Page 79 of Her Last Walk Home

‘Just send me on those names. Oh, and by the way, you need to provide an alibi for Thursday and Saturday nights.’

Unable to locate the boss, McKeown parked his discovery about the young boy on the CCTV footage while he had another look at John Morgan. He had Pine Grove doorbell footage to check but for now he needed a change from that sort of work.

Brenda Morgan had accessed her son’s online banking and emailed over his bank statements. He went through them and hit on a transaction from a London bank, presumably his mother’s. The next day the money went out to Cuan rehab. The boss had mentioned Cuan, but he felt he’d read about it somewhere else. Where, though?

He clicked open tabs on his computer and found it. He sent it and the bank statement to the printer. Dragging the pages as they completed, he burst into the boss’s office. Still empty. He was debating phoning her when Kirby ambled into the room, huffing and puffing.

‘Hey, Kirby, where’s the boss?’

‘God only knows. Why?’

‘Have a look at this.’ McKeown settled on the edge of Kirby’s desk while the other detective took a quick look at the statement.

Kirby took off his coat. ‘So? We know Morgan was in rehab. And his mother paid for it, so that’s not news.’

‘But have a look at this.’ McKeown handed over the second page. ‘Note who is the largest donor to Cuan.’ He smirked as he watched Kirby read.

‘What about it? He donates to charity. It’s a tax thing. No big deal.’

‘But Gordon Collins is in financial difficulties. Why was he donating to Cuan?’

‘Is it even relevant?’

‘I think it’s very relevant.’ McKeown eyed his colleague. ‘Hey, you know something, don’t you? Spill.’

Kirby puffed out his cheeks. ‘The missing woman, Shannon Kenny, was in Cuan for around three months last year. She met John Morgan there. And, like Laura Nolan, Shannon was on that Right One website.’

‘Holy shit.’ McKeown thought of the connections they were making. ‘What if Laura Nolan was in Cuan rehab too? That would definitively link the victims.’

‘But what about the woman whose body was found this morning? And there’s no evidence to point to Shannon Kenny being a victim yet. She just hasn’t come home after a night out. It’s not the first time she’s done it.’

‘Come on, Kirby. We already have three murders. You have to admit it’s suspicious.’

‘How do we go about finding out if Laura Nolan was ever in rehab?’

‘I can ask her mother, but first we need to tell the boss. Where is she?’

‘God knows. Might be a family emergency.’ Kirby scratched his head. ‘Where’s Boyd, come to think of it? I’ll phone their mobiles.’

‘We also need to see how Gordon Collins fits into the mix with these charitable donations.’ McKeown stalled, starting to doubt the significance of his find. ‘Thing is, they were above board.’

‘How did you find out about them?’

‘I remembered I’d seen something about Cuan when I was checking up on Collins. Googled the article and up comes the bold Gordon in the local paper handing over a cheque,’ McKeown said. ‘I’m trying the boss again.’

58

Lottie kept thinking of the most recent dead woman. She felt a rising sense of hopelessness about how she’d spent her last days. She imagined all sorts of scenarios. None of them good.

The large gates slid open, and Boyd parked outside the seemingly modest two-storey red-brick house overlooking Ladystown Lake. A lawn bordered the short driveway. No flowers, but plenty of trees. She had phoned Collins and arranged to meet at his house. He surprised her by opening the door before she had pressed a finger to the bell.

‘I have cameras,’ he said, by way of explanation. ‘Come in. You can leave your shoes there if you like. Underfloor heating.’

She glanced at Boyd, and he shrugged. She shook her head. No way was she taking her boots off. She followed Collins down a narrow corridor. He was even taller than Boyd, and he had to bend his head as he led them through a door into an extension at the back of the house.

‘Oh my God,’ Lottie said, astounded by the scale of the room and the view. The house seemed to be cut down into the earth, a box of glass walls framing the lake. Everything here was new, and definitely not modest. Totally different from the front of the building. Deceptive.

‘Tea? Coffee?’ Collins asked.

---