Page 139 of Her Last Walk Home

‘Rex McGovern attends here, and he told us about a Maggie who gets dropped to the school by taxi. We’re hoping you might enlighten us.’

‘Even if I wanted to, my hands are tied. We have to protect our pupils and?—’

‘Mr Cohen, I need to know if this is from your school.’

‘It could be, yes.’

‘You know who this Maggie is, right?’

He tapped his computer. ‘Yes.’

‘I need her full name and address.’

‘I’m sorry, I can’t give?—’

‘This page was found close to a crime scene. I need to speak to Maggie.’

‘That’s impossible. She’s not in school this week. Chickenpox, the text said. It’s rife at the moment.’

Lottie opened her mouth to protest further, then hesitated. She’d recently heard of someone having chickenpox. Think. Yesterday. George Kenny had said his son had it. Was he connected to this Maggie? But Davy was too young for school. Was there a link?

‘I’ll be back with a warrant, Mr Cohen. And if this Maggie comes to harm or the missing woman turns up dead, I will hold you responsible for not giving me the information I’ve asked for.’ She knew she should have toned it down, but feck him.

‘You’re bang out of order, Inspector. You should leave.’

‘I want her full name and address,’ Lottie pressed.

‘Inspector Parker,’ Kirby said, ‘I think we should go. Now.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Mr Cohen said. ‘Really sorry.’

99

Garda Thornton called Lottie to one side as she entered the station with Kirby.

‘Charlie Lennon is in Interview Room 1. You wanted to see her.’

‘Great, thanks. I need to shower and change my clothes, but feck it.’ She spied Boyd coming in the main door. ‘Boyd, you’re with me. Work your charm. She likes you.’

‘Who likes me?’

‘Interview Room 1. Let’s go.’ As they walked, she added, ‘Do I smell as bad as you?’

‘Why are we…?’

His question petered out as McKeown came trundling towards them waving sheets of paper. ‘I found something. You have to see it.’

‘Can it wait? I want to interview Charlie Lennon now. I have to see if she remembers Shannon Kenny viewing Pine Grove. Jess said… What is it, McKeown?’

‘You’ve Charlie Lennon in there?’

‘Yep. Why?’

‘Look at this first.’

The interview room never had enough air circulating. Constantly stuffy and too hot. Lottie assumed it was designed to make suspects sweat out a confession. Outside, the weather was cold, but inside she felt totally overdressed, and the smoky odour travelled up her nose. She tugged off her sweater, balled it up on her knee, and rested her hands on the table, calming her breathing in order to face off Charlie Lennon.

Originally she’d wanted to find out if what Jess had told her last evening was true, but after McKeown’s discovery, the interview had taken on a new importance. As she handed the folder to Boyd, she noticed that her nails were clogged with soot.

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