Page 32 of The Altar Girls

‘A cathedral?’ He paused, his face brightening a little, as if the location was apt. ‘Who found her?’

‘A young boy from her choir.’

‘My girl loved singing.’

‘So your wife told me.’

‘Ruth? How is she coping with all this? Is she okay?’

Lottie didn’t know how okay Ruth was. When she’d driven her home from Tullamore, the woman had maintained an unnerving silence.

‘She’s devastated.’

‘And Bethany, is she safe? Jacob, my son, he’s only a year old. I’ve missed so much. Are they safe?’

‘We will protect them.’ If Ruth allowed them to do their job, she thought.

‘Who killed my daughter?’

‘I promise we are doing everything to find the culprit.’

‘That means you have nothing. No clues or hints? Anything?’

‘We are following a number of lines of enquiry, but to answer you honestly, at this early stage in the investigation I don’t know who killed your little girl. Or why. Can you help me with any of it?’

‘Me? I’ve been banged up in here for nine months, and three months prior to that waiting for my court case. Ruth has all but abandoned me. Never visits. No communication whatsoever. You need to protect my children.’

‘I told you I will keep them safe.’

‘How can you know if they’re safe or not when you’re sitting in front of me? You’re here because you think this is something to do with me, aren’t you?’

‘I had hoped you might be able to provide me with some insight into your family. Someone may have targeted your little girl, and I want to know how and why.’

‘But that’s not true, is it? I heard that another child is missing in Ragmullin. There is no need to lie to me. The murder of my daughter had nothing specifically to do with my family.’

‘I have to look at everything and everyone. Your daughter was with Willow yesterday morning. That’s the last known sighting of the two girls.’

‘What? My girl was with the missing child? Why wasn’t Naomi’s name on an alert, with people looking for her? Is this Willow a rich kid or something?’

‘Nothing like that, Isaac. Naomi wasn’t reported missing.’ As she said the words, it struck Lottie like a meteor. Had Ruth done something to both girls? Why hadn’t she noticed that her daughter was missing? Could Lottie accept her vague explanation?

‘That’s Ruth for you.’

‘What do you mean?’

Isaac was silent, head bowed, biting his bottom lip as if to keep the words locked up.

‘Do you think your wife had something to do with Naomi’s murder?’

‘I doubt it very much.’ But there was no conviction in his tone.

‘I have to investigate everyone associated with you and your family.’

‘I can’t help you. I’m sorry. There is no reason why someone would target my daughter. She was eight years old, for God’s sake.’ He appeared to visibly shrink into himself, closing down. She was losing him.

‘Isaac, you’re in here for assault. You attacked a social worker. Why did you do that?’

‘I regret my actions, I really do, but he was as much to blame as I was. That’s why I think it’s wrong in the eyes of the Lord that I have to serve time while Mr Bradley does not.’

---