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Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. INTRODUCINGKATIE MAGUIRE
  3. ALSO BY GRAHAM MASTERTON
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Epigraph
  7. Contents
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. About the Author
  60. An Invitation from the Publisher

‘I thought you’d be thanking the Lord that she survived,’ said Katie. ‘She could easily have drowned along with her mother if that auld wan hadn’t been brave enough to jump in and save her.’

‘Maybe it would have been better all around if she had,’ her father replied. ‘But then the Lord works in mysterious ways, doesn’t he? I suppose she was rescued for a reason.’

Katie opened and closed her mouth when he said that. She couldn’t think of any response except That’s your own granddaughter you’re talking about, you narrow-minded bigot, but there was no point in antagonizing him. Dr Kelley raised her eyebrows and took a deep suppressed breath, but she, too, held her peace.

‘Are you any nearer to catching the fellow who pushed her in?’ asked her mother.

‘Not yet, to be honest with you,’ Katie told her. ‘The people he’s been pushing in seem to have nothing at all in common, so it’s been difficult to understand why he’s doing it. But we’ll catch him eventually, I can promise you that. He’s not going to go unpunished for taking your daughter away from you.’

‘Our daughter took herself away from us, missus detective,’ said Roisin’s father. ‘She was dead to us long before this happened. The worst of it was, she was our only child. After her, her mother couldn’t have any more. We always hoped that she was going to be a son, so that the Carroll family name could carry on. But like I say, the Lord works in mysterious ways. Sometimes you can go to your grave without ever knowing what it was that He was punishing you for.’

‘Well, we’ll leave you in peace with Roisin now,’ said Katie. ‘We’ll keep you informed if there’s any developments.’

With that, she and Dr Kelley left Roisin’s parents and stepped out into the corridor.

‘Holy Saint Joseph,’ said Dr Kelley, under her breath. ‘I truly thought we’d outgrown all of that.’

Katie closed the door. ‘Really?’ she said, as she and Dr Kelley walked back to the morgue. ‘I wonder if we ever will. We’ve shut down the Magdalene Laundries and the mother-and-baby homes, do you know, but putting an end to that sort of intolerance – that’s another matter altogether. As far as those two are concerned, that poor Roisin was a fallen woman and there was no redemption. They’re not even sorry she’s dead.’

Dr Kelley shook her head. ‘I think I need another cigarette.’

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