by Kate Sweeney
“Well, you’re alive!” Mrs. Burke’s happy voice called out quietly. Maureen jumped and whirled around. “I’m sorry, didn’t mean to startle ya. How about some breakfast?”
“N-no thank you, ma’am. I’ve got to be goin’,” Maureen said, avoiding her eyes.
Mrs. Burke regarded her so intently, it made Maureen nervous. “Ya can’t be leavin’ on an empty stomach. Will Dr. Mitchell be down soon?”
Maureen followed her to the kitchen but stood in the doorway, her hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans. “No, she’s still sleeping. Look, Mrs. Burke, I-I have to go,” she said hastily as she ran her fingers through her unruly hair. “Will ya tell Ann…Dr. Mitchell that I’m sorry for running off so? There’s just… I mean, I have something…” She stopped and took a deep helpless breath.
“Why don’t you tell her yourself, Miss Costello?” Mrs. Burke asked softly as she stood by the stove.
Maureen’s shoulders slumped against the doorframe. “Because if I do, I may not be able to leave,” she said in a quiet honest voice.
“And that would be bad, would it?”
“For her, yes, ma’am,” she said sternly and squared her shoulders. She took her hand out of her pocket, examined the keys, and shook her head. Ya’d leave the poor woman with no car, she thought, ashamed of herself. She set the keys on the kitchen table. “I have to go,” she whispered and turned.
Mrs. Burke held on to her arm. “Wait just a moment, dear,” she said firmly and turned back to the stove. She took out a thermos from the cabinet and filled it with tea, then sliced several pieces of bread and slipped them into a bag. She turned back to Maureen and smiled. “Take this with ya now. Ya need to eat. Ya don’t look well,” she said seriously.
Shamefaced, Maureen awkwardly took the offering. Mrs. Burke then pulled her down and kissed her forehead. “I had a son who got himself into all sorts of trouble and never asked for help. He had read an old poem once, and he recited it often. I remember the one line: the banshee is wailing alone by the lea.” She stopped, looking off into space.
Maureen watched her with sad eyes but said nothing as the tears welled in the old blue eyes as the woman rambled.
Mrs. Burke looked up at Maureen. “They found him near a meadow, not far from here. He was alone. He died alone by the lea.”
Maureen said nothing; what could she say?
Mrs. Burke held her arm. “Whatever it tis, please don’t do it alone,” she begged and released her hold.
Maureen swallowed the tears that stung her eyes and nodded. “God bless ya, Mrs. Burke,” she whispered and quickly walked out the back door fighting the urge to have this woman pull her into her arms, to know a mother’s love, just once.
She ran out the door and down the road. She didn’t stop for half a mile. Then breathing heavily, she slumped against a stone wall, buried her face in her hands, and wept.
*******
Annabel woke smiling as she stretched. God, I haven’t slept that soundly in months, she thought as she opened her eyes. She looked over at the empty side of the bed.
“Why can’t I keep this woman in bed?” She sat up and stretched. “Miss Costello?” she called and scrambled out of bed and knocked on the bathroom door. “Maureen?” There was no answer as she opened the door to the empty bathroom. “Hmm... Ah, breakfast! That’s where she is. She could have woken me up.” She slipped out of her pajamas and into the shower.
After changing into a pair of jeans and a lightweight sweater, she bounded down the stairs. The morning was a bit gray and misty as she looked outside.
“Good morning, Dr. Mitchell,” Mrs. Burke called from the kitchen doorway.
Annabel smiled, then instantly frowned at the somber look on Mrs. Burke’s face.
“Good morning. Is Maureen in the kitchen?” she asked, instinctively knowing the answer. “She’s not, is she?”
Mrs. Burke shook her head sadly and handed her the car keys as she explained. “I suspect she was planning on taking the car. Something stopped her.”
Annabel slumped into the nearest kitchen chair. Mrs. Burke set a cup of tea in front of her. “How long ago?”
“About two hours.” Mrs. Burke sighed and sat down.
Annabel took a deep breath. “Well, it was interesting.” She tried to sound nonchalant as her heart ached.
“She wasn’t an old friend, was she?”
“No. I-I, well, I…” she stammered and explained how she met the mysterious Maureen Costello. Mrs. Burke listened as she drank her tea. Annabel could see the look of concern mingle with curiosity while she continued to explain. When she finished, she shook her head sadly and drank her tea, as well.
“Are ya fond of her?” Mrs. Burke asked.
Annabel shot a look at her and blinked; she didn’t know how to respond. In America, she’d just come out and say she was a lesbian. Well, perhaps not in Nebraska. “Well, I-I mean, she’s in trouble.”
Mrs. Burke shook her head. “Is every young person in Ireland gay?”
Annabel knew her jaw was on the kitchen table. She really didn’t know how to respond.
Mrs. Burke didn’t wait for an answer. She leaned in. “And what are ya going to do about it?”
“About being gay? Not much. I—” She stopped when Mrs. Burke raised an eyebrow. “Oh…Well, what can I do? I have no idea where she went!” Annabel said angrily.
“She headed north.”
Annabel cocked her head. “Yesterday, she wanted to head toward Dublin before going west. Maybe…” Annabel nervously bit at her bottom lip. That stubborn woman would walk all the way back to Dublin, with her side bleeding, she thought angrily. “How far is it to Dublin?”
“About a two-hour walk, I’d say,” Mrs. Burke smiled wickedly and sipped her tea.
Annabel grinned and nodded. “I’m off to Dublin!” she said and dashed up the stairs.
Mrs. Burke met her at the door when she came down. “Here’s my phone number, ya call if ya need anything, Dr. Mitchell. Anything at all.”
Annabel kissed her on the cheek and hugged the life out of her before getting into the car. “Thanks, Mrs. Burke. You’ve been wonderful,” she said and quickly pulled down the gravel road and headed toward Dublin.
As she drove, Annabel had a chance to think about what she was doing. I know nothing of this woman. She could be a murderer or a thief! Hell, she could be any of those things, and it doesn’t matter. Why don’t I just turn this car around and forget her? Something drew Annabel to this enigmatic woman. She certainly looked like she could take care of herself. Annabel shook her head. It was the eyes. Her eyes looked sad and lonely, making her appear extremely vulnerable. That was it. Nice going, Annabel, once again, you’re a sucker for the tough gal who’s just waiting for someone to love her.
“Oh, God, you’re doing it again. Wasn’t Deborah enough? Didn’t you learn your lesson?” She shook her head as she nervously bit her bottom lip. Apparently, you did not, she thought as she approached Dublin. You’ll find that woman, then what? You and your adventure…
“God, these streets are narrow,” she said, and as luck would have it, it started raining. “Great, I’ll never be able to see a thing.” She turned on the wipers, looking up and down O’Connell Street for Maureen.
Grateful for the heavy traffic, she had time to glance up and down both sides of the street that teemed with people caught in the rain.
Then she saw her or she thought she saw her. She thanked God Maureen was taller and had a beacon of red hair, which Annabel saw as she walked around the corner. Weaving around a small car, she turned, and yes, there she was. Her collar was pulled up and clutched around her neck. Just then, two men stopped her.
Annabel watched, her mouth suddenly gone dry as the two smaller but neatly compact men guided Maureen down a small side street and into an alley.
“Shit…” Annabel hissed as she slowly drove by.
She got a look at Maureen, who was angrily jabbing her finger into the chest of one man, whil
e the other nervously looked out into the street. Annabel then made the decision. She quickly drove around the block one more time and made the turn onto the side street. She rolled down her window, and as she pulled up, she saw one man rear back and deliver a blow to Maureen’s side.
Annabel’s eyes flew open. “You lousy bastards.” She narrowed her eyes at the two men beating up a woman and angrily put the car in gear, the clutch grinding, screaming for mercy.
Her anger took over as she stepped on the accelerator and pulled right up on the sidewalk. Maureen saw the car and quickly picked up a crate and hurled it at both men. She took off, and Annabel reached over and opened the passenger door.
“Get in!” she barked angrily.
Maureen seemed stunned to see her but leapt into the car while it was still moving.
“Go! Go!” Maureen yelled.
Annabel glanced in her rearview mirror and steered the car onto the street.
“Turn left!” Maureen ordered. She was still trying to get the door closed.
Annabel, not saying a word, turned left.
“Head out of town.” Maureen turned in her seat and looked back. “Okay, take a right.”
Annabel turned down a small road that headed west. “Well, you got your wish. We’re heading west,” Annabel said angrily. “Are they following?”
Maureen glanced at Annabel as she looked once again out the back window. “No.” She sighed and turned around.
Annabel looked at Maureen, whose lip was bleeding. She was soaked, and her hair clung to her forehead. Annabel was worried and petrified at the same time.
The rain stopped as quickly as it started. She drove another few minutes without speaking. Then she saw a small dirt road and pulled off.
“Where are ya…?” Maureen stopped as she saw the rage on Annabel’s face.
Annabel then stopped the car with a lurch, sending Maureen forward, nearly hitting the windshield.
“Jaysus, woman!” she exclaimed as she ran her fingers through her wet hair.
Annabel turned in her seat. “What the hell is the matter with you? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Why did you leave? Why didn’t you wake me? What are you into, and I don’t want any of your Irish bullshit!”
Maureen was shocked. She sat there staring wild-eyed, her mouth gaping. “Which question would ya like me to ans—?”
“First you get me into this, whatever the hell it is, then you just leave me. You were going to take the car, weren’t you? Just take off and leave me stranded!”
“Well, yes, but I…”
“Now you’re getting beat up by two ugly men. If I hadn’t found you, what would have happened?”
“Annabel…”
“Don’t Annabel me, Maureen Costello. I know I probably don’t have a right and it’s none of my business, but damn it, you got me into this, and I’m scared and pissed off. Now tell me what the hell is going on.” She put a shaky hand to her forehead, and well, shit, she started crying. That had always been her reaction to stress. She hated it, but there it was. It wasn’t that she was sad or angry. The tension of any given situation just started the tears.
Annabel put her hand up, and Maureen stopped when she gently touched the sleeve of her jacket.
“Annabel, I’m sorry. Truly I am. I got ya involved in this, and you’re right. I didn’t have the guts to level with ya. I just didn’t want ya involved any further. It’s not safe.” Her gentle Irish voice calmed Annabel, who sniffed and nodded. “Please stop cryin’,” she begged earnestly.
“I can’t help it.” She sobbed. “This is my way of handling stress. I-it’s my way of releasing tension.” She started bawling, opened the car door, and ran out.
Maureen sat there for a moment and rubbed her forehead. “You’re a great one with the ladies, Costello,” she grumbled and got out.
Annabel was sitting on a stone wall when Maureen got to her. She stood there looking down at the sobbing woman, and her heart broke. She didn’t know what to do. Her hands were deep in her pockets as she watched her. Taking a deep uneasy breath, she sat next to Annabel on the wall, their shoulders touching.
“Annabel, please believe me when I tell ya that I’m very grateful for your kindness. I’d still be bleeding if it weren’t for you yesterday…”
“And those men would still be beating you up,” Annabel reminded her as she sniffed twice.
Maureen chuckled softly. “True. You’re my savior.” Maureen put her arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring hug.
Annabel shot an astonished look up at Maureen, who was smiling slightly. Once again, their gazes met.
“I am?” Annabel asked in a small voice that tore right through Maureen’s heart.
“More than ya know. More than I have a right to hope for,” she assured her and gently kissed her head. “Now let’s get out of here. We’re sittin’ in the rain.” She stood and offered her hand.
Annabel grinned and took the offering, allowing Maureen to help her to her feet. Maureen was astonished when she realized she held her hand all the way back to the car. She cleared her throat and released Annabel’s hand.
“I’ll drive. I know these roads,” she said and opened the door for Annabel.
Annabel smiled her thanks and got in. It was then she remembered Trevor. “I’m supposed to meet with a friend of mine in Dublin. He has a house in the country. Maybe he…”
“No. I don’t want anyone else involved in this.”
Annabel wanted to strangle her for her stubbornness. However, she took a calm breath. “Then let’s go back to Mrs. Burke. I’m supposed to stay there tonight anyway. We can…figure this out,” Annabel said firmly.
Maureen took a deep helpless breath. “I need to think.”
“You need to sleep. I can tell your side is bothering you.”
“Well, if you were a regular doctor…”
“Yes, yes,” she said as they got in the car. “What was I thinking when I started college…?”
Maureen started the engine. “I have no idea.”
“I should have known someday I’d run into a sexy, stubborn—”
Maureen grunted, shifting gears as Annabel ignored her.
“—Irishwoman, who’d need a medical doctor, not a doctor of molecular biology. What was I thinking?”
They drove in silence for a moment or two before Maureen glanced at Annabel. “So ya think I’m—”
“Very…”
Chapter 5
Mrs. Burke seemed more than astonished to see them at her front door. She quickly pulled them in. In that moment, Maureen knew it was a mistake to come back.
“What’s happened, ma’am?” Maureen asked. “Tell me quickly, please.”
Mrs. Burke took a deep breath. She looked petrified as Maureen gently guided her to the couch.
“Mrs. Burke, what’s wrong?” Annabel asked as she sat next to her. Maureen knelt in front of the old woman.
“Two men came by about thirty minutes ago,” she said. Annabel heard Maureen curse under her breath. “They asked if you were here,” she continued as she looked at Annabel. “I thought it queer that they asked about you, Dr. Mitchell. I don’t know why they would.”
“Damn it,” Maureen said angrily and stood. She ran her fingers through her hair. “They must have gotten the license number and called the airport. Did ya tell anyone where you were goin’, Annabel?”
Annabel sat there, her mouth gaping and her head reeling. “I-I think I told the man at the rental place. I asked him if he knew Wicklow at all and how to…” She stopped as her shoulders slumped. She took a sad breath. “…Get to Mrs. Burke’s,” she finished, shaking her head. “I’m sorry.”
Maureen gave her an incredulous look. “Ya’ve nothin’ to be sorry for, Annabel. I’m the one who should be apologizing,” she said seriously. She turned her attention back to Mrs. Burke. “What did ya tell them, ma’am?”
“I told them the truth…well, partly. Dr. Mitchell stayed here one night as planned and le
ft this morning alone. I did tell an out and out lie, however...” she said and blushed a bit. “I told them you were headed south, then west, goin’ to Cork.”
Maureen let out a small laugh, as did Annabel. “Thank you, Mrs. Burke.” Maureen kissed the top of her head.
“They left without a word and headed south. By now, they’re in Cork,” Mrs. Burke said, seemingly pleased with her wicked efforts. “Now you two must be starvin’. All of this spy business has made me hungry. Come into the kitchen with ya,” she ordered as Annabel followed. She turned to see Maureen staring out the window into the gray clouds of the late afternoon. She wanted to go to her, to say something. However, she left Maureen brooding alone with her thoughts.
As they ate the small lunch, Annabel and Mrs. Burke stole a glance at Maureen, who alternated between looking out the kitchen window and picking at her meal.
“Here’s how this will play out,” she started, and Annabel’s stomach lurched at the resolute tone in her voice. “I’m takin’ the car. Annabel, in the morning, you report it stolen. Ya woke up and it was gone. Happens all the time. Then you go on to your friend in Dublin and forget this. Both of you.”
Annabel sat there, biting her bottom lip and staring at her plate as she thought frantically. All her life, she’d done what was safe, logical. The logical Annabel Mitchell said this was the best thing to do. Get out and leave this mysterious woman to her fate. Her alter ego Francesca said quite the opposite. Then she looked up at Maureen and saw the flash of helplessness in the green eyes.
“No. I’m not going to do that,” she found herself saying.
Mrs. Burke said nothing as she watched these two.
Maureen shot Annabel an angry look. “Yes, ya will.”
“No, I won’t.”
“Annabel…”
“Nope, Francesca.” She smiled happily at the stunned look on Maureen’s face.
“Who’s Francesca?” Mrs. Burke asked.
“Look. Just because of one night in Paris…” Maureen started.