Chapter 30
Siobhán waited in the small visiting room at the jail where they were keeping Jane. She had a feeling it would be easier to get her to talk without Macdara in the room. Minutes later, Jane was escorted into the room, using her cane. She took a seat, her eyes focused slightly above Siobhán’s head.
“You have to get me out of here,” she said. “I didn’t kill my mother.”
“I want to help you. But first you have to help me.”
“I’ll do anything.”
“Who is your lover?”
Jane chewed on her lip, as if pondering the question. “I won’t say.”
“He’s married then.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s the most reasonable explanation.” Siobhán wanted to add that if he was any man at all he would have come forward himself by now. “I think you’re having an affair with Joe Madigan.”
The lip biting grew worse. “How did you . . . Why do you say that?”
“I think Mary Madigan knows too.”
“No!”
“You aren’t the only one who lied about your alibi. I think she spent that weekend following Joe.”
“Dear God.” Jane bowed her head. “I’m not in love. Neither is he. It’s just a bit of company.”
“You should have come clean from the beginning. Maybe you wouldn’t be here.”
“I don’t want to ruin a marriage.”
“Did your mother know?”
“I don’t think so. Then again, I didn’t think anyone would ever know.”
“You weren’t the only one keeping a relationship secret.”
Jane swallowed. “You mean my mam?”
“Yes.”
“You think she was dating Aiden Cunningham.”
“I do.”
“I was with Joe all weekend. So you can rule him out.”
“I need to hear every detail about the weekend. Everything this time. If you lie to me again, I can’t help you. Do you understand?”
Jane nodded. “There’s not much to tell. I left Thursday after breakfast as I stated. Mam drove me to the bus stop. She insisted on waiting until I got on the bus. I had to take it to the next stop. That’s where Joe picked me up.”
“In his car?”
“In a taxi.”
“And then?”
“Then we went to an inn just outside town.”
“That was risky.”
Jane sighed. “No one there knew us. Mary Madigan may have tried looking for us, but I don’t see how she would know where we were.”
“She could have tracked her husband’s phone.”
Jane shrugged. “I wouldn’t know about that.”
“Tell your lawyer all of this.”
“I can’t. I can’t do it to Joe.”
“It’s too late. No more secrets. If you stayed in that inn all weekend as you say, that’s your alibi. Everywhere you went, anyone you spoke with, it’s all going to come out.”
Jane hung her head. “I made a mess of everything. Mam would be so disappointed.”
“Everything takes a backseat to finding her killer.” Siobhán took a few notes, then looked at Jane. “Now we’re going to talk about Joe. If he left you at all during the weekend, you have to tell me.” Jane hesitated. “Unless you want to spend the rest of your life behind bars.”
“Friday evening he had to call his wife. And his mother. Talk to his children. I fell asleep. I don’t know how long he was out.”
“When did you see him again?”
Jane swallowed. “Not until morning.”
“You slept straight through?”
Jane nodded. “I’ve always been a heavy sleeper.”
“We’ll have to talk with the clerk at the inn, to see if they know what time Joe returned.” And check the CCTV cameras. “Whose idea was it to stay at the inn?”
“It was Joe’s. He wanted to be close in case his children needed him.”
“I see.” Or was there another reason? Had he wanted to be close so he could get away with murder? “When are you meeting with your solicitor?”
“Today.”
“Good. Tell him everything.”
“I promise.”
Siobhán stood. “Good. Then I’ll do everything I can.”
“I remembered something else.”
“Go on.”
“The leather smell in the cottage. Remember?”
“Yes.” Siobhán wanted to tell her they’d just smelled it again in the truck, but she could not. Especially now that Jane was in custody.
“I smelled it again. At the memorial for Mam. When I was standing next to Aiden Cunningham.”
* * *
Siobhán caught up with Danny outside the station and filled him in on her meeting with Jane, and her affair with Joe Madigan. “I’ll get a guard up there to take down her report. It won’t look good that she lied to us.”
“Maybe so, but if her alibi can be proved, then she’ll have to be released.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Soon everyone would know about the affair. Joe Madigan would be called to the station along with Geraldine and Mary. Secrets always came out. And so did the truth.
“Danny.”
“Yes?”
“Annabel was teaching an art class that evening.”
“She was.”
“Did you see her after?”
He nodded. “We spent the night at her house.”
“Where were you before that?”
His eyes hardened. “Are you serious? You’re after my alibi now?”
“Someone saw the two of you, or they know something about your romance.”
“We’re not hiding it.”
“Why did they leave me that note?”
“Obviously to turn you against me. I guess the writer of that note thinks you’re the better guard.”
She ignored the jealous comment. “I was at Annabel’s the other day. Ellen had some disturbing paintings. Have you seen them?”
“What were you doing in her studio?”
“Ciarán and Ann were having a lesson.”
“Do you expect me to believe that?”
His defenses were up. “I’m not accusing your girlfriend of anything.”
He turned away from her. “I was wrong to let you in.”
“Don’t say that.”
“Maybe you should go home.”
He started to walk away. “What about Joe’s barn?”
He stopped but kept his back to her. “What about it?”
“Did you follow up on his mysterious barn crasher?” She should have paid more attention to this at the time. He’d stated that the night of the murder someone had slept in his barn. Seeking refuge. And there was only one explanation why Siobhán could see the killer, this killer, doing that.
“Go home.”
“What about the dead mouse?”
He stopped, turned. “Siobhán. It was good to see you. But you’re officially interfering in an active investigation. I’ll say it one more time. Go home.”