Chapter 33
Following Alice Quigley’s assertion that Sadie Clarke might have stolen some of Caroline’s clothing, Lottie secured a warrant to search the Clarke home, Thomas’s office in town and his car.
She was lucky that Superintendent Farrell had the ear of a lenient judge, because they had little evidence other than the text messages on Caroline’s phone and Alice’s information about the theft.
But with a child missing, they had no time to waste.
She also needed to find shoes that could match the partial imprint on Caroline’s back. They might get lucky, but she had to work quickly, because Boyd had got Thomas to come to the station. He was currently without a solicitor. That could change if she left him waiting too long.
The wardrobes in the Clarkes’ bedroom ran the length of one wall.
She pulled on gloves and got to work. One door was open, a bathrobe hanging on it.
Inside, all fairly ordinary clothing with M&S and Dunnes Stores labels.
Nothing expensive at first look. She moved to the next section, which contained Thomas’s clothes.
These presented as more of a designer nature.
Tommy Hilfiger, Nike gym wear, a sleek Louis Copeland tailored suit.
On the floor of the wardrobe she came across his trainers and shoes, all neatly lined up.
She instructed Grainne Nixon, the SOCO team leader, to bag the lot.
So far she hadn’t come across any clothes that might have belonged to Caroline. Even if she did, what could it prove? Caroline might have loaned them to Sadie, despite what Alice said. And how would she know they weren’t Sadie’s own? God, she hadn’t thought it through.
In Lily’s room she searched through the child’s wardrobe.
It broke her heart to see the jeans and hoodies and T-shirts along with a school uniform.
She hoped she could bring Lily home to wear them again.
There was no evidence that the girl had hastily packed a bag to run away.
She’d known that from day one, but still it struck her again.
Sliderobes lined two walls in the spare room, and a free-standing rack held summer clothing.
It was like Sadie had made the space into a walk-in wardrobe.
Here Lottie found more expensive garb with labels still attached.
It was the sizes that caught her eye. From seeing Caroline’s body in the morgue and having met Sadie, she figured the Clarke woman was a size smaller than her friend.
A selection of brand-new dresses leaned more towards Caroline’s build.
Were these the clothes that Sadie had stolen?
But they could have been loaned or given to her.
And what did any of it prove? Nothing. In any case, why would Sadie need to steal anything from anyone?
She was well off. The fabulous house and expensive appliances and furnishings paid homage to the Clarkes’ wealth. Or was it all a sham? A front?
‘I’m overthinking,’ she told herself. ‘This was a wild-goose chase.’
‘Not entirely.’
Lottie jumped. She’d forgotten that Grainne was there. ‘What did you find?’
‘Come back to the child’s room.’
Curiosity buoyed her as she followed the SOCO.
‘We missed this with the first sweep-through, as we were mainly trying to determine if there was evidence of a break-in and abduction or whether Lily had just crept out and run away.’
Grainne got down on her knees on the opposite side of the bed. Lottie leaned over her, blocking some of the light from the window.
‘I took photos first.’ With gloved fingers, Grainne held up a piece of lace. ‘Looks like a hand-made collar to me.’
Lottie squinted as Grainne slipped it into a clear evidence bag. ‘It’s yellowed and old, but it’s similar to the lace on the dress we found Freya wearing. It was under the bed?’
‘Yes.’
‘Anything else of note?’
‘Dust. But there is an imprint in it that might suggest a small box was here for a time. Maybe a shoebox.’
‘Interesting. Any sign of it?’
‘No. It’s possible it was removed and the collar fell out of it, but that’s just an assumption.’
‘Can we get prints or DNA from this collar?’
‘Maybe DNA, but it looks old, so I can’t be sure.’
‘We need to re-examine the clothing Freya and Caroline were wearing when they were murdered.’
‘Do you think maybe they were dressed after they were killed?’ Grainne asked.
‘Have you ever tried dressing a dead person?’
‘No. Have you?’
Lottie shook her head. ‘I hear it’s a tough job, but it’s been done before by killers.
Adrenaline rush is a weird thing. In this case, the female victims may have been sedated in order to coerce them into putting on the clothes before they passed out.
Anyhow, get that to the lab. It could tie Lily’s disappearance to the murder of the Healys.
Also, take all Thomas Clarke’s shoes. I hope one of them can be linked to the bruising on Caroline’s back. ’
‘Will do.’
‘I’m heading back to interview him now. Hope he’s nice and stewed.’
The fact that Thomas had arrived without a solicitor caused Lottie to believe he was all bluster with no substance.
He looked dishevelled, unwashed, his hair matted.
One side of his shirt collar stuck out and the other was trapped beneath his navy-blue sweater, which sported something like an egg stain on the chest. His jeans were so crumpled he’d probably slept in them.
‘Did you get any sleep at all, Thomas?’ she asked, settling herself at the table beside Boyd.
‘What do you think? My daughter has been missing for two days and my wife vanished off the face of the earth yesterday, so no, I didn’t get a wink.
And you lot have trampled all over my home.
’ He glared and thumped the table. ‘Plus you left me for hours sitting out there in that corridor with everyone walking past staring at me.’
She discounted his complaint with silence. Once his breathing returned to normal, she spoke. ‘Are you sure you want to proceed without your counsel present?’
‘I’m not under arrest, am I? What I want is for you to find my family and bring them home to me.’
‘Answer my question,’ she pressed.
‘Yeah, go ahead and ask what you want.’ He stared at her with bloodshot eyes. The stench of stale alcohol was evident on his breath. ‘If I’d brought along a solicitor, I know what you’d think.’
‘And what would I think?’
‘That I was guilty.’
‘Guilty of what?’
‘Jesus, you’re one hell of a—’
‘Mr Clarke,’ Boyd butted in, ‘I think it best that you don’t finish that sentence.’
Clarke leaned back in the chair and clamped his lips shut, but Lottie knew he was itching to add something else.
‘You’re the boss,’ he scoffed at Boyd through gritted teeth, unable to help himself.
‘No, I am,’ Lottie said, and placed a photo of the lace collar on the table. ‘Care to tell me what this is?’
He glanced down. ‘No idea.’
‘Look again. Carefully. Have you ever seen it before?’
‘No.’
‘On Lily, maybe?’
‘Did you find her? Oh God, is she okay?’ He shifted around on the chair, eyes darting towards the door.
‘Easy there,’ Boyd said.
‘We haven’t located your daughter yet, but we found this in her room,’ Lottie said.
Clarke shook his head. ‘I’ve no clue what it is, and that’s the truth.’
Next she showed him a photo of the dress Freya had been wearing when her body was found. ‘Have you seen this dress before?’
‘It’s hideous, like something from a museum. I can tell you here and now, Lily would never wear anything like that. Plus Sadie would have a heart attack.’
Lottie considered him and had to concede that he was being truthful. So why was Freya wearing such a dress?
She studied Thomas Clarke carefully. He looked a broken man, as if all the fight had deserted his body. She was beginning to think he was only guilty of having an affair, but then there was also Sadie’s claim that he was abusive. And what about the shoe print on Caroline’s back?
‘Thomas, are you ready to admit you were having an affair with Caroline Healy?’
‘I never cheated—’
‘We took shoes from the house.’
He raised an eyebrow, but confusion was written on his face. ‘From Healy’s house?’
‘From yours.’
‘Why would you do that?’
‘We’re matching them to a bruise on Caroline’s back.’
‘I didn’t hurt her, or anyone else for that matter. I did not kill Caroline, bruise or no bruise.’
‘This was not a fresh bruise.’
‘Why don’t you check Cameron’s shoes, then?’
‘We did, and they don’t match.’
‘I’ve told you, I did not touch her or anyone else. You have to believe me.’
‘Therein lies the problem, Thomas. I do not believe you.’ But she kind of did believe him, and this conflicted her.
He wrung his hands into a knot. Beads of sweat peppered his brow and trickled down beside his ears.
‘What’s up, Thomas? You look uncomfortable.’
‘So would you if you were being grilled for something you didn’t do. My family is missing and you’re here accusing me of rubbish I know nothing about.’
‘Like you say, your daughter and wife have disappeared. But your wife’s best friend and husband have been murdered. I want answers.’
‘I can’t tell you something I don’t know.
And they were not my friends. They were Sadie’s.
She was always over there. She and Caroline were inseparable, and they had made Lily and Freya like mini versions of themselves.
I was the outsider. I’m inclined to think Cam was an outsider too. I can’t figure it out.’
Put like that, Lottie was confused too.
She nudged Boyd to take over.
He sat a bit straighter. ‘Thomas, when did you last see Lily?’
‘When we came home from the party Sunday night. She was tired, washed out and went straight to bed. I presumed she was still there when I left for work Monday. Sadie said she was keeping her home from school.’
Lottie caught Boyd’s eye and gave him a slight nod to continue.
‘Was Lily sleepy before you left the Healys’?’
‘She was exhausted. She and Freya and their friends spent most of the afternoon on that bloody bouncy castle in the spills of rain. It’s a wonder she hadn’t a flu out of it.’ He buried his head in his hands and sobbed. ‘I’m never going to see my little girl again.’
‘We will do our best to bring her home to you,’ Lottie said.
‘Alive?’ His eyes were swimming in tears when he lifted his head.
‘I can’t promise that, I’m sorry.’
Boyd shuffled a few pages in the file in front of him. ‘Did Lily sleep on the way home in the car?’
‘Yes. I told you, she was dead on her feet. God, I hate that term now.’
‘Were you sleepy too?’
He thought for a moment. ‘I was tired. I slept the whole night. Took two swipes at the snooze button Monday morning before I could drag myself into the shower.’
‘And Sadie, how was she?’
‘She drove home, then had a glass of wine after Lily was in bed. I’d had a few drinks at the party, so I went straight to bed.’
‘Did Sadie drink at the party?’
‘I doubt it. She’d said she’d drive so I could have a drink. We could have walked, it’s not that far, but the weather was atrocious.’
‘The next morning, did you speak with Sadie?’
‘She just said she was keeping Lily home. She was still in bed when I left.’
‘Did you see Lily?’
‘I didn’t like to disturb her that early.’
‘Do you or Sadie ever take sleeping pills?’
‘God, no. Why do you ask?’
Lottie didn’t want to tell him. Not yet. And no pills had been found so far in his home. ‘Did Lily keep a box under her bed?’
‘What sort of box?’
‘About the size of a shoebox.’
‘I can’t recall such a thing. But Sadie was in there a lot more than I was.’
Lottie pushed the two photos over the table again. ‘And you’re absolutely certain you never saw this dress or this lace collar before?’
‘As certain as I can be.’