Patricia gasped. “And the car registration?”
Malcolm pulled out a notebook. “04 L 247.”
Patricia’s mouth fell open.
“Oh my God!” said Isobel.
Malcolm looked from one to the other. “What? What?”
The waitress arrived with their main courses. They organised the food and started eating. When the waitress was gone Malcolm said, “I presume that what I’m telling you doesn’t come as a complete surprise.”
Patricia said, “It is to me but not to Isobel.”
Malcolm stopped eating.
“Isobel has come up with this theory, plausible but a bit far-fetched, and I think you’ve just added some weight to it.”
Malcolm grinned. “I aim to serve.”
Isobel punched his arm.
Malcolm listened while they explained everything.
“He seems a very credible, even likely, suspect but it’s mostly theory – what we have wouldn’t even get a search warrant never mind a conviction,” he said.
Isobel nodded. “Hence I don’t want anyone else to know what we suspect. I know he attacked me but if we can’t tie him to the rapes … We need to find his trophies because they prove what he has been doing.”
Malcolm said, “Isobel, we’re not even sure these trophies exist.” Isobel opened her mouth but he gestured with his hands. “I know, I agree that in crimes of this sort there usually are trophies but, even if there are, they could be anywhere.”
“Exactly,” Patricia said.
“I think we should still be looking at how he found you that night, Isobel. I don’t believe he planned to attack you. I keep coming back to this, that it was a spur-of-the-moment thing. He saw the story and photograph about you which probably annoyed him. After all, you found the body and now you were helping the gardaí. If he was going to blame anyone for his little system being disrupted you were the ideal candidate. He was angry with you and then I think he happened to see you somewhere. I think his rage took over and he followed you and attacked you.”
“Or he waited for her outside Henry Street Garda Station and followed her hoping for an opportunity to attack,” Patricia said.
Isobel said, “Maybe.”
“In which case he was already in the Ford Focus,” Malcolm said. “I want to go to that hotel and see if he was there.”
“It’s the University Hotel. But I find it hard to believe that a man who someone described to us today as very concerned with his position drives around in this old car and takes it to the local hotel which is four-star and where he’s probably well-known or at the very least recognisable.”
“Neither do I. I think the Ford Focus is for his use in pursuit of his crimes. The fact that his wife owned it and used it to meet her boyfriend probably adds to his thrill in using it to track and attack women.”
Patricia said, “And surely he doesn’t carry the black suit around in his everyday car, his solicitor’s car? What if he had an accident or someone saw it?”
“Exactly,” said Malcolm. “I think he has somewhere to stash the Ford with the rubber suit in it. So if we know which car he was in then we can make a guess as to whether he happened to run into Isobel or whether he was waiting for her outside the Garda Station.”
“What you’re saying makes some sense but it is all surmise,” said Isobel.
“I know. But, despite what you say, I’m convinced that he wasn’t outside Henry Street. I believe he happened upon Isobel and then followed her.”
Patricia said, “But if Isobel left the hotel and drove to Killaloe to take a walk, he had no time to go and change his car. Are you saying that his hideaway is somewhere on the way to or around Killaloe?”
Malcolm frowned. “Yes. That’s a possibility. Isobel happened to drive past or near his hideaway. Up to a point that works for me but there’s a piece missing. The time is still too tight. Even if the hideaway is convenient to the route Isobel took, he still needs time to change, another ten or fifteen minutes at least.”
Patricia said, “You’re right.”
Isobel bit her lip. “Oh my God. I’ve just remembered something.”
“What?” Malcolm asked.
“Because I’d been up and down to Cork that day I was low on petrol. I only noticed it when I was coming into Killaloe across the bridge on my way to the car park. I pulled into a garage. It’s one I rarely use. I completely forgot about it.”
“How long were you there?”
“Not long. I filled the car with petrol and went in to pay and bought some water. It wasn’t busy so not long.”
“But maybe long enough if his stash place is nearby. Then he had a bit of time. He probably didn’t know where you were going. When you went for the walk it was perfect for him.”
“Exactly,” Patricia said. “Isobel goes to the garage and he races to his store. He changes and takes the old car. He drives out the road, probably passes you when you were walking.”
“Even if he didn’t notice you, when he gets to the car park he sees your car so he turns and drives back along the road,” said Malcolm.
Patricia nodded. “He sees you this time.”
“He drives on and parks in the gateway. He tracks back to the empty house and waits for you to walk by. He’s lucky and there are no cars passing when you come to the gateway so he grabs you.”
Patricia reached out and grasped Isobel’s hand. “And thankfully you escape.”
Malcolm said, “He tracks back to the car and drives off before the police arrive and hides the car again, job done.”
“It sounds possible.” Isobel bit her lip, “But from what you’re saying if I hadn’t decided to go to the University Hotel for something to eat or if I hadn’t decided to go for a walk then I wouldn’t have been attacked.”
“Maybe,” Patricia said. “Or he could have followed you home and that might have been worse.”
“True.”
“Plus, you wouldn’t have got his DNA which hopefully is going to help convict him.”
Malcolm said, “Isobel, you know that blaming yourself like that goes nowhere. Any of those women could say, ‘if I hadn’t gone for a walk, if I hadn’t been alone’. Victims of crime go through this but there’s no future in ‘What ifs’.”
Isobel inclined her head. “You’re right.”
Her phone rang. “It’s Eoin.” She swiped to answer.
“Hi.”
“Isobel, where are you?”
“We’re in Hot and Spicey having something to eat.”
“Alanna and I might join you and catch up.”
“OK. We’ll have coffee and wait for you.”
Malcolm stood up. “I’m going to go to the hotel and do some checking. I’ll catch up with you later.” He pulled out his wallet.
Isobel grasped his hand. “Put that away. You’re here helping me and supporting me and dinner is on me.”
Malcolm looked at her a minute and then nodded and left.
Patricia said, “I think we should tell Eoin and Alanna about our suspicions.”
Isobel frowned. “The last time I told them about the lead to the basketball team all hell broke loose. We will tell them but not yet. It’s mostly all a theory. Plus, I don’t exactly think that this is going to be easy for them to believe. Let’s see what they say.”
Patricia nodded. They ordered more coffee and some poppadoms for Alanna and Eoin.
Chapter 51
Eoin and Alanna arrived and ordered food.
Isobel and Patricia sipped at their coffees.
“What a day!” said Eoin.
Isobel said, “Are you having any luck?”
“It’s a long and slow process.” Alanna wiped her hands on a napkin and from her handbag pulled out a number of pages with car registrations and notes. She spread them out in front of Patricia and Isobel.
“We check the car number and determine the owner,” Eoin said.
“Then we find the owner’s address,” Alanna said. “Some of the cars
belong to houses on the street.”
“But we’re checking every car, so we then go and talk to the owner about why they were parked on the street that evening,” said Eoin.
“We’re using the cover of a robbery in the area.” Alanna said. “When we get their story then we have to check it out. We’re also asking everyone about where they were at the time of all of the attacks.”
“Yeah, we decided to do that as this is one of the best leads we have.” Eoin sighed. “But it all takes time, checking all of those things properly to rule someone out.”
“Poor you!” said Isobel.
Eoin shook his head. “This is what we do, loads of legwork.”
Patricia was bending over the pages. She looked up. “It sounds complicated.”
Alanna shook her head. “Just time-consuming.”
“Here’s one you might remember because it’s older than most of the others,” said Patricia. “For example, to deal with that car what did you have to do?”
“Which one?”
“04 L 247 – a dark-red Ford Focus.”
“Actually I do remember that one. That’s actually an interesting story and typical of how hard it is to do the searches.”
Patricia looked up. “What do you mean?”
“Well, that car is registered to a Mrs. Fitzwilliam who it turns out is actually in a nursing home with dementia.”
Isobel said, “Oh, so she wasn’t driving the car?”
“Exactly, so we contacted her son.”
“Who happens to be a successful solicitor in Limerick,” Eoin said.
Patricia stared at Isobel who frowned.
“And not one that you’d want to aggravate,” Alanna said.
“Oh, why not?” Isobel said.
“Well, you just don’t want him for an enemy,” said Eoin.
Isobel looked at Patricia.
“But surely as an officer of the court he wanted to help you with your enquiry?” said Patricia.
“Actually he couldn’t have been more helpful but it was a dead end,” Alanna said.
“How so?” Isobel said.
“Well, we explained to him about the robbery and of course he wanted to help,” said Eoin. “But when I mentioned his mother’s car being in the vicinity, he seemed a bit shocked.”
“But he explained that his wife used to own the car,: said Alanna. “He sold the car after his wife left him. His mother, Agnes Fitzwilliam, is in a nursing home and is never going to drive again. He said he advertised it in the paper. He was contacted by a man from Donegal who came and bought the car.”
“And as often happens the new owner didn’t get the car registered in his name,” said Eoin.
“Brian was able to give us the phone number of the man but when we called it was out of service,” Alanna said. “We are in the process of tracing that number but that takes time.”
“Yeah, it does,” said Eoin. “And every car has a story like that to be checked out. The team is working hard on it but nothing of any note yet.”
“That sounds hard,” said Patricia.
“We’re used to it. We just have to keep at it.” Eoin shook himself, “What about you? What have you done today?”
Isobel looked at Patricia. “We went back to see Charles,” she said.
Eoin laughed. “I knew you would. I told Alanna that you were interested in the dramas in the basketball club.”
“Then we called to see Nicky and met her sister –”
“And we took Isobel out for a walk in Killaloe.”
“Back to the scene of the crime,” Eoin said.
Isobel nodded.
“How was that?” Alanna asked.
“I’m glad I did it but I’m also glad that Patricia, Malcolm and Bella were there with me this time. Hopefully in the future I will still be able to walk there alone.”
Eoin stopped eating. “Not until The Shadow is behind bars.”
Isobel shook her head. “No, definitely not.”
Eoin nodded. “I want to be sure you’re safe – that’s one less worry on my mind.”
Patricia laughed. “Don’t worry, her protection detail is here.”
“Where is Malcolm?” Alanna asked.
“He’s off with Bella,” Patricia said.
“Another walk?” Eoin asked.
“The trip over was quite long – the dog needs exercise.”
“Any plans for tomorrow?”
“Not yet. We’ll wait until we talk to Malcolm and see what he wants to do. Do you want any help tomorrow?”
“When we have a credible lead we’ll let you know,” Alanna said.
Isobel bit her lip.
“In fact, we’d better go,” Eoin said.
Chapter 52
Isobel turned on the fairy lights which she had strung along the roof of the covered area outside the garage and lit the fire in the chiminea. She pulled cushions out of the blanket box and made the wicker garden chairs comfortable. Patricia settled down near the fire and Isobel opened a bottle of Graham Norton’s Sauvignon Blanc. They relaxed, sipping their wine, listening to the evening chorus and watching the sky change colour as the sun dropped.
It was nine thirty when Malcolm’s car pulled into the driveway.
He climbed out of the car and opened the door for Bella who promptly ran off to explore the boundary hedge.
Malcolm approached them and said, “That looks very relaxing.”
“What would you like to drink?” Isobel asked him.
“Whiskey, please.”
Isobel went into the house for a glass and returned with a Jameson and some water in a jug.
Malcolm said, “I have news.”
Isobel laughed. “Us first this time.” She gestured. “Patricia was so good, finding out about Fitzwilliam’s car.” They outlined all that they had learned and what Eoin had told them.
Malcolm shook his head. “This guy is very good, cool under pressure with an answer for everything.”
Isobel nodded. “And there’s no real reason to suspect him.”
“So they didn’t consider him a suspect?”
Patricia leant forward. “No.”
Malcolm looked at Isobel. “I can see why you are wary about letting your suspicions be known.”
“It would be hard for them to believe and it could end up warning him, making him even harder to catch.”
Malcolm exhaled deeply. “Yes. I think you’re definitely on to something and the single thing working for us is that he has no idea.”
Isobel nodded. “Exactly.”
Patricia said, “What did you find out?”
Malcolm leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs. “Well, I parked at the front of the hotel and walked in around the bar and the conservatory. On the way in I noticed the swimming pool with those windows looking out on the front. I suppose because I’ve always been into fitness and gone to the gym or for a swim when I was working, I decided to try the gym first. I actually moved the car around to the back and parked there. Then I went in and asked the guy at the gym reception for some water for Bella. He was so helpful.”
Patricia shook her head. “Without Bella, I don’t think you would ever find out anything.”
Malcolm shrugged. “Probably not.”
Isobel laughed.
“We chatted and I told him I was new to the area. He knew immediately that I was into working out and we talked about the regimes we used. I mentioned that I had heard about the facilities from Brian Fitzwilliam. And he confirmed that he was a regular customer at the gym.”
“Oh. He told you all that,” said Isobel.
Malcolm nodded. “Yes, but it was very casual. We were just chewing the fat. I said that Brian looked in good shape and asked about his fitness regime. Needless to say, the guy, Gary, told me all about it. Brian comes for a swim most evenings. He also uses the running machines. I said that I thought he’d been there on Wednesday evening and Gary said that Brian arrived and got changed for a swim and then hurried away.”
>
Isobel said, “Oh.”
Malcolm nodded. “Exactly. I suggested that Brian may have been called away to work but Gary said no.”
“How would he know?”
“Apparently Brian is a real stickler and prone to complaining about anything that is unsatisfactory so everyone is always very on the ball when he comes.”
Patricia said, “We did get that impression.”
“Gary said that Brian was changed for a swim and was getting into the pool when suddenly he turned and went back to the changing rooms and then out to his car. They thought it was a bit strange and wondered if something was wrong so the next evening when Brian came they were really paying attention. That evening, Thursday, Brian didn’t go for a swim either. At this stage they were expecting to get a complaint so Gary was being really observant.”
Isobel made a face. “He really has them hopping.”
Malcolm smiled. “I know but wait for it. Gary noticed that on Thursday evening Brian was on the running machines and he had a pressure bandage on his wrist and hand as if he’d sprained it.”
Isobel gasped and her hand flew to her mouth.
Malcolm nodded. “Gary was sure that Brian hadn’t had the bandage on Wednesday evening and he also was pretty sure that Brian hadn’t slipped in their facilities. But he was concerned. He passed Brian in the gym and said casually, ‘Oh, have you hurt your wrist?’ Brian told him he’d sprained it but that it wasn’t too bad, just not up to a swim. He obviously didn’t want to talk anymore about it. Gary was relieved because Brian didn’t seem annoyed with them about anything at the gym. When Brian finished his run, Gary happened to be in the changing rooms sorting out towels and making sure that everything was tidy. He noticed that Brian took his shower with his pressure bandage on. Gary thought that was a bit strange but …” Malcolm shrugged. “Gary was checking the showers for shampoo and bodywash and he noticed that when Brian was dressed he took off the pressure bandage.”
Broken Silence: A tense psychological thriller Page 29