Broken Silence: A tense psychological thriller

by Fran McDonnell

  Eoin said, “It seems likely that The Shadow cut the chain on Monday night when he attacked Michelle but we can’t be sure that every time the padlock disappeared there was an attack.”

  “The farmer is going back through his receipts and talking to his hardware store – he always shops in the same place,” Alanna said. “He’s going to give us a list of the dates when he replaced the padlock.”

  “We have officers out talking to young people and people in the community to see if the field was used for drinking or parties,” Eoin said. “We’re trying to eliminate other people who might have cut the chain.”

  Isobel felt overwhelmed. “There seems to be a huge volume of information that you have to follow and sift through.”

  “There always is but this case is massive,” Eoin said. “We have no forensics and so we have to try to generate leads and that means there are many lines of enquiry we have to follow in the hope they’ll give us something.” He sounded weary.

  Alanna sighed. “There are thirty thousand men in Limerick City who are of an age to have committed these crimes so it’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

  “Then you need a magnet,” said Isobel.

  “We do. A big magnet.”

  There was silence except for the scrape of cutlery as Eoin and Alanna ate.

  Then Isobel said, “Our second lady took us to the site out in Castletroy. The setting is similar to the one in Corbally. Patricia and I were thinking that it might be worth looking into council personnel who maintain the paths. They would know both places and have plenty of time to scope out locations.”

  Alanna nodded. “We’ll be doing that first thing tomorrow morning.”

  “We need to see if there’s any commonality between the victims,” said Eoin.

  Patricia said, “We’ve started documenting information, doctors, physiotherapists, everything we can think of.”

  She showed Eoin the list. He looked at it and passed it on to Alanna.

  She read through it. “I would check gym membership and any other group-sport activity in the past.” She looked at Eoin. “Anything else?”

  “Local clubs they belong to. That’s all I can think of. Let us know if you have any emerging leads.”

  “We need to go back and talk to our second lady and gather the same information,” said Isobel. “And there might be another source …”

  Eoin raised an eyebrow. “You’ve found someone else?”

  Isobel shrugged. “Maybe. We’re going to talk to someone after this. If it’s a similar attack, we’ll let you know.”

  “I know it’s hard but do ask about all of these things and the material,” Eoin said. “Who knows, you might find that ‘magnet’ for us!”

  “We have to keep moving on this.” Alanna glanced at Eoin.

  “What? What are you not saying?” Isobel asked.

  “I spoke to a psychologist I know who has experience with rape cases,” said Eoin. “She thinks that because Michelle died and The Shadow was thwarted, he will be enraged and he may want to take it out on the next woman. She also thinks that it’s conceivable that now he’ll want to rape and murder. She considers him more dangerous than ever.”

  “Is there no possibility that he might disappear now that his secret activities have been exposed?” Isobel asked.

  Eoin shook his head. “I don’t want him to disappear, I want to catch him. The psychologist feels he’s been doing this a long time, as you know – for at least nine months. It’s like an addiction. She thinks there’s no possibility of him disappearing.”

  “Are the warnings for the public strong enough?” Patricia asked.

  “That’s a concern,” Alanna said. “The Super is very worried. He’s going to put out another safety warning and he’s going to make it clear that it’s not just the Corbally area.”

  That gave everyone pause for thought.

  After a few moments, Eoin said, “We’d better go. Good luck this afternoon. Why don’t we meet tomorrow at lunchtime again?”

  “No, I’ve something on in the morning,” Isobel said. “Let me ring you when I’m finished and see when would suit you then.”

  Eoin frowned. “Is everything alright, Isobel?”

  “Yes. It’s just something that I had already organised and can’t get out of. We’ll talk later tomorrow.”

  Chapter 20

  Patricia programmed her phone and it directed them to the address that Fiona Carr had given them.

  Patricia said, “What do you think?”

  “I think the name The Shadow suggests how hard it’s going to be to find this guy and I find it chilling that he’s possibly going to escalate.”

  “Me too.”

  “I feel stressed knowing that if we can’t find out anything then someone else is going to be in danger.”

  Patricia nodded. “It’s horrible.”

  “God bless the men and women who deal with this every day. It’s tough. I don’t know that I’ll sleep peacefully until this monster is caught.”

  They passed Castletroy College and turned into one of the estates, pulling up outside a house with a red door.

  “Ready?”

  Patricia blew out her lips. “As I’ll ever be.”

  Fiona opened the door to them. She shepherded them into the kitchen. It was empty. She leant against one of the counters.

  “I’m really nervous about this.”

  Isobel nodded encouragingly but said nothing.

  Fiona swallowed. “My sister, Brenda, asked me to call you. She was raped in March last year. Because I work for the Rape Crisis Centre she wouldn’t go there but she’s been going to a private counsellor. Michelle’s death upset her and when we talked today, well, I mentioned what you were doing. She said that she wanted to talk to you.”

  “OK.”

  “She’s very fragile and she’s the mother of two kids.”

  “Are they here at the moment?”

  “No, no. I dropped them round to their grandmother so that Brenda could talk.”

  “Fiona, we –”

  “I know you’ve done this before.”

  Isobel nodded. “Yes.”

  “I’m too close, I know. I’ll leave it to you.”

  “We’ll be gentle.”

  Fiona took a deep breath. “I’m going upstairs. Call me when you’re finished.”

  She led them into the hall and opened the living-room door. “Brenda, here are Isobel and Patricia.”

  The woman who looked up at them bore little resemblance to Fiona. Her hair, which had been coloured blonde, had dark roots and needed a wash and condition. She was dressed in a big baggy man’s shirt and wide-legged trousers.

  Isobel and Patricia sat on the couch opposite Brenda’s armchair.

  Looking around the room Isobel saw photos of a beautiful woman with two children showing scenes from babyhood, beaches, First Communions and sporting events. The corner cabinet had a number of trophies.

  Brenda followed Isobel’s gaze. “Hard to believe but that was me. I’ve put on two stone since, since …” Her eyes filled with tears.

  Isobel waited a few moments and then said, “Why don’t you tell me about what happened to you?”

  Brenda looked up.

  Isobel met her gaze.

  “Fiona says that you found the woman in Corbally.”

  “Yes.”

  “She says that you’re talking to women to see if it’s the same man.”

  “Yes.”

  “How will you know if it’s the same?”

  “Because he operates in a certain way.”

  “So if I tell you what happened to me, you’ll know if it’s the same?”

  “We’ll be able to compare any details with the other cases. What we would like to do is record what you tell us and pass it on – completely confidentially – to the gardaí. They will have the information but they won’t know who it came from.”

  “He threatened me if I talked, you know? Well, not me, but my children.
”

  Patricia said softly, “May I record?”

  Brenda flicked a glance at her and nodded then returned her gaze to Isobel. “He threatened to harm my children if I talked so I was afraid to report the rape.”

  “But you want to talk to us.”

  Brenda started to cry. “That could’ve been me. My children could be without their mother and,” she shook her head, “and that’s what Michelle Cavan’s children have to face. That’s why I’m talking to you.”

  Isobel nodded. “Tell me what happened.”

  “I went for a walk along the river, walking from the university back towards Limerick. I only had an hour – the kids were at sports practice and that gave me a bit of time to keep fit. It was a dull day but not dark. I was walking along and the next thing I was grabbed from behind. I was dragged backwards off the path into a field.” She took a shaky breath. Her eyes were unfocused, turned towards the window but seeing the past rather than the view of the garden. She swallowed. “I could feel my throat tightening. It wasn’t hands – they were covered in something plasticky. I thought I was dying. That must have been what happened to Michelle.”

  Isobel said, “Take your time. You are doing so well to tell us.”

  Brenda took a shaky breath. “I passed out. When I came round, I was lying on something. He had gagged me and bound my hands. My clothes had been pulled away.” She turned her head away from them. Facing sideways to them now, she took a ragged breath. “He had on a black thing. Just slits for eyes and for his mouth. He climbed on top of me.” She shivered and pushed with her hands as if repelling something.

  Isobel said, “You’re doing really well, Brenda.”

  Brenda turned towards Isobel, her eyes gradually refocusing. She looked at her, taking a ragged breath.

  “That’s it, take a deep breath. You’re safe here with us.”

  Brenda took a number of deep breaths and then nodded.

  “May I just take your hand?” Isobel asked.

  Brenda nodded.

  Isobel moved over to perch on the edge of the armchair near Brenda’s chair and took her hand.

  “Where was I?” Brenda asked.

  “You were telling us how he got on top of you.”

  Brenda’s eyes once again focused on some other place. “He got on top of me and he raped me. He hurt me. He warned me not to tell anyone or he would hurt my kids and then he said, ‘You think you can do whatever you like, well, you can’t. I’m in charge’ and then he put his hands around my throat and strangled me again.” Her breathing got faster and more ragged.

  Gently Isobel applied pressure to Brenda’s hand. “Take a deep breath.”

  Brenda took some more deep breaths and gradually her breathing slowed.

  After a minute she looked at Isobel. “I thought I was going to die and a part of me wanted to.” This time the tears came with great wracking sobs. “I wanted it to be over. I wanted to get away.” She bent forward, holding tight to Isobel’s hand and cried.

  “I know, I know.”

  Brenda cried for a few minutes. As her sobs eased Isobel gently raised her up.

  “But I didn’t die.”

  “No, you’re still here, with your children.”

  Brenda turned to her. “I get so angry sometimes with them and it has nothing to do with them.”

  “I know, I know.”

  “I’m angry that this happened to me, that that man could take my life from me. Look at me. I’ve put on weight. I don’t want to wash or dress properly. Nothing. I can barely look at myself in the mirror.”

  “You’ve been so brave in telling us what happened to you.”

  “I’d forgotten that he said that to me, about being in charge, until now.”

  “It’s normal to have memory gaps. It was a huge trauma. Often things come back to you over time.”

  “Did he have a recognisable accent?” Patricia asked.

  Brenda looked at her, then frowned. “I’m not sure. Maybe more will come to me.” She took a deep breath. “Is it the same man?”

  Isobel looked at Brenda and thought for a moment.

  “You can tell me. Surely if I’m helping you, I have a right to know?”

  Isobel nodded. “It sounds like it might be the same man.”

  Brenda put her hand to her mouth.

  “Remembering what he said to you is helpful. It might help us understand why he’s doing this.”

  Brenda looked from one to the other. “Promise me that you’ll catch him.”

  “I promise you that we’ll do everything we can to catch him,” Isobel said.

  Patricia nodded.

  Brenda took a deep breath. “What else do you want to know?”

  “Could you feel these pieces of material,” Isobel said, “and tell me if any of them feel like what touched you when you were being attacked?” She hurried on. “I know that is hard but it may help us trace him.”

  Brenda took another deep breath and nodded.

  Isobel laid out the pieces of material and Brenda touched each one.

  “I’m not sure. I think I was lying on something, maybe something like that blue piece.”

  Patricia made a note. Isobel produced the four new pieces of black material. Alanna had put a letter on the back of each one.

  Brenda touched each one in turn. When her fingers came in contact with the third one she went white. “This is the material that was over his hands.”

  She dropped it quickly.

  Patricia turned it over and made a note of the identification code.

  “Is there anything else?” Brenda asked.

  Patricia consulted her notebook. “Could you answer a few more queries?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who is your doctor?”

  Patricia noted the answer.

  “Have you been to a physio recently?”

  “No.”

  “Where did you buy your walking footwear? Do you belong to any clubs?”

  Brenda answered each query one by one.

  “Do you always do that river walk?”

  “No. I only walk there once a week when I’m waiting for the kids. Normally I walk in the park opposite Castletroy College.”

  “When were you attacked?”

  “March 21st last year.”

  Isobel looked at Patricia and raised her eyebrows. Patricia shook her head, she had nothing more to ask.

  Isobel handed Brenda her card. “If you think of anything that might be useful, just ring me anytime.”

  “What happens now?”

  “We’ll pass on this recording to the gardaí we’re working with.”

  Brenda looked nervous.

  Isobel said, “We really trust them, a woman and a man, and they’re committed to catching The – this guy.”

  “They won’t know who you are.” Patricia said. “They’ll just have the recording and the information.”

  “Obviously be very mindful around your children,” Isobel said.

  Brenda nodded.

  Isobel opened the door of the sitting room and called for Fiona.

  In a few seconds Fiona came down the stairs.

  She went and sat beside Brenda. “Did it go OK?” she asked.

  Brenda reached out and took her hand. “Yes. I’m glad I did it. I spoke to my counsellor earlier and I have an extra session tomorrow. I’m fine.”

  “Thank you, Isobel,” Fiona said. “I’ll ring you later and let you know the result of the board meeting.”

  Chapter 21

  In the car, Patricia said, “This is tough, listening to what all these women have endured and seeing how it has impacted on them.”

  “I know.”

  “So much pain and so many lives affected – not just them but their children, family, partners, probably friends too.”

  Isobel nodded. “Do you want to call it a day?”

  Patricia turned in the passenger seat. “No. If they can have the courage to live with what has happened to them, I definitely can live wit
h hearing it.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “I can’t believe that this man has systematically gone out and found these women and then attacked them and destroyed their lives. He’s a monster. He’s preying on women. We need to catch him and he needs to go to prison for the rest of his life with no possibility of getting out. No, he needs to suffer more than that. That’s too good for him.” She rubbed her hands over her eyes. “I’m so mad at him for what he has done to Brenda and Sarah and …” Her voice started to shake and Isobel could see tears appearing on her eyelashes.

  “I know. I feel the same. Let’s show the materials to Sarah and then call it a night. We need a break.”

  Patricia nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.”

  They travelled in silence for the rest of the journey.

  They pulled up outside Sarah’s house and Steve opened the front door before they reached it. “Hi. More questions?”

  “Sorry,” Isobel said. “We didn’t know all of the things to ask initially.”

  “That’s OK. Having visits from you is the most sociable Sarah has been in ages. I couldn’t believe that she went for a walk with you. That was a huge step. And, would you believe, she slept last night. I know its early days and it might have been exhaustion but anything that’s positive is so welcome.”

  “Of course.”

  Steve threw open the door to the sitting room.

  Sarah was sitting on the couch with her two kids, who looked to be about eight and twelve.

  “Hi, Isobel – hi, Patricia. This is Annabel and this is Tony.”

  Isobel and Patricia smiled at the children.

  “Guys, you go with Dad while I talk to my friends.”

  Annabel’s mouth turned down.

  “We won’t be long,” Isobel said.

  “These are the ladies who got Mum to take that walk,” Tony said. “Maybe if they talk to her again, she’ll come to the park with us the next time.”

  Sarah bit her lip.

  “Come on, kids,” Steve said. “Mum won’t be long.”

  As the door closed Sarah wrapped her arms around her body. “I would love to go to the park but the fear is bad. And I hate the thought of meeting people I know and having to chat and make small talk. I don’t know how I managed yesterday with you.”