‘Did O’Brien’s sister come here to confront Mason, thinking O’Brien would be here too?’ Kelly continued. ‘Did Mason kill her, then ask you to help him move the body? Was your need to wrap everything up here so urgent that you decided to help him rather than calling the police?’

Max looked dazed. ‘This is a nightmare. I’ve never had anything to do with any of the sick, twisted things that have apparently been going on here my whole life.’

‘Then explain how you’re a DNA match for one of the children born here?’ Kelly said.

‘My father just told you—he was the one who did this. I share his DNA, it doesn’t mean I had anything to do with it.’

‘You were the father of one of the children here.’

Jake realised that Kelly had misunderstood the DNA results he had tried to explain earlier. ‘Sir …’ he began.

The fleeting look Kelly stabbed at Jake warned him in to silence.

‘Did one of my brothers or sisters survive?’ Max looked hopefully at Jake. ‘Have you found them?’

‘Not a sibling, a child,’ Kelly insisted.

‘That’s impossible,’ Max said, bewildered. ‘It can’t be mine.’

Taking a deep breath, Jake decided this was neither the time nor place to explain. ‘Everything will become clear at the station.’

*

Murphy was annoyed that he had been left out of the arrest. ‘Given all the paperwork I’ve done on this case …’

Jake managed to maintain a passive expression. Rolling his eyes at the constable now would be counterproductive.

‘I’ll fill you in later,’ he said.

‘They’re not going anywhere,’ Murphy countered. ‘Tell me now.’

‘Take five minutes now, Hunter,’ Kelly said. ‘Bring Murphy up to speed. Let them cool their heels in the lock-up. We’ll start processing them in ten.’

Max Campbell remained bewildered and his father defiant throughout the booking and interview process. Once he grasped Jake’s revelation, Max seemed to cling to the news that he had a child out there that he’d never known existed, though neither Campbell offered any new information.

Jake returned to the front office to find Murphy and Evelyn hunched over his desk talking quietly.

Despite her perfect mask of light make-up, she looked pale.

‘Are you all right?’ Jake asked.

She nodded. ‘Of course. Pat was just filling me in on this afternoon’s arrest.’

Jake gave Murphy a hard look.

‘Just the basics,’ the constable said, grinning.

Jake’s phone began to vibrate. ‘Pete, hang on.’

He covered the microphone with the fingers of one hand. ‘I’ll take this out the back,’ he said to Murphy, who had already returned to his conspiratorial hunch with Evelyn.

‘All right, Pete, go ahead.’