda escape?’

‘She ran out the back door when she heard the commotion. She said Assumpta had had a few drinks. She doesn’t rightly know what happened, but she had Assumpta’s bag in the kitchen with her, something about biscuits being in it.

Her car keys were in the kitchen too, so she was able to flee.

She says she didn’t see the attacker but thought she’d heard someone outside a few minutes earlier. ’

‘I presume Wilson destroyed her equipment, laptop and phone.’

‘I’d say you’re right.’

Lottie said, ‘You need Imelda to hand over her research and her recordings.’

‘She claims they were all taken that night. Presumably by Wilson. She reckons he dumped it all in the sea.’

‘I think she is being economical with the truth. She told me she has them hidden, but wouldn’t say where. She probably had everything on a USB. I bet she’s waiting until the right time to launch her documentary.’

‘She better not or she may well interfere with our case against Wilson. We have very little physical evidence to tie him to any of the murders. I’m hoping for a confession.’

‘The chances of that are?—’

‘Slim to none. I know.’

‘I’ll talk to Imelda.’

‘No, she’s a witness. Don’t interfere.’

‘Me?’ Lottie said in mock shock. ‘I’d never do that.’

He groaned. ‘I’m so glad I don’t work with you, Lottie Parker. You’d put me in an early grave.’

She laughed then. ‘You are a good detective, Matt. Let me know how things progress.’

‘I might, and then again, it might be safer not to.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Look, I shouldn’t tell you this, but with those notebooks and that DNA familial match for Bryan… No, I better shut up.’

‘For God’s sake, don’t leave me hanging on that.’

Mooney sighed, relenting. ‘I have reason to believe that Imelda may be Bryan’s sister.’

Lottie leaned her head to one side in disbelief. ‘No, she can’t be. His sister was murdered in the laundry, wasn’t she?’

‘I’m not talking about the wee girl known as Gabriel.’

‘Mooney, you better tell me what you suspect.’

‘Look, you can’t say anything to him until it’s verified, but I think Imelda was the baby that was born when Bryan’s mother died in childbirth. Assumpta wrote as much in her notes. Which means she’s his youngest sibling.’

‘Holy shit.’

‘Yeah. Holy shit.’

Mooney walked off with a slow wave of his hand behind him.