The Secret Place (Dublin Murder Squad, #5)(49)

Not slow, not sick. I had practically forgotten even thinking that. Selena did things to the air, slowed it to her pace, tinted it her pearly colours. Brought you with her, strange places.

I said, ‘Any idea why you see him? Were you close, yeah?’

A flash across Selena’s face, as she raised her head. Just that one flash, there and gone in a blink, too fast to catch and hold. Something sharp, shining through the haze like silver.

‘No,’ she said.

That second, I would’ve sworn to two things. Somewhere, down some tangled thread we might never follow, Selena was at the heart of this case. And I was going to get my fight.

I did puzzled. ‘I thought you were going out with him.’

‘No.’

Nothing more.

‘Then why do you think you see him? If you weren’t close.’

Selena said, ‘I haven’t worked that out yet.’

Conway moved again. ‘When you figure it out, you go right ahead and let us know.’

Selena’s eyes shifted to her. ‘OK,’ she said, peaceably.

Conway said, ‘Have you got a boyfriend?’

Selena shook her head.

‘Why not?’

‘I don’t want one.’

‘Why not?’

Nothing. Conway said, ‘What happened to your hair?’

Selena lifted a hand to her head, puzzled. ‘Oh,’ she said. ‘That. I cut it.’

‘How come?’

She considered that. ‘It felt like the right thing.’

Conway said, again, ‘How come?’

Silence. Selena’s mouth had gone loose again. She wasn’t ignoring us; simpler. She had let go of us.

We were done. We gave her our cards, sent her drifting out of the door with Houlihan, no backward glance.

Conway said, ‘Another one we can’t rule out.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Chris Harper’s ghost,’ Conway said, shaking her head, disgusted. ‘For f*ck’s sake. And there’s McKenna upstairs, giving herself pats on the back because her and her shrine got rid of all that carry-on. I’d love to tell her, just to see her face.’



And, last of all, Holly.

Holly had changed her angle – for Conway or for Houlihan, no way to tell. She was all good little schoolgirl, straight back, hands folded in front of her. When she came in the door, she practically curtsied.

It occurred to me, a bit late, that I had no clue what Holly wanted off me.

‘Holly,’ I said. ‘You remember Detective Conway. We both really appreciate you bringing in that card.’ Solemn nod from Holly. ‘We’ve just got a few more questions to ask you.’

‘Course. No problem.’ She sat down, crossed her ankles. I swear her eyes had got bigger and bluer.

‘Can you tell us what you did yesterday evening?’

Same story as the other three, only smoother. No nudging needed here, no going back to correct herself. Holly reeled it off like she’d been rehearsing. Probably she had.

I said, ‘Have you ever put any secrets up on the board?’

‘No.’

‘Never?’

Quick spark, the impatient Holly I knew, through all that demure. ‘Secrets are secret. That’s the point. And no way is it totally anonymous, not if someone really wants to track you down. Half the cards up there, everyone knows who they are.’

Daddy’s daughter: watch your back, always. ‘So who do you think put up this card?’

Holly said, ‘You’ve narrowed it down to us and Joanne’s lot.’

‘Say we have. Who would you guess?’

She thought, or pretended to. ‘Well. It obviously wasn’t me or my friends, or I’d have told you already.’

‘You sure you’d know?’

Spark. ‘Yes, I’m sure. OK?’

‘Fair enough. Which of the others would you bet on?’

‘It’s not Joanne, because she’d have made a total incredible drama out of the whole thing – probably she’d have fainted in Assembly and you’d have had to go talk to her in her hospital bed, or whatever. And Orla’s way too stupid to think of this. So that leaves Gemma and Alison. If I have to guess . . .’

She was loosening, the longer we talked. Conway was staying well out, head down. I said, ‘Go for it.’

‘Well. OK. Gemma thinks her and Joanne run the universe. If she knew something, she probably wouldn’t tell you at all, but if she did, it’d be straight out. With her dad sitting in – he’s a solicitor. So I’d guess Alison. She’s scared of basically everything; if she knew something, she’d never have the guts to go straight to you.’

Holly snatched a glance at Conway, made sure she was writing this down. ‘Or,’ she said. ‘Probably you’ve thought of this. But someone could have got one of Joanne’s gang to put that card up for her.’

‘Would they do it?’

‘Joanne wouldn’t. Or Gemma. Orla totally would, but she’d tell Joanne before she even did it. Alison might. If she did, though,’ Holly added, ‘she won’t tell you.’

‘Why not?’

‘Because. Joanne would be way pissed off if she found out Alison had put up that card and not told her. So she won’t let on.’