Page 172 of The Guilty Girl

‘Yeah, well, she talked to me a lot recently. Studying for exams and with her parents away, I think she was glad of someone to confide in. She was scared.’

‘Scared of what?’ Lottie had to restrain herself from leaping across the table to shake him. Why was he only telling her this now?

‘Not a what,’ he mumbled, ‘a who.’

‘Who then?’ Lottie glanced at Hannah, who had her head bowed again.

Cormac said, ‘I’m … Look, I can’t say. Lucy said, “She terrifies me.” That’s all I know.’

‘She?’ Lottie exclaimed. ‘Did she mean Ivy Jones?’

‘I don’t know.’ He clamped his mouth shut and picked at a spot on his forehead. Lottie felt like jamming her nails into his other spots. Did these kids not realise what they’d been involved in?

She turned her attention to Hannah. ‘What do you know about this?’

The girl shrugged one shoulder.

‘We can protect you.’

‘You couldn’t protect Sharon Flood,’ Cormac shot at her.

‘Cormac, you really need to tell me what’s going on before someone else gets hurt.’

Silence.

Lottie decided on a direct approach. ‘Hannah, when were you first abused?’

Cormac shifted uncomfortably and took a puff from his inhaler. Hannah remained stock still, the only movement a single tear journeying a lonely track down her cheek. Lottie waited. Prayed the girl would open up to her.

Cormac nudged her. Hannah gave a gentle shake of her head, but he nodded and took her hand in his.

‘You have to tell her,’ he said.

‘It’s too late,’ Hannah whispered.

Still Lottie waited, counting in her head. She’d reached twenty-five when Hannah spoke.

‘I didn’t know about them. The photos at school. I didn’t know about them even when Mr Glennon started … you know … interfering with me.’

‘He’s a bastard,’ Cormac said.

Lottie felt a lump form in her throat, preventing her from jumping in with questions. Glennon?

Hannah continued. ‘He brought me to a party and the boxer guy, Terry, he started pawing me and telling me I was beautiful and my legs were gorgeous and that there were a lot of men who liked me when they saw my photograph. I hadn’t a clue what he meant by that. I do now.’

‘When did you find out the truth?’

‘Lucy told me. She was up her own arse most of the time, but she’d been sexually abused herself, she told me, and she didn’t really know who she was any more.’ Hannah sobbed and Cormac placed his arm around her shoulders.

‘Hannah, sweetheart, you have to tell me everything you know.’ Lottie knew she was nearing the crux of the case.

‘This is your chance to lose the guilt, Hannah,’ Cormac said. He turned to Lottie. ‘I had a long chat with Hannah last night and she thinks it’s all her fault, what happened to her.’

‘Oh sweetie,’ Lottie said, ‘none of this is your fault. Those people, they’ll go to prison for what they did to you and countless other girls, but I need your help to put them away.’

‘I’m so ashamed.’

‘We can arrange counselling for you. It’s good to talk it out.’