Page 73 of The Altar Girls

‘You conduct a lot of funerals.’

‘I do,’ he said, even though she hadn’t yet posed a question. ‘I’ve just done one early this morning out in Gaddstown.’

‘In the course of your work, have you seen many children dressed in shrouds?’

‘Not in recent years, no. But if you like, I can take a closer look at what the girls were dressed in and I’ll know for sure. I can look at a photo, or whatever suits you.’

‘That can be arranged,’ Lottie said as Boyd’s pen scratched the page of his notebook. She had no intention of doing such a thing. They would investigate that angle themselves.

‘I showed you some sheet music and you confirmed it was the Christmas carol called “Away in a Manger”.’

‘I believe I did.’

‘In Willow’s hand we found this.’ She handed him a photocopy of the hymn sheet the pathologist had recovered.

He put on his spectacles and peered at it. ‘It’s the same carol.’

‘Who plays the organ for your choir?’

‘I do.’

‘Your DNA was discovered on the page found in Naomi’s hand.’

‘Like I said before, I distribute hymn sheets to the choir. I willingly provided my DNA and fingerprints. A guilty person wouldn’t do that, would they?’ He had a sparkle in his dark eyes, but she wasn’t falling for his charm.

‘Or someone who was confident that said DNA or fingerprints could be easily explained.’ She was goading him, but he didn’t take the bait.

‘I did not harm those girls.’

‘You showed me some of your sheet music but I need to examine all of it.’

‘I have more in my briefcase. I keep that in my room, but sometimes I store it beside the cathedral organ. I believe that’s where I last left it.’

‘We will need to see that briefcase.’

‘Of course, but you must realise that this music is widely available to those in the choir. In fact, anyone could take it and have it in their possession.’

She was well aware of that, and the lab had said it was generic copy paper. His DNA was on the page, but that still didn’t prove he’d placed it in Naomi’s hands. Reasonable doubt.

‘And my briefcase isn’t locked. It’s just a satchel with a buckle on it.’

He had an answer for everything. ‘We’ll take a look at it all the same. Then we can determine who has access to it besides you.’

‘Like I said, anyone could have got to it.’ He eyeballed her, the penetration like pieces of granite. ‘Can I ask you a question?’

‘Certainly.’

‘Was my DNA on either of the girls’ bodies or on their clothing?’

‘Everything is being examined, and you told us you didn’t touch the bodies.’ Was he a clever, forensically minded killer? Or just a helpful priest?

‘I might have felt for a pulse. I was so shocked, I can’t recall.’

‘If that’s the only place we find your DNA or prints, we may be able to eliminate you from our enquiries.’

He leaned back in the chair, a worried crease indenting his brow. ‘I trust you, Inspector.’ But his wary eyes belied his statement.

‘You gave Naomi a lift home from choir practice once or twice.’

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