Page 140 of The Guilty Girl

‘I’ve had tiffs but I don’t leave a trail of blood behind me. There’s something else going on.’

‘What?’

‘If I knew that, I wouldn’t be here brainstorming. Any luck on the tattoo?’

‘Not yet, but maybe the initials were TS for Terry Starr.’

‘Do you have proof?’

‘No.’

Lottie leaned forward and unpinned one of the photos. ‘Shit, Lynch is that …?’

‘Yes, it is. I tried to tell you.’

The photo shook in her hand. She couldn’t quite understand what she was looking at, but it was making her sick to her stomach. ‘Where was it taken?’

‘At first I thought it might be a nightclub. It’s shrouded in half-light, but look closely at the leather and stitching. I think it was taken in a car. A biggish one at that.’

Lottie examined the photograph carefully. ‘An SUV of some sort?’

‘Possibly.’

‘Sweet Jesus. When was it taken?’

‘No idea. It was posted on Terry’s Finsta page a week ago, but it could have been taken any time.’

The two women fell into silence. Eventually Lottie voiced her thoughts, hoping Lynch would have a logical explanation.

‘What was Sharon Flood doing sitting on Terry Starr’s knee in a car?’

‘I don’t know, but the answer to your question might lift the lid off this secret world.’

She indicated the photo of Noel Glennon and Richie Harrison. ‘Glennon said he didn’t know Richie. A lie. So are they all in this together? Whatever this is. Any evidence of Hannah or Cormac in the photos?’

‘Not that I’ve seen so far.’

‘Keep digging, and find Starr and the McAllisters.’

‘Sure, boss.’

‘Have you spoken to Ivy Jones about these photos?’

‘Not yet.’

‘Can I keep your Panadol?’

‘As long as you don’t take them all at once.’

‘I’d need something stronger to get rid of the rotten taste this is leaving in my mouth. And Maria, good work.’

In the canteen, Lottie fetched herself a full-sugar Coke. She’d read somewhere that it was good for migraines. She’d need a crate of it if she was to shift the carousel of confusion whirling out of control inside her head. On her way back to the office, she bumped into Garda Lei.

‘I had a one-way chat with Oscar,’ she said. ‘Have you managed to contact anyone from his family?’

‘That’s why I was looking for you. His sister is in reception. She’s a bit lippy.’

‘I’ll have a word with her.’