Page 81 of Her Last Walk Home

A tinge of green appeared on his face, and his eyes widened. She hoped he wasn’t about to puke.

‘Do you recognise her?’

His voice was low as he uttered a strangled ‘No.’

‘It seems to have affected you more than Laura’s photo.’

‘Because this is a photo of a dead person.’

‘Laura is dead too.’

‘You know what I mean. Please, take it away.’

‘You never saw either of these young women when they were alive?’

‘I don’t recall either of them.’

She couldn’t be sure if he was telling the truth, but something was off. ‘Are you married, Gordon?’

‘Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m separated. I’ve five daughters in their teens and twenties. They live with their mother in Dublin.’

‘So you get to enjoy all this luxury on your own. Seems a waste.’ Lottie knew she was being unprofessional, but frustration had got the better of her. ‘Have you a girlfriend?’ She felt Boyd kick her ankle in warning. But she had an odd feeling about Collins and she didn’t like it.

‘Inspector, you’re out of line.’

He was correct, but she kept going. ‘I’m just curious. Do you use the services of Right One? It’s some sort of dating agency, for escorts.’

The green tint had fled his face and now it burned bright red. His hands twitched as he stood and brought his cup to the sink area. She assumed there was a sink there, but she couldn’t see it. Probably hidden behind a sliding panel.

Boyd inclined his head towards her and she shrugged. She had no idea what was going on either.

Collins turned round. He leaned against the fancy countertop, kicked off his suede slippers and crossed his legs at the ankles. She noticed he was barefoot and thought guiltily about her own muddy boots trailing across his terrazzo floors. Maybe she should have taken them off like he’d suggested.

‘Detectives,’ his voice was low and level, ‘what I do in my private life is of no concern to you. A young man who worked forme was murdered on my property. I don’t know why, nor do I know what happened to those poor unfortunate women. I kindly ask you both to leave my home. Any further questions can be put to my solicitor. I’ll forward you the details.’

They had been dismissed. Lottie didn’t like his arrogance and opened her mouth to retort, but Boyd stood and spoke before a word could leave her lips.

‘Thank you for your time, Mr Collins,’ he said. ‘We appreciate it. If we have further questions we will contact your solicitor.’

He walked to the door, but Lottie remained seated.

‘Do you know a Shannon Kenny?’

‘No. Who is—’ Collins shut his mouth as if remembering his statement about solicitors.

‘Have it your way.’ She stood. ‘If it becomes relevant to our investigations, I will see you at the station.’

59

Kirby spent an hour calling the men on the list sent over by Greg Plunkett. There would have to be face-to-face follow-up on the few of them who’d met with Shannon and Laura. But for now, he couldn’t find any holes in their alibis. Where did that leave him? He went back over his notes and decided to talk to George Kenny about Shannon’s stint in rehab.

George ushered him into a cluttered sitting room with a little boy asleep on the couch. ‘Have you news of Shannon?’

‘Not really. I wanted to ask you about her time in rehab.’

‘So now you think she’s a junkie and won’t investigate?’

‘I never said that. We are taking it very seriously.’

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