The Lost Child (Detective Lottie Parker #3)(33)

Boyd said, ‘It’s one of those containers for storing coal.’

‘We’ll have a look inside it.’ She glanced around the room again before dropping to her knees to look under the bed.

‘Anything?’ he asked.

‘Dust,’ she said, getting up and wiping her knees. ‘Did you search the bedside cabinets?’

Boyd lifted a book, glanced at it and opened one of the doors. ‘A few pill bottles.’

‘Here, let me see those.’

‘Paracetamol,’ he said.

‘Oh.’ Lottie looked into the second cabinet. ‘This one is empty. Must’ve belonged to Arthur.’ She ran her fingers under the pillow and between the mattress and the base of the bed. Nothing.

Boyd opened a door beside the wardrobe. ‘En suite.’ Stuck his head inside. ‘Clean.’

‘Jesus, I hope I’m never murdered,’ Lottie said. ‘You’d have to fumigate the place before you could go looking anywhere.’

‘Nothing of note here,’ Boyd said, closing the en suite door.

‘What was that book?’ Lottie went back to pick up the hardback Boyd had moved a moment ago. ‘Culpeper’s Complete Herbal. Interesting. Quite an old book, too.’

She flicked through the pages. ‘Such small font. Beautiful plant illustrations. Wonder why she had it?’

Boyd looked over her shoulder. ‘Healing remedies?’

‘I’ll bag it. Might be something, might be nothing,’ Lottie said. ‘Let’s check out the yard.’



* * *



The rain had begun to spit again. Lottie bent down and opened the flap in the bunker. A couple of nuggets of coal rolled out at her feet.

‘Told you,’ Boyd said, leaning against the shed.

‘Make yourself useful and hand me that log.’

Boyd rolled it over to her.

‘Hold on to it. I don’t want to fall.’

Stepping up onto the log, Lottie lifted the top of the bunker.

‘Flashlight?’

Boyd switched on the one on his phone and handed it over. ‘Don’t let it fall in.’

She swept the light down and around the cavern. ‘Jesus.’

‘What’s in there?’ Boyd tried to peer over the edge.

‘Plants of some sort. We need to get the SOCOs back out here.’

‘As soon as you hand me back my phone.’

‘We’d better have a look inside the shed, too.’

While Boyd made the call, Lottie jumped off the log, headed into the wooden shed and snapped on the light switch. A myriad of paint cans and tools lined the steel shelves on one wall. Logs were stacked against the back wall.

Standing in the clutter, she wondered about the plants and the Culpeper book. Had Marian Russell got a little sideline going here? If so, it might make sense of someone trying to stop her, but it wasn’t a reason to murder Tessa Ball. And Kirby had thought the cottage set alight earlier might have been a grow house. Interesting.

‘I want those logs moved,’ she told Boyd. ‘There might be something beneath them. How soon before SOCOs arrive?’

‘Not long.’

‘Good. We might be getting somewhere at last.’

‘You might be, but I’m not.’

‘You wait for the SOCOs,’ Lottie said. ‘I want to speak to Emma.’



* * *



At Bernie Kelly’s house, she was greeted at the door by Garda O’Donoghue.

‘Gilly,’ Lottie said. ‘Where’s Detective Lynch?’

‘I haven’t seen her since yesterday, and I really need to get home to shower and change.’

‘Go ahead. I’ll stay until you get back, or until Lynch gets here.’

Gilly grabbed her belongings and escaped.

‘Tea, Inspector?’ Bernie Kelly asked.

‘No thanks. Just a word with Emma.’ Lottie stepped into the claustrophobic sitting room.

‘Make yourself at home, why don’t you?’ Bernie said with downturned pale lips. ‘I’ll tell her to come down.’

‘Still in bed?’

‘Teenagers.’ She attempted an eye roll; Lottie thought Bernie’s plucked eyebrows made her look like a strained prune.

Emma sauntered into the room and flopped onto an armchair. Her hair was a mess and the clothes she was wearing looked too small for her. Poor girl. She needed some of her own stuff soon, Lottie thought.

‘How’s Mum?’ Emma asked.

‘Still in an induced coma.’

‘I want to see her.’

‘I can take you,’ Lottie said.

‘And my dad? Where’s he?’

‘He’s helping us with our enquiries.’

The girl shot out of the chair. ‘Why? He didn’t do anything.’

‘Please sit down, Emma.’ Lottie placed a hand on her arm. Emma shook her off.

‘Have you arrested him?’

‘No, but we’re exploring all possibilities. Your grandmother has been murdered. I need to find out what you know.’

Emma’s eyes widened. ‘I don’t know anything. I want to see Mum and Dad. You’ve no right to keep me cooped up here. I’m a free citizen, last time I checked.’