The Lost Child (Detective Lottie Parker #3)(70)

‘If I was to go along with your scenario,’ she said, ‘which I’m not ready to, tell me why Tessa Ball was killed.’

‘Wrong place, wrong time,’ he offered.

‘Bullshit.’ Boyd.

‘You have the floor,’ McMahon said, and folded his arms. Lottie didn’t dare turn her head, but she could imagine he had a sneer plastered over his closely shaven face.

‘Right,’ Boyd said, and mimicked McMahon’s earlier tour of the room. ‘Marian Russell rang her mother Tessa at 21.07 on the night of Tessa’s murder. We believe Emma left to go to Natasha’s at 18.30 and arrived home sometime after 22.30. We can assume that Marian let someone she knew into her house, as there was no sign of forced entry. Whoever it was wanted Tessa there. That was the reason for the phone call. We could assume the person was Arthur Russell, as he has no alibi from 19.30 on that evening – a domestic situation that got out of hand.’

‘I will indulge this line of thought for the moment,’ McMahon said. ‘Tessa was attacked and murdered. Marian was taken away, in her own car, to Lorcan Brady’s house. There she was tortured and mutilated. The next day she was pushed out of the car at the hospital. It’s been confirmed that was the car found burned out at Lough Cullion the same morning that Lorcan Brady and Jerome Quinn were tortured and burned in a cottage just outside Ragmullin.’

‘That cottage was once owned by Tessa Ball,’ Lottie said. Time to get her investigation back in her own hands.

‘And a criminal was renting it.’

‘She signed it over to Mick O’Dowd.’

‘The farmer on whose property her granddaughter was found murdered. He rented the cottage to Quinn, therefore he may also be involved in the drugs ring.’

Lottie couldn’t dispute his argument. Didn’t mean she had to buy into it. ‘We’re still looking for O’Dowd. When we find him, we’ll get some answers.’

‘Depending on whether he’s still alive or not.’

‘Of course he’s alive.’

‘Appears to me you haven’t been successful in keeping many suspects, or witnesses for that matter, alive so far. Where do you think this O’Dowd character could be? His Land Rover is still at the farm, I believe.’

‘A quad bike is missing,’ Lottie said.

‘Not an ideal getaway vehicle, is it?’

‘He might’ve had—’

‘Enough!’

Superintendent Corrigan moved to the front of the room. Lottie hadn’t noticed him arriving.

He shook hands with McMahon and clapped him on the back. ‘Good to have you in our neck of the woods.’

The two-faced bastard. Lottie planted a smile on her face, careful not to catch Boyd’s eye.

‘Great to be here, Superintendent. I’ll have this solved in a matter of hours. I’m heading to speak with Lorcan Brady once I wrap up this meeting.’

‘Brady can’t speak…’ Lottie stopped. Had she been kept out of that loop also?

‘I was informed earlier that he’s ready to have a wee chat with me,’ McMahon said.

‘I think I should be the one to—’

‘Great stuff,’ said Superintendent Corrigan, cutting her short. ‘Off you go, David, and I’ll have a wee chat with my team.’

Lottie noticed the realisation dawning on McMahon. He’d been outsmarted at his own game. She couldn’t help a grin curling at the corner of her mouth as she watched the Dublin DI shake Corrigan’s hand and leave the room.

‘Shut the feckin’ door,’ Corrigan instructed once McMahon had left.

‘With pleasure,’ Kirby said, dragging himself out of his chair.

‘Now, I want a full update from the senior investigating officer. Inspector Parker, that’s you, in case you had been misled by that Dublin hotshot in a suit. You have ten minutes to consult with your team. Then I want you in my office. With answers. Understood?’

‘Yes, sir.’





Sixty-Three





The relief was palpable once the two men had left. Lottie thought the four walls also breathed a welcome sigh. The air seemed to lift. If only momentarily.

‘I don’t want this going on a day longer than necessary. I want Arthur Russell and Mick O’Dowd found. What are you doing about it?’

Lynch sat up straight. ‘Every officer in the district is mobilised and there’s a manhunt throughout the state for them. Checkpoints are operational since Emma’s body was found. Airports and ports have been notified. Everyone is watching for them.’

‘So what have we got in the line of answers to our overall investigation?’

‘I’ve just received a transcript of the information that was salvaged from Marian Russell’s laptop hard drive,’ Lynch said. ‘I’ll give you a summary as soon as I get a chance to examine it.’

‘Good. Kirby, you look like the dog that got the bone. What’s your news?’

Kirby grinned, and Lottie had to smile back, even though she wanted to tell him to get a haircut.

‘The bones found at the cottage yesterday…’

‘Brady’s missing fingers?’

‘Yes, boss.’

‘The gun we found in Tessa’s apartment,’ Lottie said, moving on swiftly. ‘Any information from ballistics?’