Page 96 of Better the Devil

‘Half day,’ Logan finished. He took a breath. He was going to need it to force out the next few words and ask the question.

Asking the question didn’t make it true, of course, but it somehow legitimised all the niggling little thoughts in his head.

‘She’s been doing that a lot lately. Disappearing,’ he said.

‘She’s a teenager. It happens,’ Shona replied.

Logan nodded slowly. ‘What about the night before last, though? Before the parents’ evening?’

Another creak and a thump as Shona descended a step. ‘What about it?’

‘Where was she then?’

‘I don’t know. Out somewhere. You know what she’s like.’

‘Aye.’ Logan had a very good idea of what Olivia Maximuke was like. ‘That’s what worries me.’

Shona smiled, but there was a question contained within it, like she didn’t understand the joke but was laughing along out of politeness.

‘What do you mean?’

Logan massaged his forehead with a finger and thumb, then finally came out with it.

‘She knew. About Bosco. About him getting out. She knew.’

Shona snorted. ‘What? No.’

‘She knew weeks ago. Bosco contacted her from prison.’

‘No. She didn’t.’

‘She told Harris. Made him keep it a secret,’ Logan continued. ‘He told Sinead and Tyler today.’

‘She would’ve said something,’ Shona insisted.

‘She didn’t.’

‘But she would’ve!’ Shona cried. ‘I saw her, Jack.Yousaw her. She was terrified.’

‘She was threatening to kill him,’ Logan reminded her.

‘Because she was terrified!’

‘She had him here. Upstairs. In her room, like she didn’t want us to know,’ Logan said. ‘Like she was going to hide him.’

‘What, under her bed? Listen to yourself, Jack! You’re saying…’

She fell silent. Fell still. Only her eyes moved, searching the face of the man standing half in shadow at the bottom of the stairs.

‘Wait, whatareyou saying? Why were you asking where she was on parents’ night?’

Logan didn’t answer that. He didn’t need to.

‘You can’t seriously think she was involved in all this? Olivia? She’s a child.’

‘She’s a young adult,’ Jack corrected. It felt petty, even as he said it.

‘Oh, stop. You know what I mean.’