The Girl Who Lied(102)

‘We? We had it under control?’ said Sean. ‘Who is we?’ He turned to Kerry. ‘Are you involved in all this?’

Kerry held up his hands. ‘Nothing to do with me,’ he said. ‘Erin never said anything to me.’

‘What crazy plan did you and your sister come up with this time?’ demanded Sean.

‘We were going to call her bluff,’ said Fiona. ‘I don’t believe she had any real evidence or proof. It was all hearsay and her imagination.’

‘She must have got the idea from somewhere.’ Sean was clearly keeping his temper well in check. He let out another sigh. ‘Is that all you had planned?’ he said. ‘Tell me the truth, Fiona, because the shit is really going to hit the fan otherwise.’

‘Yes. We were going to see what Roisin would do next,’ said Fiona. ‘Once we knew if she really had any proof, we were going to decide then.’

‘So, it’s quite plausible that Erin did meet Roisin and something did happen that night? Intentionally or not. Maybe, just maybe, Erin did push Roisin into the water.’

‘No, that’s impossible,’ said Fiona. ‘She wouldn’t have. I just know it.’

‘But you said yourself, she left the hospital early. Alone,’ said Sean. ‘She had the opportunity and the motive.’

Kerry ran his hands down his face. This wasn’t looking good for Erin at all.

He trawled back over the other night. There must be some way to prove she wasn’t telling the truth.

‘She’s protecting someone, I know it,’ said Kerry. He looked up at Fiona. Her face had gone a deathly white. Kerry exchanged a look with Sean. Slowly, the pieces were falling into place for Kerry. ‘Who would she lie for?’ he said looking at the Keanes. ‘Erin would put herself on the line for her family. So either you, Fiona, or…your mother.’

A silence hung between them as the implication of Kerry’s words settled. Fiona shook her head. ‘I can’t cope with all this. It’s all too much. Why is this happening to us?’ She began to sob heavily now.

No one seemed to know what to say to that. Kerry tried to keep his head clear as he thought about everything that had happened. ‘It’s possible to prove Erin didn’t do it,’ said Kerry, getting to his feet. ‘She was out with Ed that night. And I’ll get him to back it up.’

‘Kerry, please. Don’t.’ It was Fiona. ‘If you do that, then they’ll arrest Mum. That’s the last thing Erin would want.’

‘Fiona, what do you mean?’ said Sean. His voice was soft but fearful.

‘I don’t know exactly what’s happened. Neither Mum nor Erin would tell me, but they were talking in whispers at the hospital. I had gone out to the toilet. As I got nearer to the ward, I could see through the glass that Mum and Erin were not exactly having an argument, but they were talking and I could see the tension between them.’

‘And you don’t know what they were saying?’ coaxed Kerry, tamping down his impatience.

‘No. They stopped talking as soon as I came in. Erin was really glaring at Mum and Mum was totally ignoring her. I asked if everything was all right. Erin said nothing, but continued glaring and Mum was, like, “Sure, everything’s grand.” I was going to ask Erin later but she went off.’

‘Did you not ask your mother on the way home?’ said Kerry.

‘I tried, but she brushed it off. She said Erin was just being Erin and getting stressed about the whole situation.’

‘And that’s it?’

Fiona rubbed her thumb over her wedding ring. ‘Mum said that I wasn’t to worry about anything. That she had everything under control. She was there to take the burden from us.’

‘The burden?’ said Kerry.

‘Ah, sure, she’s always saying things like that,’ said Sean. ‘Sometimes, I think she’s speaking in code.’

‘That’s just it,’ said Fiona. ‘I actually think she was trying to tell me something.’

‘Like what?’ said Sean.

‘It was as if she knew what was going on with Roisin, as if she knew Erin kept the baby.’

‘Ah, go away,’ said Sean, waving his hand dismissively. ‘There’s no way your mother could know and if she had, she would have said something about it. No, you’re over-reacting.’

Kerry let the possibility play out in his mind. ‘Sean, what timeline do you have for Roisin’s disappearance? When was she last seen?’

‘Kerry, I can’t tell you that, it’s part of an ongoing investigation.’

‘An investigation that you’re no longer part of…’ Kerry let the thought dangle there before adding, ‘This could help save Erin.’