Page 171 of The Guilty Girl

Rose closed her eyes. ‘He said he’d wait for me.’

Lottie moved towards the door in silence.

Sitting bolt upright, Rose said, ‘What are you doing here, Lottie? Do you know what time it is?’

On her way down in the lift, Lottie considered her mother’s mortality. She’d spent most of her life at loggerheads with the woman she called mother; the woman who had raised her as her own; who’d kept the truth of Lottie’s birth hidden from her. Despite their differences, she couldn’t envisage a time when Rose would no longer be a part of her life. Unbidden tears filled her eyes and she hastily swiped at them. It was just tiredness.

At least Boyd would be home soon. With his son. And then a horrible thought entered her head. Would his ex-wife arrive with them?

She headed for her car, no longer confident about tomorrow after all.

77

MONDAY

The first thing Lottie did when she arrived at the office the next morning was to send for Hannah and Cormac. She wanted to interview them together for the first time. For all she knew, they had spoken to each other to align their stories, but it was the only thing that made sense after a disturbed sleep. Following the visit to her mother, her night had been one of twists and turns, and dreams filled with little girls in garish make-up with mad red lips.

She felt on edge, cranky and irritable. God, but she’d love a Xanax or a vodka. She made do with a coffee.

They arrived without their respective legal reps, and Lottie was relieved. Hannah kept her eyes focused on the floor, while Cormac stared at a spot on the wall behind Lottie’s head.

‘The two of you have a lot to sort out between yourselves, but the reason I asked you here this morning was to pick your brains.’

‘What do you mean?’ Hannah said, looking up. Her face was thinner, her hair a tangled mess falling over in a lopsided topknot.

‘There is forensic evidence against you both, but I believe you are innocent of Lucy’s murder. Hannah, it’s possible you were set up, either intentionally or because the opportunity presented itself. I can’t understand why Jake would slip you GHB. Are you sure you didn’t know him, or his little sister Sharon?’

‘I’m sure.’

‘Who would want you drugged?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Any ideas, Cormac?’

‘None.’ He still refused to meet her eye.

‘You’re a gardener at the school and at Lucy’s house. Were you ever friends with her?’

‘She talked to me sometimes.’

‘I thought she enjoyed insulting you?’

‘She used to.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘She only kept it up so that Ivy wouldn’t suspect.’

Lottie leaned forward. ‘Suspect what?’

With one hand Cormac worried away at his acne. In the other he held his inhaler, tapping it infuriatingly on the table.

‘Can you stop doing that?’ Lottie tried not to screech at him.

‘Sorry.’ At last he brought his gaze in line with hers.

‘You were telling me about Lucy …’