Page 141 of Three Widows

Lynch elbowed him in the ribs as they sat on the couch. ‘We have no word of Helena’s whereabouts, Mrs Foley. Are you certain you’ve no idea where she might be?’

The woman shrugged, her face seemingly a lot older than her fifty-odd years. The worry of having a liar for a daughter? Or was it the result of hearing about the assault on a woman she’d once fostered as a child?

‘I don’t know where she is. I’m sorry.’

‘When was the last time she was in contact with you?’

‘Two mornings ago, I think it was. She rang in a bit of a stupor. I reckoned she was in the midst of a roaring hangover. I regret to say, I hung up on her.’

‘And you haven’t seen or heard from her since?’

‘I haven’t.’

‘Can I ask you about SunUp?’

‘What?’

‘It’s that fancy yoga studio in town.’

‘Oh, right. That place.’

‘Do you know Owen Dalton?’

‘Who?’

‘He’s the owner of the studio.’

‘Okay.’

‘How do you know him?’

‘I don’t.’

Lynch shifted to the edge of the uncomfortable couch. ‘Mrs Foley… may I call you Kathleen?’

‘Sure.’

‘Kathleen, we know you invested in Owen Dalton’s studio.’

‘Invested? You must be mistaken.’

‘We know you haven’t been paid back.’

Foley bit the inside of her cheek. Lynch could see her tongue running around her teeth. ‘That’s none of your business.’

‘It is, actually. We’re investigating murders, not petty theft. Everything is our business until we find the murderer.’

‘Well,’ Kathleen said huffily, ‘my financial affairs have nothing to do with you or your investigations. You should be out searching for my daughter.’

‘What would you say if we told you Owen Dalton has just been found murdered?’

Kathleen’s face hardened, accentuating the sharp lines around her mouth. ‘I’d say good riddance.’

‘I thought you didn’t know him?’

‘I know he’s a money-guzzling rat.’

‘Why did you invest in his business?’

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