Page 142 of Her Last Walk Home

‘She had a Pine Grove brochure in her possession.’ Lottie had to be careful. She couldn’t relate what Gordon Collins had told her about his relationship to Aneta. It needed to be verified, and anyhow it had nothing to do with Charlie Lennon.

‘That doesn’t mean anything. Those brochures are everywhere.’

‘She was working at Cuan rehab centre.’ Lottie passed over another photo. The group photo taken by Greg Plunkett on donor day. ‘That’s you there.’

‘Yes. It was a big shindig. Gordon asked me along. He said there’d be wealthy people there and I might be able to do a little scouting for sales.’

‘Mm…’ Lottie played it as if she knew something else. ‘You never told us you were there.’

‘Did you even ask?’

Good question. Lottie glanced at Boyd, who shrugged. She pointed to a young woman standing in the background of the photo. ‘That’s Aneta.’

‘The dead girl?’ Hesitating, Charlie considered the photo. ‘I’ve no recollection of her being there. I was more interested in people with money.’

Lottie clenched her fists under the table. Christ Almighty, but the woman was grating on her nerves.

Charlie said, ‘Are you done? I want to leave now.’

Nodding her assent, Lottie waited for Boyd to sign off for the recording and switch off the machine.

‘Thanks for all your help,’ she said.

Charlie stood and tightened the sweater at her throat. ‘I’ll help in any way I can, but I don’t like your tone, Inspector. I’ve done nothing wrong.’ With that, she left the interview room.

Lottie and Boyd turned to each other.

‘What are we not seeing here?’ she said.

100

When her bonds were released, Shannon had to use every bit of willpower not to tear at her face and torso. She was covered in tiny blistered spots. Magenta was the same. The kid was home from school again and in a foul mood.

The woman was presumably at work and the man had gone off after locking them in. He’d checked all the windows and doors before he left.

‘I wish I was in school,’ Magenta said. ‘I like school. But I have to pretend there.’

‘Pretend about what?’

‘Who I am.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I’m Magenta here and Maggie there. It’s a bit shit.’ The child scratched at a spot until it bled. Shannon did nothing to stop her.

‘Why have you two names?’

‘How would I know?’

‘Do you know their real names too?’

‘Are you joking? Of course I do. But you can’t trick me into telling you.’

‘I’m not trying to trick you. I need to get out of here, and you do too. This is not normal, what they’re doing to us, to you.All the doors chained and locked. Tying me up and taping my mouth shut. Can you not see how wrong it is?’

The girl continued to scratch the same spot then stared at her bloody finger. ‘I kind of like it. It’s like a big adventure.’

‘How long have you lived here?’

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