Chapter 84
84
The first thing Lottie noticed about the Moorland estate was how close it was to the rear of the cinema complex, even though it was ringed by hedges and fenced off. The second thing was the affluence it presented. Two-storey houses, all painted the same pastel yellow, with large ground-floor windows on either side of smart grey doors. The third thing she noticed was that the McGoverns' house didn't fit in. The walls seemed sad, the door in need of a rub of a cloth to wipe away dirt and dust. All the windows had their curtains or blinds drawn tightly. Keeping something out? Or in?
Before knocking, she did a hasty Google search about the estate.
‘I don't believe it.'
‘What?' Lei asked.
‘Moorland was built by Gordon Collins.'
‘He seems to have a finger in every pie in this town.'
‘Too many pies for my liking, or maybe I'm jealous because I can't afford to buy a decent house.' As she raised her hand to knock on the door, she spied a small camera bell, so she pressed that instead.
Muffled sounds came from within before the door opened. The man who stood there had dishevelled hair and a taut jaw. Angry?
‘What?' he growled. Definitely angry.
‘I'm Detective Inspector Parker, and this is my colleague, Garda Lei. We'd like a minute of your time, if you don't mind.'
‘What's this about? I've only just got in from work.' He patted down his unruly black hair and straightened his tie before tucking his creased white shirt into navy suit trousers. She spied the corresponding jacket hanging on the stairs.
‘Mr McGovern, is it?'
‘Yeah. Benny. What's this about?' He kept his hand firmly on the door, blocking entry.
‘We're investigating a murder and talking to everyone on this estate. It won't take long at all.'
‘And that requires an Inspector? Waste of resources.' Relenting, he opened the door wider, with an audible sigh. ‘You better come in.'
Lei shut the door behind them as Lottie followed McGovern into the sitting room that Kirby had perfectly described. It seemed the family might have been able to afford their house, but furniture was another matter. Not that she was in any position to criticise, with the state of Farranstown House. She tugged off her jacket and pulled down the sleeves of her white shirt, which had travelled up her arms.
Benny sat at the dining table before Lottie and Lei joined him.
‘This is a lovely estate,' she said. ‘New, is it?'
‘We're here five years. More like a lifetime with all the problems we've had.'
‘Oh, why is that?'
‘Where do I start? Everything from day one was wrong with it. Cracks in the walls. Condensation in the bathroom. No vents in any room. Bad workmanship all round, and that bastard Gordon Collins gets away with murder. I've sent more solicitor's letters than I can count. Anyhow. That's not why you're here. How can I help you?'
Lottie banked the information about Collins. ‘We're investigating the murder of Laura Nolan. Her body was discovered in the grounds of the cinema complex on Friday morning. Close to this estate.'
‘I read about it. Terrible tragedy for the young woman's family. This town isn't safe to walk around in daylight, let alone at night.'
She noted the inherent criticism in his tone but chose to ignore it. ‘Did you hear or see anything suspicious, Thursday night into Friday morning?'
‘No. We're usually in bed early. Both my wife and I work out of town, and our son goes to the school down the road. I'm sorry, I heard nothing.'
‘Okay. Can I speak with your wife and son?'
‘Brigette is picking up a takeaway and groceries. Rex is only seven, so he can't help you.'
Lottie eyed Lei, who gave a subtle nod to let her know it was true the woman had left the house. ‘Even so, I'd like a quick word with Rex.'
‘Why?' McGovern pointed at Garda Lei as if just realising he was there. ‘You were here earlier, with a fat guy. Got a doorbell alert on my phone and I'm sure it was you I saw. What right had you to barge into my home?' His faux-compliance had evaporated.
Lottie figured he had been cooperative thus far because he knew he was in the wrong regarding his son; now she caught his anger. ‘You're aware that leaving a seven-year-old home alone is a matter for social services, Mr McGovern, aren't you?'
He looked like he'd been punctured. ‘What do you want?'
‘I believe your son might have crucial information to assist us in our inquiries.'
‘I warned him time and time again not to open the door. You should know better than to interview a child without parental consent. I might make a formal complaint to your superintendent.'
‘You're within your rights to do that, and I will inform social services,' Lottie said. Was McGovern a habitual complainant? ‘I need to speak with your son.'
‘My wife isn't here and… I don't know…' He faltered.
‘Just a few minutes. That's all I ask.' She leaned forward with her most sincere expression.
McGovern stood. At the door he yelled, ‘Rex. Sitting room. Now.'
Lottie felt a surge of rage at the way he had called out, but dampened it down when the boy entered the room. His eyes betrayed a sense of sadness. Like the outer walls of the house, she thought. Did this despondency ooze outwards from those who lived within the walls?
‘Hi, Rex. There's nothing to be scared of. I only want to have a chat with you.'
The child looked up at his father and nodded. ‘Okay.'
‘Sit wherever you're comfortable.' She watched the boy perch on the edge of the couch. She moved from the dining chair to sit on the opposite end.
He turned to face her. Dressed in Superman pyjamas, he had fluffy socks on his feet.
‘Rex, you spoke with…' she thought ‘colleagues' was too formal for a child, ‘my friends earlier. You might be able to help us. Can you do that?'
‘If you want. Whatever.'
‘You told them you left the house real early on Friday morning and walked up towards the cinema. Is that correct?'
‘What the hell are you talking about?' Benny McGovern jumped up.
Rex glanced at his father, his eyes open wide. ‘I only went for a walk 'cos I couldn't sleep.'
‘Mr McGovern, Benny, please.' Lottie waited until the man sat back down. ‘Now, Rex, you said you saw the woman's body. Is that right?'
‘She was all alone. I sat on the wet grass to talk to her. I knew she was dead because she wouldn't answer me.'
‘Okay, Rex, you're doing great,' Lottie said. ‘Can you tell me about her?'
‘There was blood on her top and she had no coat. Her feet were muddy so she mustn't have had shoes on. The grass was all wet.'
‘Did you touch her?'
He recoiled into the cushions. ‘No. No way. Gross.'
‘Don't worry, I wouldn't either. What did you do then?'
‘Just sat there to mind her until someone came to help her.'
‘And did someone come?'
‘Yeah, the guy who works in the coffee shop, and I ran off and hid behind the bushes, and then the guards came and I went home.'
McGovern came to sit on the arm of the couch beside his son. ‘You went to school, Rex, didn't you?'
Rex bit his lip. ‘I was too scared to go.'
‘Did you not notice your son missing that morning, Benny?'
The man's cheeks flushed. ‘Me and Brigette, well, we'd had a big argument Thursday night so I went off to work in a huff. I didn't look in on Rex. He usually gets himself to school anyhow. It's only down the road. Practically next door. We start work at eight.'
‘Where do you work?'
‘I'm a manager at Tesco in Gaddstown, and Brigette works for a hair salon in Maynooth. We're both on the road early.'
‘And Rex gets himself up, fed and out to school?'
‘Brigette gets his breakfast ready and calls him down. But it seems Friday morning was different. It's probably because we were rowing the night before.'
‘About what?'
‘Money. What else wrecks a marriage?'
Lottie nodded, but she felt uneasy about how Rex was being left to fend for himself. She'd been guilty of that from time to time after Adam died, but her children had been teenagers then, not seven-year-olds. She brought her attention back to the child. He turned his pale face up towards her, his sad eyes swimming in tears.
‘Are you all right, Rex? Do you want me to stop asking questions?'
‘I don't like it when they fight. It's noisy and makes my head hurt. That's why I was looking out the window the night before and I saw…' He trailed off.
‘What did you see?' Lottie asked, noticing Garda Lei taking notes. Good.
‘Will I get in trouble for missing school?'
‘No. You're doing great. Just tell me what you saw that night. Was it the night before you found her body?'
‘Yeah. A taxi was stopped down by the trees on the road and a man got over the wall carrying something. It looked really heavy. Like a big bag of stones.'
‘Jesus, Rex!' His father jumped up and pulled the boy to him in a hug. ‘Why didn't you tell me or your mother?'
‘You were angry with each other. I didn't want you to be angry with me too.'
Lottie noticed a tear escape from the boy's eye. She itched to wipe it away; to comfort him.
‘Rex,' she said softly, ‘it's important that you tell me more about that night. Do you know what time it was?'
‘Well, there were no lights on outside the cinema and it was real dark, so it had to be after it closed. I don't know what time it closes. Can you check?'
‘I can. Are you sure it was a man you saw?'
‘I think so. He was able to carry her. Well, I didn't know what it was until the next morning, but it had to be someone very strong if he carried the woman over the wall.'
‘Can you describe him?'
‘It was dark and he was bent over carrying her.'
‘Did you see where he left her?'
‘Right where I found her, lying in the long grass with no coat or shoes. It was so cold. I was going to put my jacket over her to keep her warm, but there was no point, was there?'
‘You did well. What did the man do after he left her there?'
‘He ran back to his car. He must have driven off but I didn't wait to see any more because I jumped back into bed. The shouting got louder and I knew Mam and Dad were coming up the stairs.'
McGovern kept his head lowered but squeezed his son's shoulder in apology.
‘About that car,' Lottie said. ‘You mentioned it was a taxi. How did you know that?'
‘It had that sign on top. But there was no light on it.' A crease of worry furrowed Rex's little brow. ‘Maybe I made a mistake and it wasn't a taxi at all. Don't those learner driver cars have a sign like that too?'
‘Yes, but at the time you were sure it was a taxi, is that right?'
‘Yes, because Maggie, a girl in my school, she comes in every day in a taxi. It's so cool.' He hesitated. ‘Can I go back to my game now?'
‘All this is very useful and you're a brave boy, Rex. Thanks for your help. I have one last favour to ask you.'
‘Okay.'
‘It's important that you tell the truth and?—'
‘My son always tells the truth,' Benny interjected.
‘I'm not doubting his word, but it's essential to our inquiries that I ask this question.' She waited for the father's consent, and when he inclined his head, she engaged the boy's eyes. ‘Rex, you're not in any trouble, but I need to ask you this. Did you take any souvenirs from the body or from the area where you found the woman?' She had to ask because of a similar incident at her last investigation.
‘No, no way. I never touched her or anything. I just felt sorry for her. I don't tell lies.'
‘That's totally fine. I'm so sorry, but in my job sometimes I have to ask unkind questions.'
His shoulders relaxed. ‘That's all right.'
She heard the front door open and shut and an anger-fuelled rant preceded the entrant. ‘There's a bloody car blocking the drive and I had to park— Oh! Who are you?'