Page 155 of Three Widows

‘I gather it is no longer unidentified.’ Boyd breathed out in relief.

Lottie nodded. ‘That fibre is a match for the fibre discovered on Jennifer’s dress. It also matches another one that Jane extracted from deep inside Éilis Lawlor’s leg wound.’

‘What type of fibre is it?’ Lynch asked, excitement coating her tone.

‘Carpet fibre. Orange in colour, according to Jane. A lab technician researched it and matched it to a 1970s Axminster design.’

‘That’s nothing to get excited about,’ Boyd said, his shoulders slumped.

‘The carpet fibre places all three victims in the same location at some time. If we can trace that old orange carpet, we might find out where that was.’

Lynch moved forward. ‘Wait a minute. I was somewhere recently that had old carpet throughout the building. Let me think.’

Lottie glanced at the photos on the incident board. ‘Was it one of the victims’ houses?’

‘I remember!’ Lynch cried, her eyes wide with excitement. ‘Shit, boss, you’re not going to believe this.’

The Victorian building leaned crookedly like it was bowing and scraping towards them. Lottie ignored its ramshackle exterior and launched in through the front door.

‘We need to speak with Madelene Bowen.’ She slammed her ID on the table.

The flustered receptionist picked up the phone.

‘Feck that,’ Lynch said. ‘I know the way.’

Lottie followed her detective down the narrow corridor towards the open door at the end. She looked down at the carpet she suspected Lynch had been referring to. A knot of memory in the back of her mind told her she’d seen it somewhere else recently. A knot that refused to untie. Not yet, anyway.

‘I wasn’t expecting a visit,’ Madelene said, rising, tall and regal.

‘This is not a social call,’ Lottie said, and for a moment she felt dispirited. If it was proved the carpet fibre came from this building, how could this woman have carried out the brutal murders and transported the bodies to the various locations? Stuffing a grown man’s broken body in a barrel took strength. Then again, if you had a will to kill, you were capable of anything. However, the building was accessed by many other people, including, she supposed, some of the victims and people of interest.

‘Sit down, please,’ Madelene said authoritatively. Used to commanding a room, Lottie thought. ‘I was about to call you with some information.’

‘You were?’ Leaning her hands on the back of a chair, Lottie eyeballed the solicitor, forcing the other woman to speak.

‘First, I want to know why you barged into my office.’

She toyed with the idea of forcing Madelene to reveal her hand, but she hadn’t time for games. She toed the floor. ‘That’s an old carpet. Axminster, is it?’

‘I’m sure you aren’t here to discuss the aged decor.’

‘As a matter of fact, we are.’

Her statement elicited a raised eyebrow from Madelene. ‘Is it linked to evidence?’

‘I can’t divulge anything related to an ongoing investigation.’

‘You found something on the bodies?’

‘I want your permission for SOCOs to take a sample of your floor covering for comparison purposes.’

‘I’m not the only one with access to this building.’

‘I can get a warrant.’ Lottie wasn’t confident this request would be successful with a judge.

‘Then get one.’

Shit. She’d gone about this all wrong. ‘What did you want to talk to me about, Madelene?’