No Safe Place(Detective Lottie Parker #4)(73)

Cillian grunted. ‘The authorities seem to think no body, no crime. But we’ve been without our sister for the last ten years, so in my mind that is a crime.’

‘I agree,’ Cynthia said.

‘Then why are you talking to us?’ Cillian said. ‘Talk to the guards. See what they can tell you.’

‘I tried, but they’re very tight-lipped about it. I thought with the murder of a young woman last seen on the train, they would see the similarity to Lynn’s disappearance.’

‘I heard that. Awful it was,’ Donal said.

‘So, can you tell me anything that might help jog someone’s memory?’

Donal stood up and busied himself folding the newspaper. ‘You know the facts. My daughter worked in the civil service in Dublin. Commuted every day. And on the fourteenth of February 2006, she got the train home as usual, only she never arrived. That morning was the last time any of us laid eyes on her.’

‘And you boys, when did you last see your sister?’

Cillian observed the reporter taking notes surreptitiously in the notebook on her knee. Does she think I can’t see her? ‘We all lived at home then. Lynn got up for the early train. There was only the one early train back then. Me and Finn, we saw her the night before, when we were going to bed. Isn’t that right?’

Finn grunted, head still bowed. Cillian kicked him under the table.

‘That’s right,’ he said.

Standing up, Cillian said, ‘I think the only place you’ll get all the information is from the guards. But we’d appreciate it if you could do a new appeal for information.’

He watched as she flattened one of the posters out on the table. ‘This phone number, is it one of yours? Can I publicise it?’

‘It’s a dedicated number. For information. Not that it does much good. Hasn’t rung in ten years.’ Cillian looked at his father, who by now had the newspaper folded into a small square.

‘Aye, that’s right,’ Donal said.

‘Maybe my news feature will throw up some new suspects for the gardaí.’

‘They never had any suspects in the first place,’ Donal said. ‘I’ll see you out now, Ms Rhodes.’

After she’d left the house, the three O’Donnell men eyed each other. They knew there was one prime suspect who had never come under garda suspicion. They should have said something back then, but they’d never allow the family to suffer that indignity. Never.



* * *



Carol lay on her side on her bed. Nausea wended its way up from her stomach and settled at the back of her throat. How had she let this happen? She was a fool. She should have told the guards that Elizabeth knew about her pregnancy and the fact that she was much further on than she had intimated.

She figured she had to talk to him soon. To the father of this child growing in her womb. He had been so nice, hadn’t he? After all that had gone before. So understanding of her frustrations with her home life, her gay brother and her dumbass job. Yes, he had been nice to her. But not at the time.

Bloody hell, she thought, it’s a freaking mess.

Her phone lay on the pillow beside her. She’d opened his contact details. Saved under a made-up name, just in case. You can never be careful enough, he’d said. Yeah, she knew he was married. But he had a right to know. Hadn’t he?

Another wave of nausea released itself from her throat and she retched into the bowl she’d placed beside her bed.

How long was this going to last? As a cold sweat broke out on her forehead, she shut off the contact and locked her phone. Not now. She was too sick.



* * *



The traveller site was lit up like Christmas Eve. Paddy McWard parked his Jeep and had a good look around before entering his home.

His dinner was on a plate in the microwave and Bridie was sitting on the couch with Tommy on her knee.

‘How’s Tommy?’ he said.

‘My face is very painful, thank you for asking.’ Bridie was sulking.

He sat beside her and took his son in his arms. He kissed Tommy’s sweet-smelling hair, and the baby nuzzled into his chest. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been here for you recently.’

‘Why is that, Paddy? Why haven’t you been here? Where have you been? Or am I not allowed to ask?’

‘Please don’t ask and I won’t have to lie to you.’

‘Like that, is it?’ She shuffled away from him but he could see her eyes were on Tommy.

‘I’m not going to hurt our son, nor you, for that matter,’ he said. She was biting her lip. He knew this was a sign that she was desperately trying not to cry. ‘And don’t start bawling. I want you to believe that beating you got had nothing to do with me.’

‘I’m sure it had something to do with whatever you’re involved in. Why else have the guards been swarming around this place for the last few weeks like flies on a shite?’

‘They’re looking for scapegoats. Someone to blame for every fight or burglary in town. And I can tell you here and now, it has nothing to do with me.’

She inched back closer to him. ‘But why would someone break in and beat me up?’

‘I don’t know. But I’m going to find out.’ He could almost feel the heat blazing from her eyes. ‘What?’