Page 104 of Three Widows

Kirby pushed him out of the way and headed back to the station.

He still had no idea where Amy was.

68

Jackie was back at the apartment with Sergio by the time Boyd turned the key in the door.

‘Where did you go?’ he asked, breathless with relief.

‘Ice cream,’ Sergio said, taking the lid off a Ben & Jerry’s.

Boyd hugged him tightly.

‘What is wrong with you?’ Jackie said. ‘Are you having me followed?’

‘No…’ His voice trailed off as he realised how stupid it looked. He couldn’t tell her about his security system. ‘I came back for a clean shirt.’

‘Nothing wrong with the one you’re wearing.’

‘I need it for later. Anyway, I live here.’

‘I’m well aware of that.’

‘Why did you think I was having you followed?’

Jackie slumped down on his couch and dug a finger into Sergio’s ice cream. ‘Yesterday, I felt there were eyes on me.’

‘I didn’t even know you were in Ragmullin yesterday.’

‘Yeah, well…’

‘You’ve spent so long mixing with criminals, you’re paranoid.’ He went to the kitchen, indicating that Jackie should follow him. He didn’t want to have a screaming match in front of Sergio. He opened a cupboard for a glass and filled it from the cold tap. He could do with a shower to wash away his anxiety.

‘You have murders to investigate without concerning yourself with me.’

‘I have, but…’

‘But you can’t trust me, is that it?’

‘This is my home.’

‘It’s going to be a bit small for all three of us.’

He slammed the glass on the counter. So this was what she’d been scheming. ‘We are not having this out now. I’ll talk to you later. I’ll be home by seven.’

‘Do you actually keep to a schedule nowadays?’

‘I do when you’re around.’

‘Pity you didn’t keep to one when we were married. We might not be in this situation.’

‘You needn’t start, Jackie, we both know who was the wrong one in our marriage.’

He rinsed the glass, dried it and placed it back in the cupboard. After folding the tea towel, he fetched a clean shirt from his wardrobe, hugged Sergio tightly, kissed the top of his head and left without another word.

* * *

With no leads whatsoever to locate Orla and Helena, Lottie decided to talk to some that might count as tentative murder suspects. Because Smile Brighter was closed on Sundays, she headed to talk to Owen Dalton. The door to the SunUp studio was shut tight. She hammered on the glass. No answer. She did it again, harder and more insistent. Must be closed too.