The Lost (Claire Mcgowan) by Claire Mcgowan

Author:Claire Mcgowan
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2013-06-03T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-One

‘Will Gerard be OK?’ Paula clasped her hands between her knees.

Guy was pacing behind his desk. ‘They said so. He has burns on his hands and neck, but he should be out in a few days.’

She nodded, trying to forget the sounds of her colleague’s screams as the fire had taken hold. She couldn’t seem to stop shaking. ‘And the rest?’

Guy stopped pacing and rested his fists on the plasterboard of the wall, as if he would like to punch it. ‘It’s a mess. Excuse me – it’s a fucking disaster.’

It was indeed a mess. Ever since the brawl that morning, the story had been top of radio news bulletins, and would feature prominently not just on the regional TV news, but even on the national. The images were shattering – riot police on the streets of Ballyterrin, for the first time since the 1996 Drumcree stand-off. Ten traveller men in the cells, countless injuries from stones, batons, and out-of-control flames. On the news, images of babies wailing as their mothers looked horrified from their caravan doors, children scooped out of the dirt by terrified arms. Allegations of racism, police brutality. And the worst thing was, it had all been for no reason.

She shuddered. ‘So, it wasn’t Cathy’s blood on the knife after all.’

He shook his head, exhausted. ‘Not even human. Cat, most likely. A prank.’

‘OK.’ She almost wished he’d bawl her out, get it over with, not make her wait forever in his office for the coming punishment.

Guy looked up. ‘Where did you go today, Paula? You weren’t doing interviews.’

‘No.’

‘You lied to me.’

‘I had a contact—’

He held up his hand. ‘Save it. I must say, Paula, I have some very serious problems with how you’re carrying out your work. I knew when I hired you – I mean, your old boss said you had problems with authority, but—’

‘Allen? He hated me!’

‘Maybe. But maybe he was right, too.’

She said nothing for a moment, resting her eyes on the pictures of his children. ‘I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just felt very strongly that the Mission was the key. And I finished all my reports, like you said.’

‘That isn’t the point and you know it.’ He lowered his voice. ‘I realise I’ve weakened my position by our – well, by what happened between us – but I still have to manage you, and I wish I could explain that we are this close to being shut down before we’ve even got started.’

‘But I really think this is the answer! If you’d let me explain – I’ve found out more about the Mission: they used to operate under a different name in Ireland. I think they were here in Ballyterrin! If we could find out when that was—’

He slammed his palm onto the desk. ‘For God’s sake, Paula! An officer was nearly burned to death! I’ve got potential lawsuits as long as my arm, a traveller girl missing, another girl dead, and no bloody clue what’s going on. I need you here, not messing about with some mad cult theories.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.