The Doll's House

121

‘Why did you lie to me?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I asked you to your face if Roisin had ever had her locks changed and you denied that she had. But that wasn’t true, was it, Bryan?’

Roisin’s awkward ex-boyfriend attempted to usher Helen towards a quieter part of the garage, but she stood her ground.

‘Why did you lie?’

Bryan shot a look at his fellow mechanics, who stared with undisguised curiosity at the strikingly attractive woman who was now hauling their apprentice over the coals. Was that something resembling respect in their eyes?

‘Because of Jamie,’ he eventually murmured.

‘Who’s Jamie?’

‘Roisin’s ex. Before me, I mean. He used to live with her. Still had his key. I… I found out he’d been coming round, letting himself in, you know…’

He didn’t need to elaborate. Roisin needed affection and clearly wasn’t picky where she got it from.

‘So you made her change the locks.’

‘I couldn’t stop her seeing him, if that’s what she wanted. But I wasn’t having him thinking he could come and go as he pleased, letting himself in at any time of day or night.’

‘You do know lying to the police is a serious matter.’

‘I know all right… I didn’t want to, but I wasn’t going to say nothing with her sitting right next to me.’

He meant Roisin’s mum – his former mother-in-law. Did he clam up to avoid making himself look foolish or to avoid telling Sinead Murphy that her daughter was faithless and generous with her favours? Helen hoped it was the latter.

‘Who changed the locks?’

‘A mate of mine – Stuart Briggs at LockRite.’

‘I’ll need his contact details.’

‘Sure, but he’s got nothing to do with this.’

‘We’ll see. Did you get any more cut?’

‘Sure. We only got two with the lock and her mum needed one, so -’

‘Where? Where did you have them cut?’

Helen failed to conceal the urgency of her request.

‘Roisin did it. But still stung me for the cash.’

‘Where, Bryan?’

‘She showed me the receipt, but it only had the cost on it – five quid or so. It was just a bit of till roll.’

Helen stared at Bryan, knowing she would get no more from him. Whoever their killer was, he was meticulous, precise and ultra-cautious. A pro. But this only made Helen more determined to catch him. And as each small piece of the jigsaw fitted together, she felt she was getting closer to the moment when they would finally be face to face. At times like this Helen had no thoughts for her own safety – she would die doing this job, she knew that – and she longed for that encounter. Things were building to a climax now – Helen felt sure of that – and she was determined to be in at the death.