‘And did that change when you were adopted?’

‘What?’

‘Did you stop loving her?’

Charlotte smiled. ‘My parents always say we have to be grateful to Ms O‘Brien for keeping me safe until they could find me.’

‘So your parents also got along well with her?’

‘They were happy for me to check in on her every week. They’ve been worrying about her living on her own … oh.’

Murphy leant forward to pat her knee. ‘It’s okay, Charlie.’

This was precisely why Jake hadn’t wanted the constable at this interview. He’d insist Murphy be excluded from dealing with members of his own family for the remainder of the investigation.

‘And how would you say Ms O’Brien felt toward you?’ Jake asked.

‘I’m not really supposed to say.’ Charlotte’s voice had dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. ‘But I guess it doesn’t make any difference now.’

‘Yes?’

‘Ms O’Brien told me a few times I was her favourite. Only please don’t tell Melia.’

‘Did Ms O’Brien say why you were her favourite?’

‘Just that I was a good girl … maybe because I kept in touch?’

‘By Melia—you mean Amelia MacDonald?’

‘Yep.’

‘Do you know if she stayed in touch with Ms O’Brien?’

Charlotte shook her head. ‘She stopped talking to Ms O’Brien before we even left the home. Me too, actually.’

‘Why was that?’

She shrugged. ‘Don’t know. She just changed.’

‘In what way?’

‘Melia was always fun, but then she got all weird and just stayed in her room, crying a lot.’

‘Do you know when that was?’

‘I was about eight, so I guess Melia was about twelve?’

‘Did that change things in the home?’

Charlotte pressed the fingertips of one hand to her breastbone. ‘It really hurt, actually. Melia and I had promised to be sisters for life, then she just ghosted me.’

‘But you’ve continued to see each other since the home closed?’

She sighed. ‘I take my promises seriously. When I said I’d be her sister, I meant it. And Mum’s always said Melia was probably just having a bad puberty, so I should forgive and forget.’

‘And when did you see Amelia last?’

‘Monday, after work, like usual.’

‘What did you talk about?’

‘We mostly just watched one of her soaps. It’s all she wants to do.’

‘Is that what she was doing in her room at the home? Watching TV?’

She shook her head again. ‘We weren’t allowed to have a TV. Melia always said we had one when she was little, but I don’t remember it. Now she lives in that pink room of hers and watches TV all day long.’

‘What do you think about that?’

‘It’s weird, right?’ She looked appealingly at Murphy, who shrugged slightly. ‘She should have to work and pay rent like I do. I can’t believe her parents let her be so lazy.’

‘Is that a cause of tension between the two of you?’ Jake asked.

Charlotte sat straighter in her chair. ‘No. What do you mean?’