Page 117 of Her Last Walk Home

Staring from one to the other and back again, McKeown threw his hands in the air. ‘Where is he, then?’

‘He lives in there, but we need to wait until his parents come home to question him.’

‘That’s a load of bollox. Phone them. What are their names?’

‘Rex wouldn’t say.’

‘Who the fuck is Rex? The dog?’ The top of McKeown’s head looked like someone had set a match to it.

‘No. The kid is called Rex. That’s all we know.’ Kirby eyed Lei with an expression that told him to say nothing.

‘How do you know he’s the kid we’re searching for if he said nothing?’

McKeown wasn’t stupid. Kirby toyed with what to tell him. ‘Look, we need to speak to the boss first. Okay.’

‘What did you do, Kirby? What the fuck did you do?’

‘I need to talk to the boss.’

He waddled down the path, waving his phone in the air. He headed towards where McKeown had parked the car. A few neighbours were pulling up in theirs. There was no sign of anyone going into the house where Rex sat on his cracked cream leather couch. Alone.

83

Lottie was hammering on the door of the Right One agency when she heard a car pull up across the narrow street. She turned to see Greg Plunkett getting out of it. ‘The very man.’

‘What do you want with me now, Inspector? I’ve been cooperative.’

‘Just a word.’

‘A word? Harassment springs to mind.’

‘We can talk here or at the station. Up to you.’

He slowly opened the door, then led Lottie and Boyd up the stairs.

‘Alone today?’ she asked.

‘I gave Cathy the day off. Hope that’s okay with you, or should we have asked for permission?’

‘No need to be smart with me,’ she said.

When Plunkett was seated behind the desk, Lottie ran her hand over the filing cabinet, leaving behind a streak in the dust.

‘Greg, we need your help with our investigations.’

‘Okay. What can I do for you?’

She wondered why he’d lost the belligerent tone of a moment ago. ‘I like that attitude.’

‘Yeah, well, I thought you were here to warn me away from your daughter.’

‘That too, but now’s not the time.’ She felt Boyd’s eyes boring into her. ‘We’ve been looking at what links our murder victims. And you know what? We keep returning to you.’

‘I gave you everything. Do you want my blood too?’

She ignored his gibe. ‘Aneta Kobza.’

‘She wasn’t on my books. I told you that.’

---