When Donal O’Donnell refused to come to the station. Lottie decided to go to him.

In the car, her phone rang.

‘Is that Inspector Lottie Parker?’

‘Yes. Who’s this?’

‘Keelan. Keelan O’Donnell.’

‘What can I do for you?’

‘You never contacted me.’

‘Sorry. Things are hectic.’ And that was putting it mildly, Lottie thought. ‘What’s up?’

‘It’s Cillian. I don’t know where he is. And …’

‘And?’

‘Things are bad at home. Very bad, the last few months. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. I think he’s up to something.’

‘Something?’ Lottie rolled her eyes over at Boyd. ‘Like what?’

‘I think he’s seeing someone else. Look, the reason … I’m scared, Inspector. He’s become a bit violent. I’m terrified he’ll do something to me, to Saoirse.’

‘Keelan, I’m on my way to your father-in-law’s place. Why don’t you meet me there?’

---

The television was on, the sound muted. The candle on the dresser in front of Lynn’s photograph remained unlit. Donal sat at the table with his hands clenched in fists. Opposite him, Lottie sat with Boyd.

‘Mr O’Donnell. Donal. Can you tell us about the day Lynn disappeared?’

‘Jesus. Now you’ve found her body, all you have are questions. It’s all in the file. I’m sure it’s a big fat file. You can’t miss it.’ He pulled the newspaper towards him and began to fold it.

‘We have new information.’

‘You have her body.’

‘We believe Lynn got off the train this day ten years ago and was met by her brother. Did she come home? Did something happen? A family row because she was in love with a traveller? Something like that, huh?’

The paper-folding exercise halted, his hand in the air. ‘What makes you say that?’

‘Remember I told you about the ring the pathologist found inside Lynn’s body?’

‘What about it?’

‘It was given to Lynn by Paddy McWard.’

His lip curled up to his nose. ‘That piece of scum. I wouldn’t let him near my sons, never mind my daughter.’

‘But he was near your daughter. According to Paddy, they were in love. Probably would’ve run off together to get married if someone hadn’t stopped that happening.’

She recoiled as Donal spat on the kitchen floor. ‘He wasn’t near my girl.’

Deciding offence was the best option, she said, ‘I have reason to believe one of her brothers picked her up from the train. Did they come back here? A big row broke out. Then what?’

‘Fuck off, devil woman. Talking evil in my house. I won’t have it.’

The doorbell chimed.

‘I’ll get it,’ Boyd said, and escaped.

He returned a few seconds later followed by Keelan and a little girl.

‘Hey, Dad, what’s going on?’

‘I’m not your dad! What do you want?’

Lottie noticed Keelan shrinking back and her daughter cowering behind her legs.

‘I’m … I’m looking for Cillian.’

‘He’s not here. You can bugger off.’

Lottie interjected. ‘Sit down, Keelan.’ The woman was so scared, she might as well have had the word FEAR written in bold letters on her face.

‘I’ll just let Saoirse play in the living room.’

When she returned, she sat at the end of the table.

Lottie said, ‘Donal, this is serious. Please tell us what happened this day ten years ago.’

The lids of his watery eyes rose slightly before he looked down at his hands and shook his head.

‘It was bad. Evil. My girl brought a curse on this family. Cavorting with the likes of them, living in caravans with their spells and curses. Can you imagine how my poor Maura would have felt if she’d found out about it? Devastated she’d have been.’

‘Was Lynn planning on telling her mother?’ Lottie said.

‘She told Cillian. He was always her favourite. She never got on with Finn. Think the lad was mighty jealous of his brother. But that’s beside the point. Cillian knew she intended to tell all that day, it being Valentine’s, and she’d planned to meet the tinker fellow.’ He paused as if the word caused his mouth to dry up. ‘I was just in from work when the boys sat me down. She stood there.’ He pointed to the dresser. ‘Stood there like a hussy and told me she was pregnant.’

‘Where was your wife?’

‘She was still at work. We worked hard for our kids. Day and night. And that’s how the girl repaid us. Slut. That’s what she was. A fucking slut.’

‘There’s no need to speak ill of your daughter like that.’ Keelan hugged her arms to her chest, her features incredulous.

‘Please continue, Donal,’ Lottie said. She didn’t want him to clam up, or they might never find out what had happened; might never find Grace and Mollie. That is, if they were linked at all.

Donal eyed her before continuing. ‘You’ve no idea what it was like. I nearly died, right where I was sitting. That’s the kind of shock it was. But when she said who she’d been whoring around with, I lost it. Jumped up and hit her smack in the face. She fell back and Cillian caught her. He started shouting at me, and Finn stood there with his mouth open like the big eejit he was and always will be.’

‘And then?’

‘And then I stormed out of the house. Went to the pub. Must have drunk ten pints, and when I got home, there was no Lynn.’

‘What had happened? What did your sons say?’

‘Cillian said Lynn had run off. He told me he’d driven round to the site, where that yoke lived, but she wasn’t there and the tinker hadn’t a clue.’

‘And did you believe him, that she’d run off?’

‘What else could I believe? That he’d killed her and hidden her body? That’s what I believed for the last ten years. That’s why I never mentioned the McWard fellow. There was enough disgrace hanging like a noose around my family without that.’

‘And your wife. What did you tell Maura?’

‘Finn told her that Lynn never came home. And that’s what we stuck to. That’s the story we told all those years. He covered up for Cillian, like brothers do.’

‘But Lynn wasn’t dead. Where was she?’

‘I’ve no idea. I convinced myself she was dead since that day, and now she is.’

‘Where’s Cillian now?’ Lottie turned to Keelan.

‘I don’t know. He was out half the night. Like he is most of the time.’ Keelan paused, struggling to get the words out. ‘We had another blazing row this morning and he stormed off. But he said something that frightened me.’

‘What did he say?’

‘He told me I was a jealous bitch. Then he said that jealousy took his sister from him and got her killed, and if I didn’t shut up, he’d kill me.’

‘Any idea where he goes at night?’ Boyd asked.

Lottie glanced at his anxious face, etched with concern for his sister. ‘Keelan, do you know where he might have kept Lynn hidden all these years? Where he might be keeping Mollie Hunter and possibly Grace Boyd?’

‘Oh God. You don’t think … He couldn’t. Not Cillian.’ Keelan stood up, her hands pulling at her hair.

‘Please think,’ Lottie said. She turned to Donal. ‘Is there anywhere your sons went to when they were younger? Someplace no one would think of looking?’

‘All the houses beside us are empty, ten if not eleven years. Maura wouldn’t let us move in case Lynn came home and couldn’t find us.’

‘Okay. I want you to come to the station. We’ll organise a search.’

‘I’m going nowhere,’ Donal said.

‘Mr O’Donnell, you’ve been complicit in covering up a crime. You’re coming with us.’

‘You’ll have to handcuff me.’

‘I will.’ Boyd pulled a set from his pocket and clicked them open.

‘Wait a minute,’ Lottie said. She turned to Keelan. ‘We need to get Finn and his wife into protective custody. Are they at home?’

‘I imagine so.’

Lottie phoned Kirby to get there straight away with a squad car. She left Boyd with Donal and ushered Keelan into the sitting room to collect Saoirse. The room exuded misery and loss.

‘Inspector?’ Keelan said.

Lottie looked at her.

‘I don’t think my Cillian could do that to his sister. He loved her.’

‘Love can do strange things to people,’ Lottie said.