Page 89 of The Guilty Girl

‘Quite possible. His back has tiny cuts. I’ll mention it to the pathologist when she arrives.’

Lottie nodded. ‘It’s been a long day, Gráinne. Thanks for all your work.’

‘Just doing my job.’

The wind gathered pace and the rain dwindled to a soft drizzle. Lottie stared down at Jake Flood’s face. He appeared serene, but she knew he had died violently. Poor kid. She groaned at the thought of having to deliver the bad news to his mother and little sister.

About to tell Kirby to widen and secure the perimeter of the scene, she felt eyes on her back. She swung around, searching through the gathering darkness for the source of her unease. All she saw were huddled SOCOs and uniformed gardaí working in silence as the night folded in around them.

Walking down the narrow slope, she was certain there had been eyes on her. And that spooked the life out of her.

* * *

Had she seen him?

The boy hung back under the railway bridge, against the mossy wall. She’d glanced all around as if looking for someone. He wanted to get away, but he had a job to do.

After he’d heard the sirens, he’d followed the sound and skirted around by the main road to enter the canal path via the railway. On arrival, he’d kept a safe distance. He didn’t like what he was seeing. It sure looked like Jake that they’d pulled out of the canal. A cold shiver of fear travelled the length of his spine and he shuddered.

He sat up straighter on the saddle, leaning one hand against the wet bricks. One foot on the pedal, the other on the ground.

He didn’t like this and he wasn’t sure if he should send a text or not. He honestly didn’t know what to do.

Watching the tall, leggy detective talking to one of the forensic people, who looked like Casper the ghost in the dying light, he wondered what had gone wrong. Was this because of Lucy? Could it mean that Jake’s little sister was in danger too? Uneasiness pumped goose bumps up on his arms under his thin wet jacket. He didn’t like this at all.

He slipped the phone back into his pocket, telling himself there’d be time enough later on to send the text. Or maybe tomorrow.

As he turned the bike, a slimy fat rat came up from the reeds and ran across his path. He nearly fucking screamed his head off. Stopped himself just in time by jamming his hand into his mouth.

Then, like the rat, the kid slunk off as quickly as he could through the darkness.

42

The rain had stopped and the last of the evening light had disappeared as Lottie shrugged on her jacket and made her way to the front door of 16 Brinsley Terrace, Jake Flood’s home. She’d left Kirby at the scene – proper protocol to have a senior member of her team there to meet the state pathologist – and rushed to the station, where she’d commandeered Garda Lei, who’d been on his way out after an extended shift. He’d readily agreed to accompany her.

‘Try it again,’ she told him after he’d received no reply. The interior hall light was on, and she stepped back, checking the upstairs rooms.

‘Maybe they’re out searching for Jake or the car,’ he said.

‘The car is either burned out or in a ditch in another county by now. We’ll find it and hopefully be able to lift some evidence from it.’ If Sean had been honest from the get-go about his four-in-the-morning trek, when he’d seen the car fly by him, would things have turned out differently? Would they have found Jake alive? But it was no use speculating. Deal with the facts. That was her job. Jake was dead and her immediate task was to break the news to his family.

Lei pressed the doorbell again while knocking on the glass pane. Opening the letter box, he bent down and shouted, ‘Mrs Flood? It’s Garda Lei with Inspector Parker. Please open the door.’

As he straightened, a shadow appeared behind the door. Too small to be Liz.

Lottie held her breath, trying to align words in the correct order before she’d have to utter them. She heard a chain being pulled back. The door opened a fraction and two frightened green eyes stared out.

‘Sharon, remember me? I spoke with you and your mum earlier today.’

‘I’m not stupid.’

‘I know you’re not. Is your mum here?’

‘No. What do you want?’

‘Where is she?’

‘Out. Looking for Jake. Did you find him?’ Her eyes brightened momentarily.