Page 154 of The Altar Girls

But Sinead just shook her head, eyes wide with terror, as she held her daughter to her chest.

* * *

Lottie got Kirby calm enough to follow her out of the station to the car.

‘We need to get to Zara’s house and warn her,’ he said.

‘Are you sure that’s where Father Pearse said Maguire was headed?’

‘He believed so. He said she arrived on Sunday night yelling and roaring at Maguire. She stayed a short while, then left. He mentioned Maguire hasn’t been himself since.’

‘Maybe he’s not himself because he killed two innocent girls?’

‘Whatever the confrontation was about, it could have led him to seek out Willow to get back at her mother.’

‘Kirby, I have a hard time figuring him for this. Even if he killed one girl because of an accusation against him by her mother, why would he kill the other?’

‘The girls were together. He may have snapped and then—’

‘Why not kill the two in the same way? Why drown one and bludgeon the other?’ She was still finding it difficult to understand.

‘He must have a warped mind.’

‘To think I had him in the car with me earlier. I should have arrested him rather than believing his bullshit about the rosary. But his mother… was she lying too?’ She remembered her earlier words with Garda Lei. People with something to hide lied.

‘We’ll find out,’ Kirby said. ‘Will I drive?’

‘Yes. Please. I need to think this through before we go marching in the wrong person’s footsteps.’

She shuffled into the passenger seat and fumbled the seat belt around her.

As they drew up to the house, she had a wobble of conviction. She turned to Kirby. ‘What if we’re looking at this the wrong way?’

* * *

Father Keith Maguire rubbed his hands feverishly as he sat in her kitchen. He hadn’t wanted it to come to this, but he had to do something. He’d already been moved from one parish because of unfounded rumours, and he wasn’t about to let her ruin another for him.

She stood by the kitchen door, her fists clenched, her face a mess of tears. He was surprised that she’d let him enter her home without question. And strangely, he didn’t feel any apprehension. He knew it had to end. He was doing what had to be done. He could take no more.

‘I asked you. I begged you,’ she screamed.

‘Where is she?’ he asked, half afraid of the answer she might offer.

‘She’s safe.’

‘Tell me what happened?’

‘What are you talking about?’

‘What happened to Willow and Naomi?’ he asked.

More clenching and unclenching of her hands, eyes darting, dark orbs in the too-bright kitchen. ‘You have some cheek coming here throwing around veiled accusations.’

‘I never accused you of anything. I asked you a question.’

‘And I asked for your help. You turned your back on me.’

‘You asked for money. Even though you levelled false accusations against me, I agreed to get it, but it takes time to pull it together.’

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