Chapter 105
Lottie walked Sadie out, telling her they’d be in contact once it was determined what charges, if any, she’d face. Then she hurried to the second interview room.
‘When did you first meet Sadie?’ she asked.
Christy Kearney cut a sad figure in a suit that was too big for him but had probably fitted him at one stage. ‘In Oak House, over twenty years ago.’
‘What were you in for?’ She knew his name hadn’t turned up on the list of detainees that McKeown had finally secured.
‘I was staff. A social care worker. It was my first posting.’
She tried not to let her surprise show. How did he go from that to bouncy castles? First she had to get him to talk about his role in her investigation. ‘Tell me about Sadie.’
‘She was something special. Behind all the anger and pain, I could see she was a survivor.’
‘Did you have a relationship with her?’
‘Good God, no. She was a kid. I was over ten years older than her. We had a connection of sorts. She kept in contact for a few years. I helped her through some of her issues. Then my father had a stroke and I gave up work to care for him. He’s my dad and I’m all he has.’
His words resonated with Lottie. She was all Rose had, not counting her grandchildren and great-grandson. It was a scary thought.
‘When did Sadie approach you with her escape scheme for Caroline?’
‘I couldn’t say anything to you when I was interviewed before. I was as scared as they were. More so when Caroline and her family were murdered.’
‘Go on.’
‘Sadie came across me last year when she was ordering the bouncy castle for her little one’s birthday. We recognised each other. It was awkward. I sensed she’d kept her old life secret from her new family, so I treated it as a business transaction. Until she contacted me again a few weeks ago.’
‘What was that conversation about?’
‘She needed help for her friend. She said Caroline’s life was in danger. I assumed it was from an abusive husband. In my previous work life I saw how those who grew up with abuse sometimes ended up in abusive relationships themselves.’
‘So you planned to hide Caroline and Freya?’
‘Sadie had it all worked out. But she didn’t figure on Alice getting to them first.’ He was in tears, sobbing as he spoke.
‘I was to take them with me Monday morning when I was collecting the castle. But things didn’t work out that way.
I nearly died myself when I saw the man through the window.
I was about to call Sadie, but I knew the right thing to do was dial 999. Which I did.’
‘When did you contact her?’
‘I stole a minute away from your detectives. She was hysterical at first, but then she turned very calm. Said she would be in touch. A few minutes later, I got a text to go to hers when I could. She said she’d get Lily to me and then she’d figure out the rest.’
‘Wait. She knew about the murders before I went to talk to her?’
‘I would assume so.’
Sadie had put on a good act and Lottie wondered if she could have been more alert at the time.
She thought of the wasted resources in the search for two people who were not actually missing, and the torment Sadie had put Thomas through.
She couldn’t see that marriage surviving.
Both had been deceitful. But had Sadie been something more malicious than that?
‘Did it ever strike you that she could have been involved in the Healy murders?’
‘God, no. She was trying to save Freya and Caroline.’ He lowered his head. ‘That’s why she wanted my help.’
‘Okay,’ Lottie said dubiously.
‘You think she killed them? That’s not possible.’
‘Why not?’
‘I met the two of them. Caroline adored Sadie and I think Sadie would have done anything to protect her friend.’
‘Maybe in some perverse way she thought that killing Caroline was protecting her.’
Christy shook his head, then looked her dead in the eye. ‘You think Sadie killed her mother and sister all those years ago?’
‘Did she?’
He was quiet for a long time. ‘Honestly? I don’t know.’
Christy Kearney would be charged for his role, which had wasted Garda resources, but Lottie knew they had much more important charges to lay on others.