her—’
Bob’s face was red with outrage. ‘That child’s hardly cold in her grave!’
‘But they might be connected, maybe. There’s a lot of new research coming out that suicide and self-harm can function almost as a trend among teenagers – so if Louise did kill herself, perhaps it would give us some insight into Cathy and Majella, their state of mind . . .’ There was a pause where she felt just how far out of line she’d stepped. ‘What about the suicide from 1985 – do we have her name?’
Silence. ‘We’ll get it,’ said Guy, shooting a glance at Bob.
Paula nodded. ‘We should. I think it could be quite significant. We should pull all the data we’ve got on suicides and suspicious deaths, back to and including 1985.’
Bob Hamilton coughed. ‘Suicides aren’t in our remit, God rest them.’
But Guy said, ‘If it can be done quickly. Avril, have you got time to do that?’
Avril pressed her pretty lips together. ‘Well, sir, I am very busy, but—’
‘Excellent,I’m sure you’ll manage. Now, we’re under a lot of pressure, as Bob says. Not only in finding the missing girls, but also, I suppose, in justifying our existence as a unit.’
A strange kind of sigh went round the table. Avril Wright looked at her neat cuticles; Gerard Monaghan pushed back his chair, and Fiacra Quinn thumbed his eyes. Bob held his laser pointer, crestfallen. Paula looked up enquiringly.
Guy said, ‘There’s been some– criticism. Some people think the money would be better allocated elsewhere – they don’t see missing persons as a priority. And there’s been comment in some sections of the media about the balance of cases we’ve re-opened. Whether it might be . . . weighted more towards one side of the community than the other.’
Paula wasn’t surprised; it was a standard Northern Ireland response. ‘So the funding’s not secure.’
Gerard gave a bitter laugh. ‘When’s it ever? I s’pose you’re used to London. There’s no money round here.’
She decided not to retort that her car had been tail to tail in Jeeps that morning. ‘Well, we’d better get results then.’ No one responded to this peppy statement.
Guy moved on. ‘So Avril and Fiacra, you’re looking into the older cases – make lists, identify areas for review. Lots of the documents are on microfilm, I’m afraid, but we need a complete record. You can call in Paula if you want her input.’ He smiled at her briefly. ‘Gerard’s leading on Cathy and Majella for the local PSNI, and we’ll help where we’re needed. Let’s look at Paula’s finding about the Mission, but we also need to focus on getting through the interviews on the traveller site. We’re looking at a lot of people there, and a lot of criminal records – not necessarily the kind we’re after, of course.’ He cleared his throat to mark a change in tone. ‘Now. I thought it might be nice to welcome Paula with an after-work drink – anyone?’
Avril said primly, ‘I don’t drink, sir.’
Gerard shook hishead. ‘I’ve a football match.’
Fiacra looked as if he might be convinced, but seeing the expressions of the others, he said, ‘Better get home for me dinner.’
‘Well – Sergeant?’
Bob looked shocked. ‘I have my church duties, sir.’
‘Oh well.’ Deflated, Guy turned to Paula as the others filed out.
‘I’d love to, really – but maybe some other time?’ she said. ‘It’s just my dad, I don’t like to leave him . . .’
‘Oh, of course.’ Guy looked disappointed. Paula thought fleetingly of the children in the picture on his desk, the wedding ring. There was nothing she could offer him. Better to say no. She turned to go with an apologetic smile.
Paula was set up on a very old computer in the corner, listening to the younger team members settle in around her. Avril and Fiacra had a hushed, slightly stilted discussion about a TV programme from the night before, and Gerard coughed at one point and asked Fiacra did he
Bob’s face was red with outrage. ‘That child’s hardly cold in her grave!’
‘But they might be connected, maybe. There’s a lot of new research coming out that suicide and self-harm can function almost as a trend among teenagers – so if Louise did kill herself, perhaps it would give us some insight into Cathy and Majella, their state of mind . . .’ There was a pause where she felt just how far out of line she’d stepped. ‘What about the suicide from 1985 – do we have her name?’
Silence. ‘We’ll get it,’ said Guy, shooting a glance at Bob.
Paula nodded. ‘We should. I think it could be quite significant. We should pull all the data we’ve got on suicides and suspicious deaths, back to and including 1985.’
Bob Hamilton coughed. ‘Suicides aren’t in our remit, God rest them.’
But Guy said, ‘If it can be done quickly. Avril, have you got time to do that?’
Avril pressed her pretty lips together. ‘Well, sir, I am very busy, but—’
‘Excellent,I’m sure you’ll manage. Now, we’re under a lot of pressure, as Bob says. Not only in finding the missing girls, but also, I suppose, in justifying our existence as a unit.’
A strange kind of sigh went round the table. Avril Wright looked at her neat cuticles; Gerard Monaghan pushed back his chair, and Fiacra Quinn thumbed his eyes. Bob held his laser pointer, crestfallen. Paula looked up enquiringly.
Guy said, ‘There’s been some– criticism. Some people think the money would be better allocated elsewhere – they don’t see missing persons as a priority. And there’s been comment in some sections of the media about the balance of cases we’ve re-opened. Whether it might be . . . weighted more towards one side of the community than the other.’
Paula wasn’t surprised; it was a standard Northern Ireland response. ‘So the funding’s not secure.’
Gerard gave a bitter laugh. ‘When’s it ever? I s’pose you’re used to London. There’s no money round here.’
She decided not to retort that her car had been tail to tail in Jeeps that morning. ‘Well, we’d better get results then.’ No one responded to this peppy statement.
Guy moved on. ‘So Avril and Fiacra, you’re looking into the older cases – make lists, identify areas for review. Lots of the documents are on microfilm, I’m afraid, but we need a complete record. You can call in Paula if you want her input.’ He smiled at her briefly. ‘Gerard’s leading on Cathy and Majella for the local PSNI, and we’ll help where we’re needed. Let’s look at Paula’s finding about the Mission, but we also need to focus on getting through the interviews on the traveller site. We’re looking at a lot of people there, and a lot of criminal records – not necessarily the kind we’re after, of course.’ He cleared his throat to mark a change in tone. ‘Now. I thought it might be nice to welcome Paula with an after-work drink – anyone?’
Avril said primly, ‘I don’t drink, sir.’
Gerard shook hishead. ‘I’ve a football match.’
Fiacra looked as if he might be convinced, but seeing the expressions of the others, he said, ‘Better get home for me dinner.’
‘Well – Sergeant?’
Bob looked shocked. ‘I have my church duties, sir.’
‘Oh well.’ Deflated, Guy turned to Paula as the others filed out.
‘I’d love to, really – but maybe some other time?’ she said. ‘It’s just my dad, I don’t like to leave him . . .’
‘Oh, of course.’ Guy looked disappointed. Paula thought fleetingly of the children in the picture on his desk, the wedding ring. There was nothing she could offer him. Better to say no. She turned to go with an apologetic smile.
Paula was set up on a very old computer in the corner, listening to the younger team members settle in around her. Avril and Fiacra had a hushed, slightly stilted discussion about a TV programme from the night before, and Gerard coughed at one point and asked Fiacra did he
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