A Savage Hunger (Paula Maguire 4) by Claire McGowan Page B

on the church steps? A significant amount of blood, and in the same place another young woman went missing over thirty years ago?’
    ‘I didn’t know about that,’ said the principal stiffly.
    ‘Well, I’m telling you. This has happened before. Now maybe you’ll see why I can’t be as blasé as you and Alice’s friends seem to be.’
    To this, Madeline Hooker had no answer. She shook her head a few times, as if to clear it, then picked up the phone and said, ‘Shona. Make sure our guests get everything they need. Finding Alice Morgan should be our top priority.’

Alice
    It’ll hurt , Charlotte says, out of the corner of her mouth. I just roll my eyes up at her. Like I care about hurt by now. Every day is hurt, in this place.
    Charlotte has a razor blade hidden in her little-child’s hand. She smuggled it in, then smashed it up and threw away the moisturising bits. We aren’t interested in smooth legs here. We don’t care about anything except getting out. Just there . I feel her hand on my skin, cold as ice. She has it up my robe, holding my pants aside. I bet he would have loved it. Little does he know. As if you feel sexy when you’re one step ahead of death. That’s one of the best things about it.
    Then Charlotte, in her strange crazy way, slashes the blade against my upper thigh, way high up, almost in the crease between my leg and my bits. I gulp and she claps the hand holding the pants over my mouth. The material digs into the cut. Shh. Don’t say anything. When they weigh you, just let it drip out.
    I nod. That way, he’ll think I’m bleeding. He’ll think I’m a normal girl and that I’m fine, and then maybe, if I’m very lucky, just maybe I’ll be closer to getting out of here one day.

Chapter Eight
     
    ‘They all have alibis, the kids?’ Corry and Paula were walking down the main staircase of the house. Despite herself, Paula had to admit it was nice – the kind of place you could imagine being young and earnest.
    ‘Dermot was working in his room all night, his room-mate says – sounds like a fun lad – and Peter and Katy were supposedly together. That’s been backed up by Peter’s room-mate, who says he didn’t come back to the room. Which by all accounts is a fairly regular occurrence. Why, are you hearing alarm bells?’
    ‘Well, Dermot was lying about something. Did you see the way his eyes kept moving?’
    Corry put less faith in behavioural science. ‘They seem to think she’s gone off by herself. Get some time alone.’
    ‘Katy and Dermot both used the same word. Headspace, they said.’ They were heading back out to the car. The day at Oakdale was winding down, students starting to gather up books and jumpers and sun cream and head indoors from the lawns. No indication at all that just a few miles down the road, one of their classmates was gone, leaving only a trail of blood. ‘That suggests to me they’ve been discussing it.’
    Corry unlocked the car. ‘I wouldn’t pay too much heed to what they say. Alice isn’t the only one into drugs.’
    ‘Yeah, I clocked Dermot’s eyes. Spaced out.’
    ‘Aye. Uppers and downers, I’d say. Anxiety my foot. Katy seemed a bit glassy too. Then there’s Peter Franks – who Katy claims is her boyfriend.’
    ‘You don’t believe it?’ Paula looked at Corry, her profile strong against the low evening sun as she started the car.
    ‘Maguire, wait till you see him. His picture’s on the website of this place, because he’s rowing captain or some nonsense – a great big hunk of a fella. Whereas Katy, not to put the girl down, but unless she’s in some soppy American romcom, she’s not the one who gets the guy.’
    ‘So what’s his story? Peter?’
    ‘Well.’ Corry took her hand off the wheel and rubbed at a spot on her trousers, where she’d dripped tea earlier. ‘I couldn’t get much out of the secretary on that, waffling on about data protection, but Peter doesn’t even have his Leaving Cert. He didn’t