The Mother by Valerie Keogh

Author:Valerie Keogh [Keogh, Valerie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Boldwood Books
Published: 2024-06-27T00:00:00+00:00

33

It was only a little lie, but it was enough to point the gnarly finger of suspicion right back at Sarah Westfield.

‘What I don’t understand,’ Lyn said, ‘is why she’d lie about something so stupid. She could have simply said she fancied going to that pub and left it at that.’

‘She wanted to give us a good reason for going into that particular pub. Don’t forget, they had to pass three others to get to it.’

There was a loud creak as Lyn rocked back in her chair. ‘Okay, I’m getting confused in my head now. If the Westfields were acting alone, they could have gone to any pub, yes?’

Zoé-Lee frowned. ‘Yes, I suppose.’

‘So why did they want to go to that pub, and why lie about it?’

‘Maybe the two women were involved somehow.’

Lyn rocked again, the chair’s complaints a noisy squeal that she ignored. ‘So even more premeditated than we’d been thinking. The two women we’ve been unable to identify went to that particular pub, to take that particular baby, a baby who may have been dead or alive.’ She jumped up from the chair, sending it spinning behind her. ‘Let’s talk to DI Bilton. If anyone can make sense out of this mess, our Josephine can.’

Zoé-Lee would have preferred to get on the phone to DI Maxwell, but that decision was out of her hands. Silently, she followed her colleague down narrow corridors to DI Bilton’s office. ‘Here we go,’ Lyn said, rapping on the door.

The ‘come in’ was almost immediate and the door was opened into a small, windowless office. The woman behind the desk looked up with an enquiring gaze and a pleasant expression which Zoé-Lee wasn’t expecting. Her experience with senior officers – apart from Maxwell – had led her to believe most got more unfriendly as they climbed the ladder.

DI Bilton sat back in her chair and crossed her arms as if preparing to be entertained. ‘Sit, tell me what’s worrying you, DS Lyn.’

‘This is PC O’Farrell from Devon and Cornwall, here to give me the lowdown on the Westfields at the NCA’s request.’

‘Nice to meet you, PC O’Farrell. I hope we’ve made you comfortable here.’

‘DS Lyn has been very helpful, thank you, ma’am.’

‘Good. Right, assuming this isn’t a social visit, what can I do for you?’

Lyn shot Zoé-Lee a glance, then nodded and started to explain the situation. It was a rambling tale, Lyn hopping backwards and forwards so that even Zoé-Lee was confused by the time she was done. She looked at the DI, expecting her face to be creased in puzzlement, but instead she nodded as if it was all crystal clear.

‘If I have this straight from that rambling, hoppity-skippity monologue, you have a suspicion that the Westfields may have had a hand in the disappearance of their child, am I right?’

‘PC O’Farrell had her suspicions even before we learned that Sarah Westfield lied about the pub,’ Lyn said.

‘Really?’ Bilton turned her head to look at O’Farrell. ‘Tell me why.’

Subject to such intense scrutiny, Zoé-Lee felt colour rise in her cheeks.

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