Page 175 of Sins of Innocence

My phone rings. I answer. "Hello."

"Hi, Aine, it's Kara."

"I know, Kieran put your number in my phone."

She laughs, like this kind of intrusiveness is normal. "Good. Now you can text or call if you need to."

It's a generous offer from the underboss's wife. I guess we are becoming friends.

"Ditto," I tell her. Not like it's necessary.

Again, she called me.

"Allison Shaughnessy asked to meet with you and me."

My stomach clenches. "Allison? Why?" I could cheerfully go my whole life without talking to that woman again.

"She's got it in her head that we can talk sense into our husbands."

"Kieran doesn't need any sense talked into him."

"Nor does Mick. Not about this, anyway," Kara clarifies in a humor laced voice. "But there are things we need to know about her involvement in, or knowledge of, certain plans before it can be decided what is to happen to her."

Shock keeps my tongue still for long seconds. The words decided what is to happen to her ring ominously in my head.

"She wants you there because she says she believes talking to you will help clear things up."

"She’s delusional."

"Not least of which because my son was a witness to what happened at St. Patrick’s and I saw the way both her son and husband lied about it," Kara agrees drily.

"You were at the meeting?" I'm not surprised.

From my interaction with the Fitzgeralds, it's clear they operate as a team.

"Part of it. I watched on one of Mick’s video feeds for the rest. Your husband was very forceful in his defense of your daughter and you. I thought he was going to cut Kenneth’s tongue out more than once."

One of Mick’s feeds?

I don’t know what that’s about. Isn't overseeing video surveillance below the underboss's pay grade? I don't ask because I'm still stuck on her casual mention that Kieran was going to cut out Kenneth’s tongue.

"Kieran didn’t tell me about the meeting other than that the boys wouldn’t be returning to school."

"That should never have been in question," Kara says firmly. "Even if they weren’t being fostered to different families rather than being sent to a young offender facility."

"Or killed."

Kara makes a dismissive sound. "That wasn’t going to happen."

"That’s what Kieran said."

"He’s right. My husband can be cold and ruthless, but he is never without honor and there’s no honor in the death of a child."

On that, we agree completely. "No, there isn’t."

"Will you come for tea with Allison so we can ask her the necessary questions without having to pull her in for a formal interrogation? Mick would insist on it and right now, my father is pissed at his cousin, but he would still balk at officially interrogating Allison."

"Right now? Does that mean you don't think your father will remain angry with his cousin even though Kenneth is involved with trafficking children?"