Page 150 of Three Widows

‘Did you know Jennifer O’Loughlin? I believe you have one of her paintings on your living room wall.’

‘I never met her! Helena gave it to me. How many times do I have to—’

‘We’re done,’ Madelene said, rising, her formidable voice matched by her physique.

‘I’m not.’ Lottie glared. ‘Kathleen, you said that Amy asked you to invest in Owen Dalton’s yoga studio. You’ve also said Helena drained your finances, so my question is, why did you put money into a venture you knew nothing about?’

Kathleen’s eyes softened. ‘I loved Amy. I let her down. I suppose it was partly guilt, but she practically begged me to invest. I had to borrow the money.’

‘Twenty thousand is a lot of money to pump into something because of a girl you fostered thirty years ago.’

‘I did my research on it. It was to be a state-of-the-art luxury venture.’

‘Was Frankie Bardon threatening Amy?’ Kirby asked, shuffling forward, shoving his belly into the table.

The change in Kathleen was subtle, but Lottie caught it. A wariness had crept into her eyes.

‘I believe so.’

‘Amy left her job with you, Madelene,’ Lottie said, ‘a few months before Tyler Keating went missing. Kathleen, his car was found close to where you live. What do you know about him?’

‘Nothing. Only that he took money that wasn’t his.’

‘How do you know that?’

Kathleen’s lips puckered and the little lines beneath her nose deepened into an ugly sneer. ‘I know because he swindled me out of my previous home after my husband died.’

‘How did he come to target you?’

‘Kathleen,’ Madelene said, ‘let’s go. You don’t have to say anything further.’

Lottie wasn’t giving up. ‘Is that why you killed him and hid his car near your property?’

Madelene said, ‘Inspector, as far as I can see, you are on a digging mission. You have no evidence that Tyler Keating is dead. And there is nothing to connect my client to any criminal activity, including murder. Mrs Foley came here to find out what you’re doing to locate her daughter, but you’ve badgered and insulted her. Come, Kathleen.’

Lottie had nothing on which to hold the woman. And that frustrated her greatly, because in her gut, she knew Kathleen was still hiding something. Was she covering for her daughter? Why had she lied about Helena? Was it even relevant?

She watched the two women leave and listened to Kirby wheeze out of his chair.

‘Frankie next, boss?’

91

His apartment was small enough to have no hiding places, and Boyd knew it was empty the second he stepped over the threshold. There was no point in shouting out their names. Jackie and Sergio were not there.

He slumped onto the couch and picked up a piece of Lego that his son had been playing with, anger quickly replacing his frustration.

Why couldn’t she have waited and talked it out? Perhaps she knew he’d never agree to her ridiculous idea of them living together. And now he had lost the son who had only come into his life a few months ago. The hollowness inside him was all-consuming. Was this what Lottie had felt like when Adam died? Because Boyd knew he was going to go through a grieving process for his son.

Wallowing in self-pity wasn’t going to help, though. He had to do something. He had to get his son back. He needed Lottie’s help, but first they had to solve the murders. Then he could go after Jackie and bring his son home.

He wanted to thrash the place.

Instead, he went into the bedroom. He lay on the sheets and inhaled his young son’s scent. Tears came hard and fast.

Drained of emotion, he fell into a troubled sleep.

* * *

---