The Girl Who Lied(106)

‘That’s right,’ I confirm.

‘But in your previous statement, you said you went to meet her at…’ he scans through the notes in front of him, ‘nine o’clock?’

‘I lied last time,’ I say, as if it’s obvious why.

Devlin nods and continues, ‘And what happened when you met Miss Marshall?’

‘We argued. We had a bit of a fight. A physical fight and she fell into the estuary.’

Devlin holds up his hand. ‘Wait a minute. This argument. What was it about?’

‘Does it matter?’

‘Humour me, please. And, yes, it does matter.’

I consider whether to comply or not. Devlin certainly seems persistent and it will probably have to come out in court anyway.

‘Okay. Roisin and I were friends way back when I lived here as a child and a teenager. When I say friends, it was the sort of friendship borne out of there being no real alternative. Rossway was a much smaller village ten, twenty years ago – you didn’t get much choice in friends.’

‘Yes, I know what you mean. Please, carry on.’

‘Our friendship was okay until we got to our mid-teens and boys came on the scene. There was a bit of competition, if you like. More on Roisin’s part than mine. She was the popular one, she had lots of friends, very pretty, all the latest fashions. You know the type.’ Devlin nods his understanding, so I carry on.

‘I came from a less-well-off family, I had ginger hair, as you can see.’ I flick one of my curls. ‘And it’s curly. I didn’t have the latest clothes, I had to work in the café, so my life was a lot less glamorous and I became an easy target. It was easy for Roisin to look good against the backdrop of a friend like me.’

‘It’s a sad fact, but I’ve seen this a lot and it continues into adulthood,’ says Devlin.

‘Exactly. And that’s what happened. I came back because my father has had an accident and Roisin and I picked up where we left off.’

‘I get the feeling there’s more to it than a bit of teenage jealousy.’

He’s a perceptive man, but then it probably comes with the territory. ‘Yes, there’s more to it. I dated her brother, Niall Marshall. We were involved in a car accident and he died.’ I drop my gaze. ‘I was pregnant but I miscarried. Niall and I were running away. A naive teenage notion, which ended so tragically. Roisin has never forgiven me. She blames me for the accident.’

‘I’m sorry to hear that. It must have been very difficult for everyone,’ says Devlin. He allows a few moments’ silence before continuing. ‘And this is what you and Roisin Marshall argued about the other night?’

‘Pretty much. It all came out. Ten years of anger,’ I say. I hate lying, but it’s partly the truth. ‘It wasn’t the first time we had had a confrontation,’ I say. ‘We argued in the street once. Kerry Wright had to step in. Ask him, he’ll tell you how Roisin and I had this feud going on.’

‘It’s funny you should mention Kerry Wright,’ says Devlin. ‘I’ve already spoken to him and he’s prepared to give a statement in your defence.’

I sit upright, trying to disguise the surprise. ‘He is?’

‘Yes, he is. And so is Ed Hamilton.’

‘Ed? What? I don’t understand.’ What the hell is Ed doing getting involved in all of this?

‘It seems that Kerry saw you on the night of the twenty-second at around seven p.m., getting into a car with Mr Edward Hamilton and driving out of the village towards Cork.’

‘That’s right, but I saw Roisin later. Ed dropped me off and I went to meet her, alone,’ I say. I can feel the beginning of panic fluttering inside my stomach.

‘See, that’s not really possible,’ says Devlin. ‘According to Mr Hamilton, you both ate at The Courtyard Restaurant in the city and he brought you home at about nine p.m.’

‘He must have got the times wrong.’

‘I tell you, Miss Hurley, it’s not often I have to argue with my own client to prove them innocent,’ says Devlin, throwing me a disapproving look. ‘We are in the process of obtaining a copy of the Visa payment Mr Hamilton made to the restaurant, which will confirm the time you left. We have also requested CCTV footage to back this up. There’s no way you could have been back in Rossway by eight-thirty. Not only that, but Mr Hamilton has given a preliminary statement over the telephone and, if necessary, the Guards will be paying him a visit to collect an official statement to that effect.’

This isn’t supposed to happen. I thought I had it all planned out. I curse Kerry for getting involved. This is his fault.