Fatal Roots

by Sheila Connolly

  Maybe it was the fairies talking to her again. Not that she believed in fairies, but there were an awful lot of unusual things happening in Leap and beyond that she couldn’t begin to explain. She was trying to keep an open mind, but when a stranger showed up and started poking around a prehistoric monument in her back yard, or found himself a body that he claimed was his grandfather, she had to figure there was some sort of explanation. She was torn between reluctance and curiosity about hearing what Billy and Bridget had to say, and where Darragh fit.

  “Are yeh sleepin’?” Mick’s question interrupted her scattered thoughts.

  “What? On, no, just thinking. Or trying to. Everything has happened so quickly that I can’t make sense of it. Was I being an ostrich, keeping my head in the sand? Or bog, in this case?”

  “I’d say there were things you didn’t need to know, so you ignored them. Like the boundaries of Old Mick’s land. You weren’t plannin’ to farm, so it didn’t matter. Yeh got the forms filled out fer runnin’ the pub, and that’s kept yeh busy. Most normal people don’t go lookin’ fer bodies.”

  “You’ve got that right. Actually there were plenty of killings in Boston, but none of them had anything to do with me, as far as I know. Can we talk about something else, before I have to explain everything to whoever walks in?”

  “Such as?”

  “Mostly this kitchen project. This is me, and I don’t cook. Rose is a great cook. But does she want to keep working on the business side of things? Should she be looking for a bigger, better job, whether or not it’s in a kitchen?”

  “Have yeh asked her?”

  “No. I wanted to see what she could do, now that her father Jimmy is out of our hair and busy with his new wife’s farm. Rose is smart, and she’s a good planner. But we haven’t tried serving food to more than a couple people at a time. What if we actually get busy?”

  “Maura, when we left the place yesterday, yeh didn’t even have a working kitchen. Yeh’re getting’ ahead of yerself.”

  “When will I have a kitchen?”

  “Yeh want a date? If everythin’ works out, I’d say in two weeks. Ask Helen if she’s found what yeh need, and when we can get hold of it. And we’ll find a plumber and an electrician to see that it all works. Are yeh havin’ second thoughts?”

  “I don’t think so. Maybe I’m just feeling overwhelmed, and that was before the body turned up. And that’s another question: when do I tell Sean what we seem to know now, or do I say nothing?”

  “Wait until we’ve all met tonight. Yeh’ll know more then.”

  “I guess.” Maura lapsed into silence until they arrived at Sullivan’s. Which looked far busier than it had the night before when she had left, and it wasn’t even opening time yet. The battered truck parked in front was a giveaway, with Helen standing on the sidewalk beside it issuing orders. Maura concluded that the appliances had arrived.

  When Mick had parked his car, Maura clambered out and hurried toward the front of the pub. Helen welcomed her warmly. “I think I’ve cleared out the entire basement of the hotel, but now you have your choice of appliances. Kevin, my go-to guy from the hotel, is here and he’s checking out the plumbing and wiring, and he’s got some pals who’d be happy to help install things. I hope you don’t mind, but they weren’t busy this morning, and I thought you’d like to see how things fit sooner rather than later.”

  “Uh, yeah, sure, that’s great. I was just surprised that it happened so quickly. Is Rose here?”

  “Yes, Rose and Susan both. They’re in the kitchen.”

  “So once the plumbing and wiring are set, maybe we can paint. And find some cabinets for storage. I don’t know where to look, but Rose can ask some of the people at the cookery school—they’re sure to know. Or we can ask some of my secondhand-furniture pals. You really are quite an organizer, Helen. Will you be staying around today, or do you have to get back to the hotel?”

  “They’ll need me there before noon. I do wish the owners would decide what they want they want to do. If they decide to sell again, I won’t be hurt, but I’d like a decision. If they want to make a go of it, there’s a lot that can and should be done.”

  “Which way do you want to go?”

  “I could go either way—I just want an answer. Although I have to say, I kind of like having a good excuse to spend time with you. As long as I’m not in your way.”

  “No, we’re good so far. What about Susan? Or your son?”

  “Susan’s having a grand time, or so she says. Of course, she doesn’t have to spend the time with me, which in her eyes is probably a plus. Tommy? I’m not so sure what he’d think. Are there any sports teams or clubs around here that he could join?”

  “I am so the wrong person to ask that, but you could ask Rose,” Maura said, smiling. “How does he feel about horses? Because I know in summer there are various kinds of racing going on.”

  “I’ll have to ask him. So, want to see the kitchen? Kevin is happy to move things around, so most of them are still clogging up your hallway. Feel free to ask him to rearrange them.”

  “I will,” Maura said politely, although she wondered if she could make a coherent decision about anything. At least appliances were real, solid objects, which had to be better than dead bodies from the past. She’d feel lucky if tonight’s group shared what information they had and they could put the whole story to bed and get back to normal life. Whatever that was.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Maura did her best to call up some enthusiasm for her new—or at least improved—pub kitchen. Even from the next room it looked like Rose and Susan were having a good time, although the fact that Kevin was in his twenties and a poster boy for gorgeous young Irishmen might have had something to do with that. She didn’t know what she expected now, and she’d never paid much attention to how ovens and dishwashers and such worked. Maybe somebody else would make the choices for her?

  She got as far as the door, then stopped. Rose and Susan were leaning against a rough board countertop on the far side of the room and grinning like fools. “What do yeh think?” Rose asked.

  Maura took a moment to look around the room. To her surprise, it looked larger and cleaner than she expected. “Does everything work?”

  “It will soon enough,” Rose said. Susan nodded.

  “Are there plugs and pipes and drains and that sort of thing?”

  “There are,” Rose said triumphantly. “All that’s missing is storage space and some shelves, and we’ll be ready to go.”

  “Wow. That was fast.” Maura considered for a moment. “Do you like it? I mean, do you like it? You didn’t just pick stuff because you thought I’d like it?”

  “Of course not,” Rose said firmly. “If it’s me that’s doin’ most of the cookin’, I want to be happy with it. Susan, you’re with me on this, aren’t you?”

  “Yes! Look, if I can fry an egg on the stove all by myself, then it’s got to be good. And I like the layout—it’s easy to get around with more than one person working, even if you add a worktable in the middle. Anything else will just be fine-tuning. What do you think, Mom?”

  Helen had come up behind Maura and was studying the layout. “I think you’re both right,” she said finally. “Good flow, and the units have good space on top without taking up too much room. Kevin, you promise everything works? And all the attachments are ready to go?”

  Kevin grinned, showing off his very white teeth. “Fer sure. It’ll all be ready by tomorrow. Promise.”

  Helen was looking very pleased with herself, Maura noted. Then she turned to Maura. “The final choice is yours, Maura. Do you like it? Well enough to keep it? Because I can keep looking if it doesn’t work for you.”

  Maura took a deep breath. “I think it’s wonderful. Everything fits together well, and I’m guessing it’s more practical than fancy, which is exactly what we need here. Are you really giving it to me?”

  “Maura, it’s been sitting in the basement of the hotel for a few years no
w. All we’ve done is clean it up and make sure it all works. You might want to slip Kevin some euros for installing it, but I’m sure he’ll be reasonable.”

  “You’ve got a deal, and I can’t thank you enough. Let’s see how the first few days go—we’ll have to get used to using it before we start inviting guests—and maybe then we can have a real dinner, all of us.”

  “That’d be grand, Maura,” Rose said. “We can plan a time to discuss what our menus will be like.”

  “Let’s let Kevin get things up and running first, Rose. Tomorrow, maybe? And don’t forget that we need pots and pans and plates and such.”

  “Let Kevin put it all together,” Rose said firmly. “We can’t fill shelves that aren’t there.”

  “Well, we’re way ahead of schedule, so I won’t complain. Enjoy yourselves!”

  Maura backed out of the kitchen, feeling somehow relieved that something was getting finished. Helen followed her. “You really think it’s done right?” Helen asked a bit anxiously.

  “It’s great! I couldn’t have done it. And I really do appreciate the help. Sometimes I forget I’m supposed to be running a business here. Rose knows more about it than I do. She’s the one who handles all the computer stuff, including advertising, and it was her idea to take cooking classes. I just watch her and admire.”

  “You’re lucky to have her. I think Susan’s still a bit young to do something like this, but she seems to be enjoying it, so maybe it will give her something to think about for her future.”

  “You aren’t going to send her to college?”

  “I’ll leave that up to her. Sure, we can afford it, and she makes good grades, but there are so many things she could do, and I’m not going to insist. Or maybe she’ll take a year off to travel and try different things. I’m sorry—I know it’s not the life you had, and maybe part of that is my fault.”

  “Helen, I don’t hold that against you. You had to pull yourself together and find a life that worked for you. Sure, I could be angry that you just walked away from me. In fact, sometimes I am. But I don’t think you were selfish about it. I can’t imagine having a child to worry about, and no husband, and having to find work just to get by. The best I could manage, when Gran was still alive, was a bunch of crappy jobs that didn’t last long—easier in a big city than in a place like this, but not a lot of future there. I didn’t have anything like a plan, and I didn’t collect many skills along the way. You did a better job than I did.”

  “Well, you may not have come looking to run a pub in Ireland, but you’ve certainly earned it. I think your grandmother would be proud of you.”

  Kevin came tromping into the main room. “I’ll get a bite to eat, and I’ve some tools and wire and the like to collect, but I’ll be back later to start putting the pieces together. If that’s all right with you, Maura?”

  “Sure. Oh, and we never discussed light fixtures. Could you make it a little brighter in there, while you’re wiring? Especially over the stove and in the middle of the room?”

  “No problem, Maura. See you later.”

  Helen glanced at her watch. “Oh, heavens, I’ve got to get back to my meeting. Is it all right if Susan stays for the afternoon?”

  “That’s okay. I’m sure she’ll enjoy watching Kevin at work.”

  “I think you’re right—he’s nice to look at. I’ll pick her up later.”

  Maura took a moment to collect herself. Kitchen build-out: all planned and ready to start. Check. Now she needed to talk with Billy, which wasn’t going to be quite as easy. If he didn’t like the plan they’d sketched out for the evening, she wasn’t going to pressure him. He could think about it for a while. And she had no wish to criticize anyone who’d had a hand in whatever had happened in the past. She just wanted a few more details to file away.

  She waved to Mick, behind the bar restocking, and gestured toward the end of the building where Billy’s rooms were. He nodded wordlessly. Helen had left, and the girls were still having fun in the soon-to-be-kitchen, so she went out the front door and turned up the street toward Billy’s door. When she reached it, she didn’t hear anything, so she knocked softly. It took him half a minute to open the door.

  “Ah, Maura, Dia dhuit! I haven’t overslept, have I?”

  “Not at all, Billy, and you know you’re welcome anytime, early or late. But there’s something I need to talk to you about, and I don’t want to do it in the middle of a bunch of people. Do you mind?”

  “Not at all.” He stepped back to let her enter. “Yeh look worried.”

  “I am, sort of, but it’s not even really about me. Or you, I guess. Can we sit?”

  “Where are me manners? Too few people come callin’. So, please sit and tell me what’s troubling yeh.”

  Maura sat. “You’ve been living in these rooms for quite a while, haven’t you?”

  “Quite a few years, back when Mick was alive.”

  “And you and Mick were good friends, right? He wasn’t just letting you use his empty space?”

  “We were friends, or as friendly as a pair of old men can be. I’d known him fer a long time, and we got on well. Not that I was his only friend.”

  “When did he start staying here, instead of the cottage in Knockskagh?”

  “Ah, I’d have to think about that. A good many years. When he was runnin’ this place, it was easier on him to stay in the village, and he had no one to go back to at night. Any more than I did.”

  Maura took a deep breath. “Billy, there’s something I have to ask you about, and I don’t mean to pry. If you don’t want to answer, that’s all right.” She swallowed. “You know about the dead man that was found in Mick’s fairy fort?”

  Maura watched Billy’s expression change, and he didn’t answer quickly. “Where the university kids were pokin’ around, right?”

  “Yes. They’re studying archaeology, but that wasn’t the only reason they chose that site to look at. At least, not for Darragh. You met him at the pub, right?”

  “I did, as well as the others. They seemed like nice young people.”

  Maura went on, “That was after the first time they’d looked around the site, and they took me to see it. They went back the next day, but I didn’t stay. Later in the day, Ciara was still there, but she told me she couldn’t find Darragh. Nobody had seen him. Mick Nolan and I went back to the site and looked carefully at it, and …” Maura wasn’t sure how to describe what she’d found, and how and why.

  “Yeh found yer dead man.”

  Maura nodded. “Yes. I was curious about why the students seemed so interested, and why they’d brought fancy equipment with them. I thought if we looked carefully when the sun was at the right angle, we might notice something, without machines. And we did. There was a dip in the earth, and when I looked closely at it, I found the dead man. And he wasn’t a thousand years old.”

  “More like thirty-some years dead, I’d reckon,” Billy said.

  “You knew about him? And who he was?”

  “I did. I have done since Mick dug the hole up there and laid him in it.”

  “Billy, this is the hard part, for me, at least. When we found the body, I called the gardaí, and they took it to Cork to examine. Last I talked to Sean Murphy, nobody had figured out who it was, only that it had been buried up there for a long time. You’re telling me you know who it was?”

  Billy nodded, and looked like he was starting to speak. Maura held up a hand. “I’m not worried about what the gardaí know or don’t know. I’m guessing that anybody who was directly involved in the man’s death is gone now. But then Darragh appeared at my place this morning, and he told me some troubling things. We had breakfast with Bridget, and she gave some hints that she knows the story too. I didn’t ask for any details, but it seems that a lot of people up there know what happened, and it’s personal, not just some guy who got kicked in the head by a bull. But I didn’t feel right asking a lot of questions. So we—the four of us—talked about getting together later today
and sharing what we all know. I know the least of anybody, and I don’t feel I have the right to push too hard, but even Bridget said she thought it was time the story came out, because somehow it affected all of us.”

  “And she agreed?” Billy asked softly.

  “Yes, but she didn’t share any details. And we said we’d ask you if you wanted to be part of this. Like I said, it’s not a garda investigation, but the death is somehow involved with all our lives, including Darragh’s and mine. Look, you don’t have to be there. You were Mick’s friend, and if he had anything to do with this, you might think you’re letting him down. And I gather everyone has stayed quiet about it since the man died. That doesn’t have to change. What do you think?”

  Billy didn’t speak immediately. Finally he said, “I think Bridget’s right, about the story comin’ out. And she was one who was part of it, years ago. As was yer grandmother. And Darragh’s family—the Hegartys—who left this part of Cork a long time ago. And I wouldn’t say that Mick’s role was all bad, which is why some of the others—like myself— protected him. So, Maura Donovan, I’d be glad to join your gatherin’ today. Will yeh be closin’ to the public?”

  “I think so. We’re moving fast on rebuilding the kitchen, and it might be kind of dusty and loud for a meeting. We can put up a sign explaining, and then we can use the back room, where no one will notice. Does that work? It shouldn’t take us long. Should we ask Rose to stay?”

  “Her family was never a part of this, but there’s no harm done if she wants to hear what’s said. Have yeh told yer mother?”