other day.’
He scrubbed angrily at his hair. The light from the classroom window showed up the smears on his glasses and dark rings under his eyes. ‘When you first came, I didn’t know about the . . . you know.’ His voice cracked.
‘The blood?’ Corry supplied.
‘Yes. But when I found out, I got worried, OK? I knew she sometimes talked to the old woman at the farmhouse, so I called in.’
‘Did you know that the woman’s daughter also went missing from the church, in 1981?’
He paused for a second. ‘Alice told me. She thought it was interesting.’
‘Interesting. Not scary?’
‘Well, no. It was ages ago. She thought the church was . . . kind of a special place.’
Corry gave Paula a look and tried again. ‘So you’re saying you went over to Mrs O’Neill’s house to see if she knew anything about Alice. Did you go to Alice’s cottage?’
A slight pause. ‘Um, no.’
‘Have you ever been there, Dermot?’
‘No. I don’t think so.’
‘You don’t think so? You aren’t sure if you’ve ever been there or not?’
‘Not that I can remember, no.’ He was sounding more sure now.
‘And how did you get down there the other day? It’s a couple of miles, isn’t it?’
‘Bike.’ He was barely opening his mouth to speak, arms wedged in the pocket of his hoody, which must have been in need of a good wash. Paula could hear, outside somewhere, a brief scream of laughter, which for a moment sounded like the other kind. The heat of the room lay heavy on her, frying through the glass windows. Madeleine Hooker had actually set Paula and Corry up with a base in the college this time. The room they were in was wood-panelled, with modern AV equipment skilfully inserted. Like everything else in Oakdale, it was beautiful.
Corry was saying, ‘So what you’re telling me is, if I take your fingerprints, Dermot, and compare them to ones we got in Alice’s cottage, there’ll be no match.’
He thought about it. ‘It depends if it’s something else there that I touched, doesn’t it? Doesn’t necessarily prove I was there.’ He was smart. That made things harder. Paula could almost feel the effort he was putting into staying alert – and why was he doing that, if he knew nothing about Alice? What was he trying to hide?
Corry’s tone changed. ‘Tell me about Peter and Katy.’
He blinked. ‘What about them?’
‘Would either of them have a reason to fall out with Alice?’
Dermot slumped in his chair. From the corridor came laughing, confident student voices. The sound of people who’d never had anything go wrong for them. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I know Katy and Al didn’t get on that well as room-mates, so maybe, something . . . And Peter, well, he is what he is.’
‘And what’s that?’
Dermot shrugged. ‘He rows. He plays rugby. He drinks beer.’
‘Does he do anything else?’
‘Girls,’ he said flatly.
‘Alice?’
Dermot pressed his lips together. ‘I don’t know. How would I know?’
Corry looked at her watch. ‘Well, maybe he’ll tell us himself. Come in!’
As she called, the door opened tentatively. Through it, with several feet of space between them, came a wary-looking Katy and Peter, who immediately said, ‘Do I have to be here for this? I’ve got practice.’
Corry motioned for them to sit down. Dermot was staring at his lap. ‘Yes, Peter, we need to speak to all three of you.’
Katy sat down beside Dermot, so they were facing Corry and Paula across the table like an interview panel. Paula preferred to watch from the sidelines usually – it gave her a better view of the things people were trying to hide. Peter remained standing. ‘But why? We already told you what we know.’
‘Well, you’ll need to tell us again.’ Corry glared at him. ‘Sit down.’
He did. Katy immediately took his hand and placed them both, entwined, on the table. ‘Of course we want to help,’ she said. ‘We’re worried about Alice. We think
He scrubbed angrily at his hair. The light from the classroom window showed up the smears on his glasses and dark rings under his eyes. ‘When you first came, I didn’t know about the . . . you know.’ His voice cracked.
‘The blood?’ Corry supplied.
‘Yes. But when I found out, I got worried, OK? I knew she sometimes talked to the old woman at the farmhouse, so I called in.’
‘Did you know that the woman’s daughter also went missing from the church, in 1981?’
He paused for a second. ‘Alice told me. She thought it was interesting.’
‘Interesting. Not scary?’
‘Well, no. It was ages ago. She thought the church was . . . kind of a special place.’
Corry gave Paula a look and tried again. ‘So you’re saying you went over to Mrs O’Neill’s house to see if she knew anything about Alice. Did you go to Alice’s cottage?’
A slight pause. ‘Um, no.’
‘Have you ever been there, Dermot?’
‘No. I don’t think so.’
‘You don’t think so? You aren’t sure if you’ve ever been there or not?’
‘Not that I can remember, no.’ He was sounding more sure now.
‘And how did you get down there the other day? It’s a couple of miles, isn’t it?’
‘Bike.’ He was barely opening his mouth to speak, arms wedged in the pocket of his hoody, which must have been in need of a good wash. Paula could hear, outside somewhere, a brief scream of laughter, which for a moment sounded like the other kind. The heat of the room lay heavy on her, frying through the glass windows. Madeleine Hooker had actually set Paula and Corry up with a base in the college this time. The room they were in was wood-panelled, with modern AV equipment skilfully inserted. Like everything else in Oakdale, it was beautiful.
Corry was saying, ‘So what you’re telling me is, if I take your fingerprints, Dermot, and compare them to ones we got in Alice’s cottage, there’ll be no match.’
He thought about it. ‘It depends if it’s something else there that I touched, doesn’t it? Doesn’t necessarily prove I was there.’ He was smart. That made things harder. Paula could almost feel the effort he was putting into staying alert – and why was he doing that, if he knew nothing about Alice? What was he trying to hide?
Corry’s tone changed. ‘Tell me about Peter and Katy.’
He blinked. ‘What about them?’
‘Would either of them have a reason to fall out with Alice?’
Dermot slumped in his chair. From the corridor came laughing, confident student voices. The sound of people who’d never had anything go wrong for them. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘I know Katy and Al didn’t get on that well as room-mates, so maybe, something . . . And Peter, well, he is what he is.’
‘And what’s that?’
Dermot shrugged. ‘He rows. He plays rugby. He drinks beer.’
‘Does he do anything else?’
‘Girls,’ he said flatly.
‘Alice?’
Dermot pressed his lips together. ‘I don’t know. How would I know?’
Corry looked at her watch. ‘Well, maybe he’ll tell us himself. Come in!’
As she called, the door opened tentatively. Through it, with several feet of space between them, came a wary-looking Katy and Peter, who immediately said, ‘Do I have to be here for this? I’ve got practice.’
Corry motioned for them to sit down. Dermot was staring at his lap. ‘Yes, Peter, we need to speak to all three of you.’
Katy sat down beside Dermot, so they were facing Corry and Paula across the table like an interview panel. Paula preferred to watch from the sidelines usually – it gave her a better view of the things people were trying to hide. Peter remained standing. ‘But why? We already told you what we know.’
‘Well, you’ll need to tell us again.’ Corry glared at him. ‘Sit down.’
He did. Katy immediately took his hand and placed them both, entwined, on the table. ‘Of course we want to help,’ she said. ‘We’re worried about Alice. We think
Similar Books
