“Oh hi, Isobel.”
Isobel introduced Patricia.
“Emer’s in the kitchen. We were having a cup of tea.”
Ben led Isobel and Patricia through.
Emer’s hand flew to her neckline and her smile wavered when she saw Patricia.
“Emer, this is my friend from England, Patricia.”
“Hi, Emer.”
Emer managed a small smile. “Is this the lady who went to see Sarah too?”
Isobel raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been talking to Sarah?”
“Yes, she rang a while ago. She wanted to thank me for sending you round. She said you had a friend with you.”
“I hope you don’t mind. Patricia has been helping me.”
Emer rubbed the tabletop. “No, it’s OK.”
Ben reboiled the kettle and made two fresh cups of tea.
“We were hoping to ask you a few things, Emer,” Isobel said.
Emer nodded.
“We were wondering – if we showed you some photographs we took of the walk, could you see if any of them look like the place where you were attacked?”
“I already saw pictures. There was a photograph of the gate where Michelle’s body was found. And I saw the footage on the news. It’s the same place. It looked like the same gate, the same place to me.” She swallowed. “I know that Sarah went for a walk with you, but I don’t want to do that.” Her hand picked at the tabletop.
“That’s OK, Emer. We don’t need you to do that. If you feel that it was the same gateway then that’s good enough for me.”
“I walked that path so many times I know every tree, every gateway. Trust me, it’s the same one.”
Isobel nodded. “OK … also the gardaí asked me to show you some bits of plastic and see if any of them seemed …”
Emer drew her hands back and curled them in under her arms.
“If it seems too much we can leave it.”
Emer took a number of noisy breaths. “No, I’ll try. If this might help catch the man, I’ll try.”
Isobel placed the five pieces of plastic in a line in front of Emer.
Emer took a deep breath then lifted one. She rubbed it with her hand and then closed her eyes. After a few seconds she opened them again. “I’m not sure.” She cringed. “It was my legs that felt the material underneath me and the suit he was wearing when …” She stopped.
Isobel grimaced. “Oh, of course.”
Emer swallowed. She rolled up the leg of her tracksuit. “Let me try it on my leg. Maybe then I will know.”
Isobel grimaced. This seemed like torture.
Emer took a piece of material and, closing her eyes, touched first the front of her leg with it, moving the material along her skin, then repeated the process on the back of her leg. She carried out this procedure with each of the samples. By the end she was pale and breathing shallowly.
Isobel could feel a sheen of sweat on her own skin.
When Emer had touched them all, she went back to a piece of blue material and checked it again.
She looked up. “I can’t be sure but, as far as I can tell, none of the pieces feel like the suit he had on. They aren’t smooth enough. The thing I was lying on feels like this blue piece but I don’t know if it was blue because I never saw it.”
“Thank you, Emer. That’s really helpful. We’ll pass all that on to the police.”
Emer took a deep breath as Isobel tidied the materials away.
“I was wondering if we could ask you some more questions about some other things?” Isobel asked.
“Like what?”
“We’re trying to see if we can figure out –”
“How he picked me.”
Isobel nodded.
Ben came and stood behind Emer, putting a hand on her shoulder. “If this is too much, love, don’t do it.” He looked at Isobel. “I’m sorry. I am grateful for what you did but Emer is under such stress.”
Emer reached up and patted his hand. She looked at Isobel. “Go on, ask your questions. I’ll help as much as I can.”
Ben sat down beside her, holding her hand.
Isobel looked at Patricia. “Go ahead.”
Patricia nodded, pulling a notebook and pen from her handbag. “Emer, did you notice any men taking care of the path?”
Emer frowned. “Yes, during the spring and summer I did but none in the winter and none around the time that I was attacked.”
“How long have you been doing that walk?” Patricia asked, making notes.
“Since I moved in here, about two years.”
“Where do you buy your runners?”
“I usually get them in Lifestyle Sports.”
“You got a pair in Limerick Sport Shop,” Ben said. “Remember, I was in getting football boots and you spotted them?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Do you remember talking particularly to any of the sales assistants?” Patricia asked.
Emer shook her head. “I don’t remember. Do you, Ben?”
Ben shook his head.
“Have you had any injuries that needed treatment, physio, massage?”
Emer made a face. “I was going to a physio in Limerick city for a while when I hurt my hamstring.”
“We’ll need the name and address.”
“I also got some massages over the last year, one from my beautician’s and one from a masseuse that the physio recommended. It was a deep-tissue massage.” Emer looked at Patricia. “I have all those numbers on my phone. I’ll send them to Isobel – I have her number.”
“Great.”
Emer located the numbers and sent them on.
Isobel looked at Patricia. “Are there any other areas of interest that you can think of?”
Patricia rubbed her head. “It would probably be good if we had the name of Emer’s doctor too.”
“OK,” said Emer. “There – I’ve sent it.”
“Thanks.” Patricia bit the end of her pen. “Right – a few more questions. Have you had any medical treatments recently?”
“No, nothing, apart from the physiotherapy.”
“Were you in a walking or running group ever?”
“No. I always walked with friends or family.”
“We also need to know where you worked.”
“Knight Insurance.”
“Did you walk at lunchtime there?”
“That seems so long ago. Actually, I did, I used to walk a couple of days a week with one of the girls from the office.”
“Is there anyone who was bothering you prior to the attack? Anyone whose attentions were unwanted? Anyone who made you uncomfortable? Anyone when you were out walking who was overly friendly?”
Emer pursed her lips.
Ben said, “Tell her.”
Isobel and Patricia looked from one to the other.
Emer made a face.
“Just before everything happened,” Ben said, “Emer told me that she felt as if someone was watching her. We forgot about it because …” he swallowed, “I didn’t pay any attention. I thought she was imagining it but maybe she wasn’t.”
Emer touched his arm. “I did mention it to Ben. It was only sometimes and, to be honest, even I wondered if I was letting my imagination run away with me. I never saw anyone so that I could say ‘Oh, there he is following me’. It was more a feeling of being watched.”
“I should have listened to you,” Ben said.
“How long before the attack?” Patricia asked.
Emer looked at Ben.
He said, “About two weeks.”
Isobel’s phone rang. She looked at the screen. It was Fiona Carr. She stood up. “Sorry, I have to take this.” She walked out of the kitchen and into the hall, closing the door behind her.
“Hi, Isobel.”
“Fiona, what can I do for you?”
“We’ve called an emergency board meeting for tonight.”
“That was quick.”
“Yes. All of the board members thought that
it was important we make a decision quickly. I’m ringing because I think, if you have any chance of them agreeing, I need to have a draft notice to show everyone. Could you sketch out a notice and I will print it off for the meeting?”
“Thanks, Fiona. I appreciate this.”
“I’m making no promises. In fact, prepare yourself for a no.”
“I still appreciate all you’re doing.”
“Well, you did say it would be confidential.”
“Definitely, one hundred per cent.”
“Send on the draft and I’ll let you know.”
Isobel hung up and tapped the phone against her mouth. Something was going on. Fiona knew something, she was sure of it. Shaking her head, she went back into the kitchen.
Patricia looked up with a smile on her face. “Emer and Ben were asking me how we became friends, and I was telling them about the case in London and one of the women helping us dressing up in a burka!”
“It sounds like quite an adventure,” Emer said.
Isobel smiled too. “It was.”
“Is that why Patricia is over, because you’re investigating the rape cases?”
“Patricia came over to help me out with a few things – the case is just one of those things.”
“Am I helping you with your enquires, then?”
Isobel looked serious. “Actually you are. If you hadn’t told me about what happened to you, the police wouldn’t realise how big a problem there actually is. You’ve been a great help.”
Emer looked Isobel in the eye and nodded. “Thanks. And come back if you have more questions. I, we, want to help, don’t we, Ben?”
“Yes. I want this fu– sorry. Yes, we want to help.”
Emer laughed.
It was lovely to see and hear, thought Isobel.
Isobel laughed too. “We’d better go, Patricia.”
They drove into Limerick City, discussing Fiona and the board meeting as they went.
“We have a bit of time before we meet Eoin and Alanna – let’s draft that notice now,” Patricia said.
“OK.”
They went to a coffee shop on Thomas Street and found a quiet corner.
“You’re quiet. What’s on your mind? Is it tomorrow?” Patricia asked.
“No. It’s Fiona Carr. I know that she’s withholding something. I just can’t put my finger on it.”
Patricia shrugged. She pulled out her notebook, pen poised. “What will we say?”
Isobel grimaced. “I hate things like this. It’s so hard to find the right words.”
“Well, we can’t give away any information so it needs to be very general. Along the lines of …” she began to write, calling it out as she did, “I’m Isobel, a psychotherapist. I found Michelle Cavan’s body. If something has happened to you and you would like to help with information, please contact me completely confidentially at …”
“Do you think that’s enough?”
“No matter what you say only those who want to talk are going to consider it.”
“Good point.”
“From the notice they will know that you’re a trained therapist and that you were involved in an actual incident and you have promised confidentiality. What more can you say?”
Isobel grinned. “Well, since you put it like that. Let’s send this to Fiona. She texted me the email address. Let me get it for you. Here it is …”
Isobel’s phone rang.
“Oh Fiona, sorry. I must have pressed the wrong button. I was looking for your email address.”
“No, you didn’t make a mistake. I phoned you again.”
Isobel stood up and moved out of the café to talk more privately. “Is everything OK?”
“I know someone who has been the victim of one of that rapist’s attacks.”
“Oh.”
“I’m with her now. She says that she’ll talk to you.”
Isobel moistened her lips. “Good.”
“Can you come to see her now?”
“Are you in Limerick?”
“Yes, out in Castletroy.”
“I can be there this afternoon, at half three.” Isobel could hear Fiona speaking to someone.
“Yes, that will be fine,” Fiona said. “I’ll text on the address. This has nothing to do with the centre. It’s a private matter.”
“OK, no problem. I’ll send on the email of the notice.”
“Fine. I hope things go your way at the meeting tonight.”
“Thanks, Fiona. See you at half three.”
Isobel sat back down with Patricia.
“That was Fiona.”
“I gathered.”
“She rang me again. She knows someone who she thinks may have been raped by the same guy. We’re meeting them this afternoon.”
Patricia sat back in her chair. “You said that she was withholding something.”
“She said it was private, nothing to do with her job. I think it’s someone very close to her.”
“God.”
They fell silent, sipping their coffee.
Then Patricia said, “I was thinking when you were out.”
“Yes?”
“About those pieces of material. I thought that maybe the suit the rapist used might be a bondage suit.”
Isobel raised her eyebrows.
Patricia turned her phone around and showed an all-in-one black bodysuit.
“Oh my God!”
“They come made from a number of different materials – latex, leather, nylon. And there’s an opening for –”
“Enough! I get it! This is a strong possibility. I suppose you can order them from anywhere?”
Patricia nodded.
“What on earth made you think of this? Have you a secret life I don’t know about?”
Patricia grinned at her. “No. I know about them from reading, from TV. I don’t know. I just thought of it and when I googled it all the information and photos came up.”
“As easy as that.”
“And as easy to order. Probably next-day delivery.”
They finished their coffee in silence.
Chapter 19
Despite The Steakhouse being busy, Eoin and Alanna had managed to get them into a relatively quiet alcove.
“We’ve already ordered. Work away, this is going on expenses.”
Isobel grinned. “I wish you’d said before. We had a big breakfast not that long ago.”
“Oh, I don’t know, we were walking,” Patricia said. “I’m hungry.”
Isobel laughed.
Eoin signalled and a waitress hastily approached and noted down what they wanted.
When they were alone again, Eoin said, “Any response on the materials?”
Isobel pulled them out of her bag. “I’ve only showed them to one of the women so far. This blue one feels like the material that was underneath her.”
Eoin threw his eyebrows to heaven. “That figures. It’s just an ordinary tarpaulin that you can buy in any hardware store. He probably uses the same one and so he bought it months ago along with a hundred other people covering cars, caravans, wood, garden furniture.”
Isobel nodded at Patricia who shook her head.
Isobel made a face. “Patricia has had an idea about his suit. She thinks it might be a bondage suit.”
Eoin looked at Patricia who blushed.
Alanna laughed. “That’s exactly what happened to me when I came up with the idea too. I’ve not heard the end of it.”
Patricia smiled.
“We ordered a number of suits made from different materials. They arrived yesterday evening, express delivery.” Alanna reached into her bag and produced four different pieces of material, all black. “Will you ask about these as well?”
“If it is a bondage suit, it could have been ordered anywhere,” Eoin said. “However, we have officers who are going to go around the different sex shops here and in Cork and Galway checking for anything suspicious. We don’t hold out much hope, but we have to cross the t’s and dot
the i’s.”
“I’ve been thinking about it and a bondage suit fits with this guy’s mentality,” said Isobel. “Not only is he raping the women but his threats, as well as maintaining his secrecy, give him power and control over these women long after the attack.” She shifted uncomfortably as the waitress delivered her coffee and Patricia’s dessert, then hurried away.
“We’ve checked for similar reported attacks and nothing has come up,” Eoin said. “We’re also looking at known offenders but so far no one has the same modus operandi. Because the chances are that he didn’t suddenly arrive at this elaborate set-up, we’re now going back over all cases of attacks on women.”
“That sounds like a lot of work,” Patricia said.
“It is. We’ve spent three days interviewing walkers in Corbally and have turned up nothing of note, just lots of worried people. No one has come forward to report having seen anything. This guy is starting to seem like a shadow.”
“In fact, that’s what we call him in the station: The Shadow,” Alanna said.
“That’s an apt name,” Patricia said. “Scary but apt.”
“We’ve had lots of practice,” Alanna responded with a laugh.
“Em … we’ve a few more things we want to discuss,” said Isobel.
Eoin grinned. “Oh really?”
“Yes, we did the Corbally walk today and Patricia noticed a padlock on the gate into the field. Did you put that there?”
“Aah! The padlock! We’ve been working on that,” Alanna said. “The farmer must have replaced it. He had a padlock and chain on the gate. He visited the field the weekend before Michelle was found, the Sunday actually, and the lock was fine. There was no chain and padlock when we were at the crime scene.”
“So you think that The Shadow cut the chain?” Isobel said.
“Yes.”
“I didn’t notice a cut chain when I was at the crime scene.”
“Neither did we,” Alanna said. “And we didn’t find one on the initial search. But we sent back a search team after talking to the farmer to look specifically for the chain and padlock and they found it in a ditch. But listen to this! In the last eighteen months the farmer has replaced the padlock about ten times.”
Isobel brought her hands up to her mouth, eyes wide.
Once again they were interrupted as the waitress delivered Eoin and Alanna’s meals and made sure they had everything. Isobel used the time to compose herself.
Broken Silence: A tense psychological thriller Page 11