Chapter 89

89

George Kenny seemed fraught and fidgety. His eyes were red-rimmed and his clothes needed changing. A sweaty smell surrounded him.

‘I can't believe Shannon was hooked up to an escort agency.'

‘Do you know of anyone who would want to hurt her?' Lottie asked.

‘Hurt her? How? Do you know something?'

‘No, I'm just trying to get answers.'

‘Shannon was her own worst enemy. She abused herself with drugs, but I don't think she'd touched any since her stint in rehab.'

‘Do you know of anyone she was friends with in Cuan?'

‘I don't recall her talking about any of the residents.'

‘Can I see her room?' She wanted to look for herself even though it had been searched and Kirby had seen it too.

‘Go ahead up,' he said, ‘I'm trying to get fluids into Davy. He has chickenpox. Never rains but it pours.'

‘I can sympathise with that sentiment.'

Upstairs in Shannon's room, she recalled Kirby's notes. It had been tidied. No clothes on the floor and the bed was made. She ran her hands under the pillows. Nothing. She lifted the side of the mattress. Nothing. Then the other side. It was a waste of time and she'd known that. But still she'd hoped she might find something. Back downstairs, she found George with a bottle of Calpol in his hand.

‘Did Shannon ever talk about wanting to move out?'

‘All the time. She liked to annoy me.'

‘She ever mention Pine Grove?'

‘Not that I recall. Jess might know. They were thick as thieves.'

‘She was interviewed already but can I have her number?'

‘Jess? Sure.'

She hoped the girl might be able to give her an insight into Shannon's life and in turn a clue as to where she was.

Outside, she called Jess and arranged to meet in a half-hour.

It was early evening and Fallon's was quiet. Chloe hadn't arrived for her shift yet. Good. With a coffee by her hand, sitting in a nook, Lottie waited for Jess to arrive. She really should go home and prepare dinner. Instead she phoned Sean and told him to rescue something from the freezer and she'd be there in an hour. She had to talk to Jess herself to see if there was anything she'd left out when she was interviewed by Kirby.

The pub clientele were mostly after-work office workers, and the tone was low. Tired, like her, having a drink before facing home. She thought back to the time when she'd have fortified herself with a glass of wine too, but now it was either Diet Coke, coffee or tea. Safer.

A young woman muffled up in a warm jacket and knitted beanie approached and stood by the table. ‘I'm Jess. You must be the detective who rang me. I saw you on the telly once.'

‘Please sit down. Can I get you anything?'

‘I'm fine, thanks. Have you any word on Shannon?' She removed the jacket and hat, and sat, crossing her jeans-clad legs. Her face showed signs of strain and her eyes were hollowed in her face.

‘I'm sorry, there's nothing yet. I'm hoping you can help me.'

‘I told everything to that other detective.'

‘I know you spoke with Detective Kirby, but you may have remembered something since then that might help us.'

‘You sound desperate.'

Lottie had to admit it. ‘We are.'

Jess leaned forward, elbows on her knees, her hands supporting her chin. ‘I've been over it in my mind a million times. There's nothing else.'

‘What can you tell me about Shannon's time in rehab?'

‘Poor Shannon was in a bad way back then,' she said. ‘Rock bottom. But she was good after it. Really good. I was so happy for her.'

‘How was she recently?'

‘I think she was fed up living with George and his girlfriend. They use her as a babysitter, childminder, whatever. He works from home and is around all the time. Shannon found it hard to get a minute to herself, so she started going out. She was fixated on getting herself a man. Maybe that's why she joined that agency. She went there to have photos taken with the daft notion she could break into modelling. I told her they only want eighteen-year-olds, but the next thing I know she's an escort.'

‘You didn't approve?'

‘It's a glorified sugar-daddy service. Not that she had much success with it, and now… I can't believe someone would take her.'

‘Let's go back to when she was in Cuan rehab. Did you visit her there?'

‘Once, and it was enough for me. She was in the horrors. You get worse before you get better, they say, and it's true.'

‘Afterwards, did she talk about her time in there?'

‘Not really. But she mentioned John Morgan, the guy who was murdered. She said he was a good friend to her.'

‘Friend?'

‘Yes. Not a sexual relationship, if that's what you're thinking.'

‘Did she keep in contact with him afterwards?'

Jess scrunched up her eyes, pondering the question. ‘She never said.'

‘Who else did she talk about who was in there with her?'

‘She didn't like the manager. Irene something. Shannon said she was like an old-fashioned headmistress. She even had one of the staff in tears at some important event. Shannon said it was awful.'

Lottie sat up straighter. ‘Can you remember anything she said about that incident?'

Jess picked at the cuticle on her thumb. ‘The Irene one was putting on a big show to attract funding and she had invited a load of hobnobs from town. Then this poor girl lost it and was in hysterics. That's what Shannon said.'

‘Did she say who it was?'

Jess shook her head. ‘If she did, I can't remember.'

‘Okay. Anything else?'

‘She knew Laura Nolan.'

‘Shannon did?'

‘No, well, yes. I remember her saying this Laura comforted the girl who freaked out.'

And now those two were dead, Lottie thought. ‘How did Laura know Aneta?'

‘Who's Aneta?'

‘We believe that Aneta Kobza is the young woman you were referring to.'

‘I heard that name somewhere. Maybe Shannon did mention it.'

Or Jess had heard it on the news but wasn't making the connection. Not yet. ‘So tell me more about Laura and Aneta.'

‘That's all. Oh yeah, Laura's mother was there that day and apparently she left in an awful rush, right after the incident with this Aneta. Shannon said it was bizarre.'

Interesting, Lottie thought. Diana had run off too when she'd heard Aneta was dead. What the hell was she missing?

‘And you definitely don't remember Shannon saying anything about what caused the incident?'

‘Nope. I was only half listening to her. I'm sorry now. Shannon's a good person. And that escort thing worried me. Maybe it was because she was trying to get enough money to move out. Which is a bit mad really, considering she spent every cent she got on nights out.'

‘Did she mention where she wanted to move to?'

‘She had big notions. She loved the new houses down at Pine Grove. I remember her saying that if she won the Lotto that's where she'd live. Can you believe she even went to view the show home? Talk about annoying yourself when you haven't a euro in your pocket.'

‘When was this?' Lottie leaned forward.

‘Oh, I don't know. A few months back, maybe.'

‘Did she meet anyone there?'

Jess widened her eyes. ‘Oh! You mean John Morgan. He worked on the site, didn't he? And he's dead now. Fuck.'

‘Did Shannon say she met him there?'

‘I don't know. I remember having a laugh because she said the estate agent was up her own hole. Then again, Shannon thought that of most people who had a good job while she hadn't two cents to call her own.'

‘Okay.' Lottie needed to check with Charlie Lennon to see if she remembered Shannon. ‘Here's my card. Please mull over this conversation, and if you recall anything else, call me. Day or night.'

Jess's eyes filled with tears. ‘You think Shannon is dead.' A statement, not a question.

‘I believe she is alive. I'm going to find her.'

‘Promise?'

‘I don't make promises, but I will do my level best.'

‘Thank you.' Jess took the card. She shook Lottie's hand, hustled into her jacket and left.

Lottie pushed away her cold coffee. The noise level was increasing around her and the smell of wine and beer threatened to make her run to the bar for alcohol. The investigation was so slow, but at least now Shannon was linked to Pine Grove, however tentatively. The Venn diagram was beginning to close in on the vital intersection. She hoped she could shut it tight before anyone else died.