Page 20 of The Guilty Girl

‘I’ll need to take those clothes.’

Lottie hoped Hannah hadn’t switched on the washing machine. She recalled Ivy saying that Lucy and Hannah had had an argument. Had it turned bloody? Was it anything to do with Lucy’s death? If Hannah had killed Lucy, how did she have the sense to wash her clothing but not her hands? Nothing was adding up. Evidently Hannah thought so too.

‘This is so weird,’ she said. ‘I don’t understand what’s going on. I feel so sick.’

‘This has never happened before,’ Babs said, her voice now brittle. ‘You can’t take her when she’s confused and ill.’

‘Follow us down to the station when you can, Ms Byrne,’ Kirby said.

Hannah looked totally lost. ‘I’d better go with them, Mam. There’s no need for you to come.’

‘You can’t interview her until I’m there, isn’t that right?’ Babs shook a finger, but a deep crease of worry appeared between her eyebrows.

‘We won’t start until you arrive.’ Lottie turned to Kirby. ‘Bring that rucksack, and fetch the clothes from the laundry room.’

With that, she took Hannah by the elbow and steered her out the door and down the stairs. She was anxious to get her into the car, where she could place two sterile bags over the girl’s hands. And she hoped to God the washing machine hadn’t been switched on.

13

The morning warmth had wended its way inside the station. Lottie dragged her jacket off. She untucked her sweaty white T-shirt from the waistband of her black jeans, reckoning she could do with a blast of deodorant, but she dare not let the girl out of her sight.

With steely eyes, she watched the teenager being processed. Even though she wasn’t yet under arrest, Lottie felt that by the end of the interview, Hannah Byrne would be detained; at the very least, she’d be issued with an assault charge.

‘We have to wait for your mother to arrive before commencing the interview,’ she said, directing the teenager into the interview room.

‘I don’t understand.’ Hannah looked down at her hands as she sat.

Lottie was glad she’d bagged them. Samples had been retrieved from beneath her nails, and the technician had confirmed it was blood. The lab staff would check if it was a match for Lucy’s. Hannah’s rucksack contained a bloodstained teal-coloured towel. It, along with the rucksack, were also sent to the lab for analysis.

She hadn’t been able to recall the colour of the towels in Lucy’s house. She’d placed a quick call to Gráinne, who confirmed the towels in all the bathrooms were teal. Bloodstains had not been found in any bathroom examined so far, but there was no way to know if a towel was missing.

‘What’s going on?’ Hannah cried. ‘Am I arrested?’

‘You’re just here for a chat, under caution.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘I’ll read you your rights and ask you a few questions. You have the right to a solicitor if you want. Would you like a cup of tea? A soft drink, perhaps?’

‘A solicitor? Is this serious?’

‘Routine,’ Lottie lied. It was anything but routine. So far she had no proof Hannah had killed Lucy, and there were many questions to be answered. Unfortunately, securing a confession might take time. The girl appeared mystified.

‘I don’t understand. What happened? Why were my nails scraped? It’s something to do with evidence, isn’t it? But I didn’t do anything, I swear.’ She stared at Lottie, wide-eyed.

Seeing the confusion spread across the girl’s face, Lottie said, ‘Hannah, you were at a party last night, weren’t you? At Lucy McAllister’s house?’

‘Yeah, me and a million others.’ Her shoulders shuddered beneath her thin shirt.

‘A tragic event occurred in the early hours of this morning, and we are interviewing everyone who was at the party.’

‘Why? What happened?’ Hannah reached into her jeans pocket and extracted her phone.

‘I think it best to leave the phone on the table. When your mother arrives, I’ll explain everything to you.’

‘It will take her forever to find someone to mind Olly.’ Dark blue eyes pleaded with Lottie. ‘Ask whatever you want now, and then can I go home?’

‘I’m sorry, Hannah, you’re under eighteen. I need the consent of your legal guardian.’