Page 46 of Final Betrayal

‘Sorrow. Unrelenting, unforgiving sorrow. Did you know her well?’

‘Who?’

‘The young guard who was murdered during the summer.’

He couldn’t stop the tears that dripped one by one down his cheeks. He wiped them away with the back of his hand.

‘Let’s get back to Amy and Penny.’ He straightened himself on the small stool. ‘When did you last see either of them?’

‘Death leaves a big fat hole in your life,’ Megan said softly, leaving his question unanswered. ‘That’s the worst part. Trying to find something to fit into it and knowing in your heart that it will always be there. What was her name?’

Kirby gazed into the pharmacist’s dark brown eyes. They were kind and sympathetic.

‘Her name was Gilly. She was a lot younger than me, so she made me feel young. And she had the craziest smile you’d ever see. Not crazy like crazy, if you know what I mean.’

She laughed nervously. ‘Is infectious the word you’re looking for?’

‘That’s it. I’ll never hear her voice again. Do you know how terrifying that is? To know you will never hear someone’s voice again.’

‘I know it well. It’s tough, Detective Kirby. With time, the pain will ease. It never goes away, but you learn to live with it.’

‘Are you speaking from experience?’ He patted his pockets. He could do with escaping outside for a quick smoke.

She stood. The cluttered space seemed to fill, though she was as thin as a rake. ‘Enough about personal trauma. I’ll rack my brains and let you know if I remember anything out of the ordinary about Amy and Penny.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’ Kirby edged by her.

He noticed the downturned heads of the two assistants, who’d made themselves busy when he and Megan returned to the main shop. He welcomed the multitude of scents vying with each other for supremacy.

‘Did Amy have a locker? Somewhere to store personal stuff?’

Megan blushed. ‘She used a small cupboard in my office, but I checked it this morning when I heard the news. There was nothing in it.’

Kirby addressed one of the shop assistants; Trisha, according to her name badge. ‘Did you like working with Amy?’

Trisha’s face drained of all colour and she began to sob. ‘She was fantastic. We all loved her. Didn’t we?’

He noticed she’d directed her question to Megan and not the other assistant. Megan nodded and steered Kirby to the door. ‘I have your card. I’ll have a chat with the girls too and contact you if we think of anything.’

Out on the street, Kirby couldn’t help feeling that he’d missed something. He scratched his head. For the life of him he couldn’t work out what it was. One thing he knew for sure, he was totally embarrassed. When he’d been in the claustrophobic storeroom, he’d realised he needed a shower. Badly.

The recording equipment was running, and names and details had been outlined. Lottie had picked up Chloe and Sean and dropped them home, where she was surprised to see that Katie had prepared dinner. She’d declined the offer to eat and rushed back to work, where she found Conor Dowling had been brought to the interview room. Boyd did the introductions for the recording before she began.

‘So, Conor, you’re working for Cyril Gill, is that right?’

‘You know I am because that’s where you had me picked up from. Don’t be asking stupid questions. I know the drill. Been here before, haven’t I?’

‘Yes, you have. When did you get out of prison?’

‘You know that too.’

‘Two months ago. And you started working for Cyril Gill two weeks ago.’

He clamped his mouth shut, arms folded, legs stretched out under the table. A lip curled upwards. His nails were crusted with mud and the backs of his hands laced with dirt. He’d dropped his work coat on the floor and rolled up his sleeves. His arms were inked with a myriad of tattoos.

‘Odd choice of employer,’ Lottie said.

Dowling said nothing.

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