The Girl Who Lied(120)

‘Niall wouldn’t wear his,’ I say quietly, remembering how he had refused to put it on.

‘We pulled you clear,’ says Joe. ‘There was petrol everywhere. We were worried the car would catch fire. You were in a bad way. You were bleeding. Everywhere.’

I remember the blood. It was the only thing I could focus on when I came round. I don’t remember Joe being there at all. I remember waking up on the cold, damp grass, surrounded by people. The car was ablaze from the ruptured fuel tank, where it had tumbled and rolled down the hillside. ‘Did you know?’ I ask Joe.

‘You began to come round and mumbled something about a baby. Then you passed out again. It was afterwards, when Bex and I were talking about it. She guessed.’

‘You never said.’

‘What was the point? To be honest, we assumed you lost the baby in the accident. We thought it was best not to say anything.’

‘You never suspected anything afterwards?’ I say.

Joe shakes his head. ‘No. There was no reason. We were all too shocked about Niall’s death. Then you moved away. It wouldn’t have served any purpose to say anything.’

‘Why didn’t you wait around for the Guards at the time?’ I ask. ‘I don’t remember them interviewing you.’

‘We never said we were there.’ He looks at Roisin. ‘We were all young and what we did then, we thought was the right thing at the time. Roisin didn’t want to get into trouble for making Niall have a smoke and a drink and I didn’t want to get into trouble for supplying him with the weed or for leaving the scene of an accident. It wouldn’t have made any difference to the outcome. Niall would still be dead. You’d still be away in England. And Roisin and her family would still be grieving. No, there seemed little point.’

‘I can’t believe you never told me,’ said Kerry. ‘Especially with all that’s been going on.’

‘Again, there seemed little point,’ says Joe.

‘So, why are you helping Roisin now?’

I can tell Kerry is more than a little pissed off with his cousin.

‘You might as well tell him,’ says Roisin. ‘You’ve told him everything else.’

‘Joe?’ I say.

‘Please tell me it’s not what I think it is,’ says Kerry, clasping his hands behind his head. ‘Jesus, Joe.’

Roisin laughs. ‘Oh, God, he thinks we’re having an affair,’ she says, once she’s controlled her laughter.

‘What is it, then?’ says Kerry.

‘We, Roisin and I, we…’ Joe can’t quite find the words.

‘God, you’re pathetic at times, Joe Wright,’ says Roisin. She turns to face me and Kerry and I swear she’s enjoying this moment in the spotlight. ‘Joe and I had a one-night stand. Years ago.’

‘She was going to tell Bex,’ says Joe. ‘She was going to make out it was more than just a one-nighter.’

‘She’s going to find out now, isn’t she,’ says Roisin. I can’t help but feel Roisin is rather pleased about this.

‘We were both drunk,’ says Joe. ‘I know that’s no excuse. Bex and I had had a row. A big row. We even called the wedding off. Bex went away for a couple of weeks on holiday with her sister. Roisin and I…’ His voice trails off.

‘That’s a shitty excuse,’ says Kerry. ‘And why the hell didn’t you ever tell Bex?’

Joe rubs his hands up and down his face. ‘I’ve no feckin’ idea.’

‘So, you’ve known all along that Roisin was alive and well,’ I say.

‘She contacted me. She needed some food. I’ve been trying to talk her out of this the whole time,’ explains Joe. ‘I tried to tell you. I kept saying she’d turn up.’

It’s true, he did say that, but we all assumed it was Joe being his usual laid-back self.

‘And Sophie?’ I ask. ‘Did you know that’s what she had planned?’

‘I swear on my kids’ lives, I never knew anything about Sophie. Not until Kerry came to me today,’ says Joe. He looks mortified and I believe him. ‘I came up here as soon as I could. I was going to bring Sophie back with me, even if Roisin didn’t agree.’

‘But you lent her your old car,’ says Kerry.

‘I didn’t know what she was going to do,’ says Joe. ‘She asked me yesterday if she could borrow it. I left it parked up with the keys on the front wheel. I had no idea she was going to take Sophie. To be honest, I thought she was going to go off for a few days. Find somewhere else to hide out.’

‘You’re an idiot, you know that don’t you?’ said Kerry. I can see the contempt in his eyes for his cousin.