Page 148 of Final Betrayal

‘I loved you, you know.’

‘You what?’ Conor ran his hand over his head, streaking it with blood.

‘Yes, but you only had eyes for that housekeeper.’ She took a step towards him. ‘What did you do to her?’

‘It was an accident.’ Conor recalled the night when at last he’d got Hannah alone, down by the railway tracks about a hundred metres from where he now stood. And then she’d changed her mind. Didn’t want him near her and had tried to fight him off. But he was young and hormone-fuelled, and when he forced himself on her, she crashed her head against a rock he hadn’t known was sticking up in the overgrown bank. He hadn’t murdered her, but she’d died and he had panicked. He told Megan this.

‘If it was an accident, why did you hide her body?’

‘Let’s just say I’m not a methodical killer like you. I panicked. I ran. Afterwards, I went back and hid the body.’ He stared into her hard eyes. ‘Why did you have to murder Amy and Louise and the others?’

‘Because I found out the truth,’ she sobbed. ‘Don’t you see, Conor? I’ve had to live my life without you because they gave sworn statements that they saw you that night, and because of that you ended up in prison. You should have spoken up. I left coins at the scenes in memory of what you’d done to me. You betrayed me with your lies. Just like a Judas. Just like those silly girls.’

‘But they did see me.’

‘You didn’t assault or rob my stepfather.’

‘Why does it matter now?’ Conor said wearily.

‘When you got out of prison, you never even called to see me.’

‘I was in the pharmacy one day and?—’

‘Yeah, you were. With a note for Amy. Never even asked about me. So I reckoned it was time to make you notice me.’

It was then that Conor sensed the silence around them. The wind had dipped and the rain had eased slightly, and the three of them, standing in the middle of the piece of waste ground, were like a tripod abandoned by some weary photographer. And he knew they were not alone. He scanned his eyes around and behind Megan. Over at the door in the hoarding, he saw movement.

‘Run!’ he shouted.

As Tony and Megan swirled around in confusion, three people rushed towards them. Conor turned and fled.

He used to know where the entrance to the tunnel was. But now, ten years later, in the dark, he couldn’t find it. As a hand gripped his shoulder and hauled him down, he was aware only of the wet ground rising up to meet him, and he closed his eyes.

SIXTY-FIVE

ONE WEEK LATER

Leo Belfield was propped up with pillows, but all the monitors had been removed.

‘Are you ready to give a statement?’ Lottie asked.

‘It all happened so fast.’

‘I’m sure you can recall some of it.’ She sat on a chair beside his bed.

‘She went for me with the knife. Shouting that she wanted to take your daughters but someone had got them first. Apparently she’d seen Megan talking to them at the accident site. She said she knew you’d come to Farranstown at some stage and she’d get you then.’

‘What did you do?’

‘Defended myself. She had the knife in one hand and a noose in the other. She lashed out. Kept stabbing while I tried to wrench the knife from her hand. One wound was fairly deep and I knew I was losing a lot of blood, but eventually I was able to twist her arm enough so that she dropped the knife.’

‘Mmm. So how come she ended up with a rope around her neck and the life choked out of her?’ Lottie returned Leo’s stare.

‘Do you want me to go to prison?’

‘No.’

‘Let’s say she got entangled in it as we fought. And leave it at that.’

---