by Sue Fortin
‘Forgive Diana Marshall, you mean?’
‘And Roisin. Your father. Yourself. And Niall. It is no one person’s fault. It was a series of events, decisions and judgements that were made at the time with the best possible intent. Love. How can you not forgive love? Think about it, Erin,’ said Kerry. ‘It’s the only way forwards, for all of you.’
‘I’ve already made peace with Dad,’ she said.
‘You have? That’s great. And that must show you that you can do it.’
‘It’s all irrelevant now,’ said Erin. ‘What does it all matter without Sophie?’
‘I have a theory about Sophie,’ said Kerry. ‘And it involves Roisin.’
Chapter 39
‘Erin! You okay?’ Sean’s voice called from the foot of the stairs.
‘We’d better go down,’ said Erin.
‘We need to talk to you,’ said Sean as Erin and Kerry reached the bottom of the stairs. He glanced over at Kerry.
Erin held Kerry’s hand. ‘Whatever it is, I want Kerry to stay. I’ve no secrets from him. None at all.’
Sean nodded. He looked at Kerry. ‘Not impressed with that stunt you pulled back there.’
‘Sorry about that,’ said Kerry. ‘It was a kind of spur-of-the-moment thing.’ He held out his hand to Sean. ‘No hard feelings?’
Sean accepted the proverbial olive branch with good grace.
‘What did you want to talk to me about?’ said Erin.
‘Come into the living room,’ said Sean. ‘I’ve sent O’Neill outside. This needs to stay between us.’
Entering the living room, Fiona came over to her sister and grasped her hand. Kerry watched the sisters as they looked intently at each other and exchanged silent words. Fiona blinked hard but could not stop the tears from falling. Erin, a mirror reflection of emotion.
‘Nothing lasts forever,’ said Fiona. Her voice so quiet, Kerry could only just hear her.
‘I know,’ said Erin.
‘It will be okay, I promise. I’ll…’ Fiona looked over at Sean, stretching out her other hand to her husband. He moved towards her. Fiona continued. ‘We’ll make sure of that. All three of us. We’ll get through this, together.’
Kerry stood awkwardly in the living room as the three of them held onto each other. He thought he saw Sean wipe tears from his own eyes. Kerry turned away, not wanting to be a voyeur to their deeply private moment.
He walked over and looked out of the window. He wanted to be out there looking for Roisin. He had an idea where she might be and chided himself for not thinking of it earlier. Erin’s hand on his shoulder brought him from his thoughts. He turned round to her.
‘Okay?’ he said.
‘Yes. It’s fine. We all knew the truth might come out sooner or later. We just never expected it to happen quite like this. We thought we would be in control of the situation, rather than the situation controlling us.’ She rested her head on his shoulder and Kerry dropped a kiss on her head, holding her close to him. After a while, she pulled away. ‘Sean and Fiona are going to tell the family liaison officer the truth about Sophie. They’ve been pushing to make some connection already. We can’t keep it a secret any longer.’ She looked away out of the window. ‘Roisin wins, after all.’
Fiona looked round. ‘You don’t think Roisin has got anything to do with Sophie going missing, do you?’
‘It’s possible,’ said Erin going over to her sister. ‘Who knows? She’s desperate enough.’
‘Oh God, I hope she doesn’t do anything stupid,’ said Fiona.
‘I don’t think she will,’ said Erin. ‘She wanted to truth to come out. What would she gain from not bringing Sophie back? The more I think about it, the more I’m sure this is just a stunt to force our hand.’
Sean took his wife in his arms and guided her to the chair. ‘We’ll call the station and get someone onto this right away.’
‘I need to get off,’ said Kerry.
Erin followed him out to the hall. She picked up her jacket. ‘I’m coming with you.’
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea. Your sister needs you.’
‘Sophie needs me too and if she’s with Roisin, I want to be there when you find them.’
Kerry could see the determined look on Erin’s face. He wasn’t particularly surprised and had, in fact, brought a spare crash helmet with him in anticipation of this decision. ‘Okay, let’s go.’
Kerry started the Triumph and waited for Erin to swing her leg over the seat and get comfortable. He loved the feel of her arms around him and liked the fact that she wasn’t confident enough yet to hold onto the back of the seat. ‘Ready?’ he shouted above the rumble of the 750cc engine. She gave him a squeeze and nodded.
The roads were quiet and Kerry steered the bike steadily through the village and out onto the coast road. They headed north and after fifteen minutes the landmark he was heading for came into sight. Kerry pulled up at the bottom of the hill underneath a line of trees.
‘The croft?’ said Erin, climbing off the bike.
‘You know when we were here the other day and we saw the old sleeping bag?’
‘You think that’s Roisin?’
‘I’m almost certain. You thought we were being watched, remember?’
‘Oh God, yes.’
‘It adds up. It’s a safe dry place for her to hide out. No one comes up here any more and if they do, she’s got a clear view of them and time to hide.’
‘She’ll see us come up, though.’
‘Not if we go round the other side. That’s why I’ve parked up here out of the way. We can’t be seen from the road and she can’t see this part of the road from there,’ said Kerry. ‘We can use the hedgerow as cover to get round.’
Kerry led the way, keeping close to the hedge, and within five minutes they were on the north side of the hill. The trees and bushes were denser and the path overgrown in places. No other roads or footpaths approached the derelict house from the north side. The track they had just followed was essentially a loop around the foot of the hill.
‘So what now?’ said Erin, as she looked up at the old stone building.
‘As quietly as we can, we go up the hill. Keep as low as you can.’
‘And when we get to the top?’
‘Take her by surprise. Hope she’s in the croft. If not, we’ll go inside and wait for her.’
‘You’re making it sound very simple.’
‘It is,’ said Kerry. ‘In theory.’
The scramble up the side of the hill was tougher than Kerry anticipated, but the long grass gave them something to grab onto and the rough terrain, pot-holed with rabbit burrows, gave them extra leverage. As they got nearer the top, the incline was steeper. Kerry looked over his shoulder to check Erin was okay. She was right behind him, a little out of breath, but she was managing fine.
When they got to the top, Kerry peered over the brow, scanning the area in front of him. The wind had picked up and a dark rain cloud was heading inland from the stormy-looking sea. Erin scrambled up next to him.
‘I can’t see anyone,’ said Kerry in a whisper. ‘Come on.’
As light-footed as he could with his heavy boots on, he scurried over to the derelict building. The buckle on his leather jacket jangled and he held it in his hand to stop the noise. Erin, much lighter on her feet, was soundless as she darted over with him. From his inside pocket, Kerry took out a torch he’d had the foresight to bring.
It felt slightly ridiculous creeping around the wall of the building, like some SAS assault team. As they got to the entrance, Kerry switched on the light. He gave Erin a questioning look and mouthed ‘ready’ to her. She nodded. He swung around into the entrance of the croft.
‘Roisin?’ he said. ‘Are you there? It’s me, Kerry. And Erin.’
The beam of the torch illuminated the interior of the building. The black rain cloud was moving in on them, limiting the natural light. ‘Roisin. Are you there?’ he said again.
Stepping inside, K
erry noted that the sleeping bag was still there, although this time it was folded up on top of an old milk crate. He walked over and behind the crate was a sports holdall. Erin looked over his shoulder as he unzipped the bag and, without taking anything out, examined the contents.
‘Looks like female clothing, judging by the pink t-shirt and that pair of socks,’ said Erin. ‘And look here.’ She picked up a pair of trainers that were next to the bag. ‘These are definitely women’s trainers.’
‘Okay, I think it’s safe to say that it probably is Roisin here,’ said Kerry.
‘What about Sophie?’ said Erin. ‘Let’s have a look around.’
They went into the second room. The ceiling had totally collapsed here and looking up, Erin could see the roof had caved in too, above them was the black stormy sky. ‘It’s really ramshackle now,’ she said. ‘A bit different to when we used to come here.’
‘Let’s see if we can get upstairs,’ said Kerry. He shone the light into the corner, where a flight of wooden stairs disappeared round behind the central fire breast. ‘Mind your step, some of these treads have rotted right through.’
The wood creaked and groaned as they made their way carefully up to the first floor. They reached the landing at the top. To the left was the room, or rather hole, that they had peered up through from the downstairs. To the right was a closed door. This side of the building had remained more intact.
Erin grabbed Kerry’s arm. ‘What’s that? Did you hear that noise?’
Kerry listened but couldn’t hear anything. ‘From in here?’ he indicated to the closed door. Erin nodded. Kerry placed his hand on the latch. ‘Ready?’
‘Be careful,’ said Erin.
Kerry lifted the latch and pushed opened the door. It creaked as it swung back on its hinges. Kerry shone the light into the room. The floorboards were patchy, several of them missing and the window had been boarded up, making the room very dark. As the torch light swept the room, in the corner beside the fireplace was a bundle of blankets.
‘Wait,’ said Erin grabbing his arm. ‘Go back. The blankets.’
Kerry moved the torch beam back to the bundle and then picked his way across the broken boards towards the corner. Erin followed him. A small whimper came from the blankets.
‘Sophie? Quick Kerry, it’s Sophie.’ Erin dropped to her knees and pulled at the fabric. A little face appeared in the spotlight. ‘Sophie. Oh, Sophie. It’s me. Erin. Aunty Erin. It’s okay, darling, you’re safe now.’ Within seconds the little ten-year-old was in Erin’s arms. Both were crying as Erin held her tightly. ‘It’s okay. It’s okay,’ she repeated.
‘I want Mammy,’ said Sophie through her tears. ‘I want to go home.’
Kerry knelt down. ‘We’re going to take you home. Everything is going to be fine. Don’t be crying now. There’s a good girl.’ He stroked her head.
‘Roisin said she would take me home. She promised, but she keeps saying I have to stay a bit longer,’ said Sophie. ‘She scared me.’
‘Everything will be fine. I promise,’ said Erin. ‘What happened, Sophie? Why did you go with Roisin?’ Sophie dropped her gaze. ‘It’s okay. You’re not in trouble.’
‘I was in the garden. She came to the side gate and said Mammy wanted her to go to the shop and did I want to go with her. She said she’d get me some sweets and we wouldn’t be very long.’
Erin looked up at Kerry. ‘As simple as that.’ She looked back down at Sophie. ‘I suppose you thought it was okay because you know Roisin.’
‘She’s a friend of Mammy’s. She goes into Nanny’s café. I was just wanting some sweets, that’s all. I didn’t know this was going to happen. I promise.’ Sophie began to cry again.
‘Sophie, sweetheart,’ said Kerry. ‘How did you get here? It’s a long way to walk?
‘She had a car. A blue one,’ said Sophie.
Kerry let out a small groan.
‘What is it?’ said Erin.
‘Doesn’t matter right now. I may be wrong,’ said Kerry.
‘I want to go home,’ said Sophie.
‘That’s what we’re here for,’ said Erin. ‘Don’t cry. It’s okay.’
‘Do you know where Roisin is now?’ said Kerry.
‘She said she was going to get something to eat.’
‘She won’t have gone far,’ said Kerry. ‘She can’t afford to be seen just yet. He gave Sophie’s head another stroke. ‘Listen now, we’re going to go downstairs and sit very quietly while we wait for Roisin to get back.’
‘I want to go home,’ said Sophie. ‘Please, Erin, take me home.’
‘We will,’ said Erin. ‘We need to wait for Roisin first. She’s in a lot of trouble for bringing you here. I promise as soon as she’s back we can go. I’ll even text Mummy now to let her know we’re coming home soon.’ Erin took her phone from her pocket and fired off a quick text to Fiona.
‘Roisin won’t have gone far. We’ll sit and wait for her in the back room, out of the way,’ said Kerry.
‘You’d better switch off that light,’ said Erin as they reached the bottom of the stairs. ‘She’ll see that before she even comes in. We don’t want to give her any warning we’re here.’
‘Good idea. Let’s sit over here, it’s really dark this side. I’ll be able to see her coming from this window.’
The stone floor wasn’t the most comfortable of spots and the wind was whipping around them, the draught racing in from the doorway and from the gaps in the crumbling brickwork. Erin put a protective arm around her niece.
As the wind picked up some more, it carried a light mist of rain with it. The sky above them darkened again and within a few minutes, drops of rain were falling. Fortunately, Erin and Sophie were protected by what was left of the roof, while Kerry was standing by the window, keeping a look out for Roisin.
It was then he saw her. Her head appeared first over the top of the hill, bent down, shielding the rain from her face and, as she neared, Kerry could tell it was definitely Roisin. However, she wasn’t alone.
‘What the hell?’ said Kerry.
Erin stood up and came to peer over his shoulder.
Chapter 40
I can’t quite believe what I’m seeing. I take a quick look at Kerry’s face and all I can see is anger. I don’t blame him. For me, the surprise isn’t that much of a surprise. They say a leopard never changes its spots. It’s certainly true in this case. Jody Wright may have had me fooled for a while, but not any longer.
I beckon Sophie to me and whisper to her to stay very still and very quiet. ‘Don’t worry,’ I say in her ear. ‘Me and Kerry will look after you. You’re safe with us.’
I can see through the doorway into the main room as Roisin and Joe come into the house. She pushes a wet strand of hair from her face.
‘You’ve got to stop this now. If you don’t, I will,’ Joe is saying. ‘You can’t let Marie Hurley go to prison. And as for taking Sophie Keane, for feck’s sake, Roisin, that’s kidnapping and I’m now a party to it.’
‘Man up, for God’s sake,’ says Roisin. ‘To tell the truth, I’m past caring. Maybe I really will disappear and then the Hurleys will get what’s coming to them.’
This time it’s me who is held back. Kerry grips my hand. They haven’t noticed us here, pushed back in the shadows. They are too busy arguing. Jody puts a carrier bag down on the floor beside the campfire.
‘You can do what you like, but I’m taking that child back to her mother,’ he says.
‘And you’ll be charged as an accessory,’ says Roisin.
‘Like you, I really don’t care. What I care about is doing the right thing.’
‘You didn’t worry about that the night of the accident,’ says Roisin.
‘I was a kid then. I’m not now. I’m a father myself. This is all wrong. You hear me? All wrong.’
At this point Kerry moves out of the shadows.
‘Funny,’ he says, ‘I was just thinking the same thing.’ He steps into the main room and I follow, keep
ing Sophie close to me.
Roisin gives a small scream of alarm. Jody swears.
‘Jesus! What the feck are you doing there?’ he cries.
‘Again. I was just thinking the same thing,’ says Kerry. He moves into the centre of the room. His jaw is set tight and I can see him clenching and unclenching his fists.
‘Oh and look who’s with you! It’s Mammy Erin,’ says Roisin. Her ability to regain her composure amazes me. ‘Might have known your sidekick would be with you, Kerry.’
‘Now we’re all over the shock of seeing each other,’ says Kerry, his voice like steel. ‘Perhaps you can explain what’s going on.’
‘Oh, please, Kerry,’ says Roisin. ‘Don’t be so hick and naive.’
‘Leave it out,’ says Joe. He’s keeping a wary eye on Kerry. I think he must recognise the anger that’s bubbling away just under the surface. I’m not sure how long Kerry will be able to contain the rage.
‘Shut up, Joe,’ says Roisin. ‘You’re such a wimp. Frightened of upsetting your cousin now. First it was your wife, then it was her,’ she waves a hand in my direction, ‘and now it’s Kerry. Grow some balls, man.’
‘I didn’t want to get involved in this,’ says Joe, turning to Kerry. ‘I’ve just this minute been trying to talk her out of it. I was saying this has gone too far and has to stop.’
‘Shut the fuck up, Joe,’ snaps Kerry. Joe looks at me. If he thinks he’s getting some sort of support or empathy, then he can think again. Roisin sits down on an upturned milk crate in front of the hearth with a total look of nonchalance. God, I want to slap that unconcerned, superior look right off her face.
‘What exactly did you expect to gain from all this?’ I ask. ‘Taking Sophie. Have you any idea what Fiona is going through right now? Not to mention that my mother is currently under arrest for your murder. And have you not stopped to think about your own mother?’
Roisin stands up, her face contorts. ‘Don’t you dare lecture me about what my mother may or may not feel. You have absolutely no idea.’ She pauses, the muscles in her face relax and she sits down again. A contemptuous looks descends upon her. ‘Not nice is it? Thinking you’ve lost someone you love. Knowing you’ve lost someone is even worse. I thought you Hurley girls needed a taste of your own medicine; to know what fear really tastes like, to feel that pain of losing a child. Not nice, is it?’