‘You had a disagreement with Amelia recently. Was it over her lifestyle?’

She flushed. ‘Did Evelyn say something? Our sessions are supposed to be confidential.’

Jake made a mental note to go through the station’s paperwork on Ms Kelly at his first opportunity. Precisely what was she being employed for by Victim Services?

‘Miss Murphy, Ms Kelly has not said anything to me regarding a conversation between the two of you. Ava O’Brien’s brother mentioned that she was worried about a disagreement between two of the girls from the home when he saw her on Wednesday night.’

‘Oh no! Ms O’Brien shouldn’t have spent any time thinking about that. It was such a little thing.’

‘Please tell me exactly what happened.’

‘I can’t see how it matters.’

‘Charlotte, just tell him,’ Murphy said.

‘Fine.’ Her expression hardened. ‘It’s embarrassing, that’s all. I was teasing Amelia about why she didn’t ever want to be with a real man … y’know, not just one of those men on her soaps? Like maybe she should go meet that gorgeous new guy who’s moved in up at the Campbell manor …’

‘He’s far too old for you,’ Murphy frowned.

Jake flashed him a ‘shut up’ glare. ‘Do you mean Max Campbell?’ he prompted.

‘I don’t know his name, just that he’s the first hot guy to move to Dunton in years.’

Jake looked at his leg and picked at a barely visible piece of lint. ‘And how do you know Max Campbell?’

‘Like I said, I didn’t know his name. He came into work a few days in a row over the weekend. I just thought Amelia should be lusting after real men like him—not those fake, plastic ones on her ridiculous soapies.’

‘And this led to an argument?’

Charlotte rolled her eyes. ‘She had one of her stupid meltdowns, being a drama queen as usual.’

‘Could you please tell me exactly what was said?’

She huffed. ‘Really?’

He nodded.

She looked up, making a show of remembering.

‘I told her there was this hot new guy just moved to Dunton, and she should come down and hang out at the shop to see if he came in again.’

‘And?’

‘And that if she ever wanted to have kids—like she’s always going on about—she’d need some actual sperm, which she wasn’t going to find by staying in her room.’

‘How did she respond?’

‘She lost it. Yelled at me to get out, that I had no idea what it was like to be her, that I was spoiled—I mean, I’m the spoiled one?’

‘How long did the argument continue?’

‘I left after that. I don’t know why I bother.’

‘Have you spoken to her since?

‘It’s best to let her cool down. She’ll be fine by Monday, like nothing happened.’

‘Did you ever argue about Ms O’Brien?’

‘No …’

‘Never?’

‘Amelia doesn’t like to talk about things from the past.’

Jake made a mental note to pursue that point if he interviewed Amelia MacDonald again.