‘A suicide note?’
‘Well, recorded and documented suicide intentions, it wasn’t a note written immediately preceding death.
‘The scene?’
‘Contaminated… the usual… ambulance, family… forensics didn’t get there until after twelve. God knows how many times family had been back and forth out of the room.’ She exhaled loudly at the gravity of the situation. She, like everyone else in Ireland, knew about Jenny Buckley and her opinions on assisted suicide and dying with dignity. There had been a flash of media interest in her ever since she had appeared on the Current Issues programme. ‘If she did take her own life, her timing was a bit shit.’ Louise screwed up her face trying to figure out what her motive would have been.
‘Or…’ Kelly tried to imagine what would have gone through Liam’s head, what his motives might have been or who the hell would have framed him as he was trying to suggest. Maybe he had underestimated Liam, maybe he was a shrewd operator after all. ‘It could be that Liam’s timing is a bit shit.’ He thought for a moment. ‘I think Alex should come over here, just until we clean this up. I can go over for her if you want and bring her back.’
‘She says she wants to stay where she is, I’ve offered already.’
‘So, information, evidence, statements – what have you got so far?’ He wanted to look at the file, see what needed to be done to help her. He still had a few contacts that he could call on for help too. ‘Are we looking to prove him innocent or are we looking to prove him guilty?’
‘I don’t really know… I don’t know what way Alex would be better off. I think for Alex’s sake we need to find out the truth.’
‘To think that I thought I’d be reduced to investigating insurance fraud or cheating husbands when I retired.’ He smirked.
‘I wish you were,’ Louise answered, her eyes glazing with tears for her sister.
‘Did Alex add anything to your thoughts, like does she think he could have done something like this?’ he asked. ‘Would she have known anything?’
‘If you’re asking whether Alex was involved, I can categorically say no.’ Louise was insulted at his insinuation.
‘I wasn’t saying that, I was just wondering in hindsight, did anything add up for her after she heard… You know, the way something is just odd before the event but irrefutable evidence after?
‘Not that she said. I wish she was here, in front of me, so I could get a better read on how she’s feeling.’
‘Well, fuck me, there was no way that I would have pinned Liam Buckley to have the balls.’
‘Maybe that’s the problem, what if he is this duplicitous con artist stringing Alex on all this time and I didn’t see it?’
‘Don’t do this to yourself, Lou, neither of us suspected him of anything shady before,’ Kelly looked at the blank page in his head trying to formulate his thoughts. Did he like Liam? He didn’t dislike him. Did he think it was odd that he was moving back into the family home? Yes, but it wasn’t off the wall. Did he accept that him moving back in to help his children was something you did for someone you loved? Yes. Did he think that Liam Buckley had killed his ex-wife… he wasn’t sure. ‘If there is something to be found, we’ll find it, Lou, don’t worry.’ It went without saying that his involvement in the investigation would be behind the scenes. ‘Okay?’
‘Yeah, okay,’ she said. ‘I need Alex to be okay though, Kelly, I don’t want her getting tangled in this.’
‘We won’t let that happen… but what if this is just a case of Liam being the best dad he can be, just like he said?’ Kelly added. He placed his hands over the baby bump. ‘Just humour me,’ he continued. ‘If you and I were broken up and the baby was living with you and you got sick, it’s not that far-fetched or unbelievable that I’d move back in to be with the child.’
‘Maybe.’ Louise wasn’t as convinced as him. She shifted her weight closer to him looking for comfort, connection. ‘It just gives me the creeps to think that Alex is with this guy, like, what if my suspicions are right?’
‘Let’s see what the initial dig un-earths and we’ll go from there, okay?’ He understood how much Louise wanted to protect her sister, he felt the same himself.
‘Okay,’ she answered. ‘But I’m going to try and get her over here so that she’s out of harm’s way.’
6.
The rain had begun in earnest around four o’clock in the afternoon, so by the time Alex pressed herself onto the already full Luas at five there was a dank, unpleasant odour wafting through the carriage that matched the grey dull faces of the unsuspecting, damp tourists that filled the carriage inside. Having only ever travelled to Oakley Drive by car before, and not knowing which was the best stop to disembark at, she hopped off the tram at St. Stephen’s Green to take the brisk fifteen minute walk to Liam’s house from there. Her umbrella, despite Alex shaking the excess from it before collapsing it, left a small mucky puddle in her wake.
It was only when she was standing in the line waiting to pick up her order of lasagne and side salad from the local deli that Abbie had spoken of before, that she pulled out her phone. She had felt it vibrate a few times on her journey and had avoided checking it, suspecting the calls were from her sister. She was right. There were three in total and one text message from Kelly telling her to phone him as soon as she could. She wanted to see Liam first, make her own mind up about what was going on, and then she’d get back in touch.
She plopped her phone back in its pocket in her bag, making a mental note to call them later, collected her food order in the deli’s brown paper bags, clutching them under her umbrella to keep them dry, and rounded the corner to Oakley Drive. She had known from the way Abbie had raved about the lasagne and the way Josh had silently nodded his agreement, that the lasagne from their local deli was a firm favourite of theirs. She hoped it would go some way to extricating a warmer welcome than she would have otherwise expected. She held her breath as she pressed the doorbell.
*
Greg, Liam’s solicitor, was halfway through reading a statement of Liam’s account of everything that had happened, making sure he had covered everything. He had been away at a sailing regatta in Wicklow when Liam had phoned earlier that morning and had only landed back in Dublin late that afternoon. Because of the bank holiday and his wife’s reluctance to have any legal business conducted at her house, he had offered to meet Liam at his, save him opening up the office and he didn’t, given the circumstances, think the meeting could wait until the next day. It was better to have a preliminary meeting to discuss the details of the representation that he thought Liam might need should charges be brought against him. And while he didn’t have all the facts, he agreed to take the case, giving Liam the usual advice: what it would cost, what barrister he would most likely use if it went to court – William Walsh SC was his preferred choice – who Liam was to speak to, who Liam was to avoid and what to say if he was pushed. Meanwhile, he’d do a more thorough investigation starting the next day, digging deeper into the layers and exposing all the complexities that he was sure were to come. He’d dip into his network through his usual investigators and get his hands on a transcript of the audio in the morning, and then they’d take it from there. Abbie had only entered the kitchen once while he had been there, and Josh hadn’t made an appearance since Liam had told him earlier that Alex was on her way. Liam left Greg at the dining table to answer the door and ushered Alex inside.
‘Greg, this is Alex, my…’ Liam seemed uncertain, she noticed. ‘…Partner,’ he said, with an inflection at the end of the word as though he wasn’t sure it was the right one to use. ‘Alex, this is Greg.’ He cleared his throat. ‘My solicitor,’ he added.
‘Oh,’ Alex said, surprised. ‘Nice to meet you.’ She extended her hand to meet his. ‘Am I interrupting?’ She looked at Liam for direction. ‘I was just going to drop this off.’ She hefted the brown paper bags she had been trying to keep dry up onto the countertop. ‘I can come back?’ She was a little confuse
d. Wasn’t it unusual to have your solicitor meet with you on a Bank Holiday Monday… and in your own house at that? Was there something that she should know?
‘Not at all.’ Greg stood up from the table, brushing down his pink wrinkled shirt over his cargo shorts, and bundled his notebook and papers inside his brown leather case. ‘I’m leaving.’ He buckled the clasp closed. ‘It was a bit of an impromptu visit… as you can probably tell.’ He smiled, gesturing to his casual clothes, before looking at Liam. ‘But I think I’ve everything that I need for now. I can let myself out, let you guys get some food.’
‘Thanks again for coming over,’ Liam said.
‘No problem. I think you’re right, it’s important to get out ahead of these things.’ He could hear movement upstairs when he opened back the hall door. ‘In the meantime, you might also advise the children about what to say and what not to say if asked. And you also—’ he looked at Alex ‘—it’s just precautionary. It means that if nothing’s said, nothing can be taken out of context, especially if you are asked in for further questioning.’ He raised his eyebrows at Liam. Liam had already described to Greg how the conversation in the Garda Station had gone. ‘I would advise, if our Detective Sergeant friend needs to question you some more…’ A frisson of tension flashed between Liam and Alex, Greg noticed it immediately.
‘Actually, Greg,’ Liam interrupted. ‘I meant to mention that Detective Sergeant Louise Kennedy is Alex’s twin sister.’ Liam shifted uncomfortably, waiting for him to reply.
‘I see,’ Greg said. ‘That might complicate things a bit.’ He looked at Alex and then to Liam wondering why he hadn’t mentioned it before. ‘And you didn’t mention this before because…’ he left his sentence hanging waiting for Liam to answer it.
‘I just didn’t think.’
‘Well, we know now.’ He smiled at Alex. ‘This might create a conflict though.’ He replayed Liam’s version of events in his head. He had a mind for fact retrieval so recounted it word for word. It was Liam who elected to go to the Garda station before he was requested to do so, his reasoning being that the kids had been through enough and that he hoped, by going to the Garda station at his earliest convenience and answering any queries they might have, it would stop anyone having to call to their door and let the kids grieve in peace. ‘And did you ask for Detective Sergeant Kennedy by name?’ he asked, wondering if it had been a conscious effort on Liam’s behalf to pervert the course of justice. He hadn’t got the impression from the way he described her questioning earlier, that she was about to do him any favours.
‘Well…’ Liam glanced at Alex, his face in the beginnings of an awkward flush. ‘Yes, but that was because she was the only Garda I know,’ he was quick to add.
‘I see, so Detective Sergeant Kennedy was in fact, unbiased, professional?’ His eyebrows grew closer together waiting for the answer.
‘Yes, absolutely,’ Liam answered.
‘But you deliberately asked for her by name?’ he asked again. He set his bag resting on the floor and walked a couple of steps away, turning his back to them while he considered the implications.
‘Yes,’ Liam said again glancing briefly at Alex. She was just about to say something when her phone rang. She gestured her apologies, whipped her phone from her bag, moved towards the other end of the room and answered it.
‘Okay.’ Greg picked up his bag, waved goodbye to Alex and made his way to the front door with Liam. ‘I’ll be in touch tomorrow.’ He kept his voice low so that no one could overhear him. ‘And just thinking out loud here, but I think the fact that your “de facto” sister-in-law took what will be used as your first statement of fact, we might use that to our advantage.’ He paused, his eyebrows arched. He was still trying to work Liam out. Had it been part of Liam’s cunning plan, a legal faux pas that he could use to his advantage further down the line should he be charged? Maybe he had underestimated him. ‘At the very least, we could move to have the transcript inadmissible, considering that you have a personal relationship with the investigating officer.’ He stepped down the front step. ‘That’s if we can’t get it dismissed all together. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.’
*
‘Alex,’ Louise exhaled with relief at having finally reached her sister. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes.’ Alex fell silent on the other end of the phone. She was desperate to understand what had just gone on. Why the hell did Liam need a solicitor in the first place and why was it so important to Greg that Liam had asked for Louise by name? She glared at Liam from the other end of the room, but Liam looked away. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’m grand.’ Louise said. ‘I rang earlier, did you not see my calls?’ Neither of them had ever left messages for the other, they had an unspoken code that if either one missed the call the other would phone them back as soon as they saw it.
‘I did, and I was going to ring you later, I just…’ Alex stalled as the conversation she had just been party to with Liam and his solicitor replayed in her head.
‘Alex.’ Louise was impatient. ‘Are you coming over?’ It was more of a statement than a question, Alex could hear it in Louise’s voice. ‘We can get something to eat and you can stay here. Kelly’s finished painting the front room and the bedroom upstairs is ready, all we have to do is throw a sheet on the spare bed.’
‘I don’t know, Lou, it’s just awkward, you know?’
‘It’s not, not at all, the room is finished. Kelly said he’ll spin over and pick you up, there’s no point in you being over there on your own… I’d go over to you but you know I can’t.’ She didn’t need to explain to Alex about how inappropriate it would have been for her, as the investigating officer to have been in the apartment of Liam Buckley if he became a suspect. Evidence had been thrown out of court for less. ‘Kelly can be at your apartment in fifteen minutes, save you taking the train?’
‘No it’s grand, Lou, I’ll stay here.’ Alex’s voice was distant. She wasn’t ready to tell her where she was.
‘But you’ll be on your own,’ Alex could hear the silent question mark in Louise’s tone, the statement designed to illicit confirmation as to whether Liam was with her or not and whether he was listening to their call.
‘I’ll be fine. Look, Lou…’ Her voice trailed off as Liam came back into the room. ‘I’m just in a bit of a situation at the moment but I promise I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’
‘Alex, are you for real?’ Louise screamed down the phone. ‘What the hell?’
‘Leave it, Louise, will you. I’ll talk to you later, okay?’ Her voice was quiet, controlled. She knew that if she didn’t reassure her sister that she was okay that Louise and Kelly would be at her apartment door in a matter of moments.
‘There’s no way in hell that I’m leaving it, Alex… is Liam there with you now?’ Louise asked, her voice quiet in case he could overhear.
Alex looked at Liam before she answered. She had never lied to her sister before but in fairness she had never been put in a situation where she had to. She considered whether or not to come clean. Would Louise dare come to Oakley Drive if she told her that was where she was? ‘Look Lou.’ She straightened her shoulders, dispelling the tension that had wormed its way through them. ‘I’m here with Liam.’ She could hear Louise gasp on the other end of the phone. ‘His solicitor has just been, and his solicitor thinks that I shouldn’t be talking to you, that it might prejudice the case, if there is one.’
‘I don’t care, Alex, I’m coming over to you and taking you back here.’ Alex could hear the latch on Louise’s front door being pulled back, her sister’s footsteps on the path and her car door being opened. She was sure she heard Kelly’s voice in the background too. ‘…Prejudice the case, for Christ’s sake, Alex, what are you doing?’
‘Look, it’s a difficult time here, Louise, as you can imagine and I’m just trying to do what I need to do.’
‘What you need to do is leave that apartment right now and stand outside, we’ll be there in ten minutes, Al
ex. Are you listening to yourself?’
‘Look, Lou, I’m actually okay, and I don’t want you or Liam getting hurt so it’s probably best for now that we don’t talk.’
‘Alex, listen to me now—’
‘I can’t,’ she interjected before Louise said any more. ‘I’m sorry.’ She insisted.
‘I don’t care, I’m on my way,’ Louise said.
‘I’m not at the apartment, Louise.’
‘You’re not?’
‘I’m… I’m in Oakley Drive with Liam and the kids. Before you say anything, I’m perfectly fine, I need you to listen to me on this. I promise you I’m okay and I don’t want you coming over here making a scene, the kids aren’t able for it, okay?’ Tears began to fall down Alex’s face. In their thirty-seven years together, she couldn’t remember a time when she had felt a separation from her sister like this before.
‘Alex, I don’t know what else to say, I don’t know what else to do. I just don’t get it. Please…’ Louise pleaded.
‘You will get it, when I explain everything to you, but for now trust me.’ Alex dabbed her eyes dry. ‘Stay at home with Kelly. I’m fine, I promise, and I’ll talk to you in the morning, I swear.’ Alex had known that convincing Louise that she was okay was going to be hard but she had finally succeeded – though a small part of her still expected Louise to show up at Liam’s door. She cleared the call and dropped her phone back into her handbag. Nothing was adding up and she needed Liam to lay out the facts in front of her so she could make up her own mind. Only time would tell whether or not Liam felt the same way.
‘I’m sorry, Alex.’ Liam scrunched up his forehead apologetically. He had many reasons for being sorry, not least of which was putting Alex in the precarious position of not being able to talk to her sister. He knew it wasn’t ideal. ‘I’m sorry that you’ve got caught up in all of this, I really am.’ He hadn’t heard what Louise had said but he could easily surmise, from Alex’s reactions to the call, that it hadn’t been in his favour. ‘Is Louise okay?’ he asked.
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