Malcolm rubbed his hand across his mouth. “No. They won’t be able to do anything. So long as we know where they move this package we can enlighten them when the time comes. Agreed?”
Isobel and Patricia nodded.
Patricia looked around. “Where’s your car?”
“It’s further away. If we lose him, you go one road to Limerick and I’ll go the other.”
Isobel said, “I’ll turn right over the bridge and take that route, you go left.”
Thankfully the traffic lights at the end of the road were red. The delay was always long and by the time they turned green Isobel was only the second car behind Aidan and Malcolm was behind her.
Once again, they drove towards Corbally and Limerick City. Malcolm was behind them on the road and when the road straightened Isobel slowed to allow Malcolm to pass her so that Aidan wasn’t seeing the same car in his rearview mirror. At the traffic lights in Corbally Aidan and Malcolm made the green light but Isobel and Patricia were delayed.
Patricia phoned Malcolm.
“I know. I saw in my rearview mirror. I’ll stick with him and let you know where we are when we arrive.”
Isobel continued into Limerick. Knowing now that they had to wait for Malcolm to ring them, they found a corner shop on Catherine Street and got a tea and coffee. They sat in the car sipping their drinks.
Patricia said, “This is taking a long time.”
“Maybe Malcolm lost him.”
“What will we do then?”
Isobel frowned. “We can ask Eoin and Alanna or Laura to find Aidan’s home address, I suppose, and his work address should be easy enough but if he hides the package somewhere else …” She shook her head. “I don’t know what we’ll be able to do. Brian’s instructions to him might be confidential under client privilege.” She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Shit, Isobel. We can’t be this close and lose our case. What about all of those women depending on us?”
Isobel chewed her lip. “I know. But we wouldn’t even be this far if Malcolm hadn’t been wise to this possibility. Please God he’s managed to stay on Aidan’s tail.”
Patricia’s phone rang. “It’s Malcolm.” She swiped. “Did you lose him?”
“Of course I bloody didn’t. Have you no faith in me at all?”
“Oh thank God. Where are you?”
“I’m in Dooradoyle. His house number is eight and the last avenue I remember driving into was Privet Avenue. He took the package into the house. I parked up the street and came back on foot. He’s in his kitchen and he has the package on the table. He hasn’t opened it.”
Isobel said, “Where are you watching from, Malcolm? You must be very close.”
“I am. Thankfully, Aidan has plenty of shrubs in his garden. It’s perfect for surveillance. I’m lying behind one now trying to take pictures of him.”
Patricia said, “What do you want us to do? Should we call Eoin and Alanna?”
Malcolm said, “I don’t know what they could do. What’s happened tonight is only significant if we can tie Brian to a crime and we need the DNA for that. I think you should go home. I have Bella here with me. We’ll photograph everything. Keep the phone close and I’ll call you if there’s any change.”
Patricia said, “Are you going to stay in the garden all night?”
“Yes. It’s summer. It’s warm. I’ve had some sleep and a good dinner. And it’s late. I doubt he’s going to go anywhere else tonight but don’t worry. Bella’s here. She’ll wake me if Aidan is on the move.”
Isobel and Patricia made their way home. In bed that night Isobel lay, mostly awake. She prayed that her results tomorrow would be good news and she thought about Emer, Sarah, Brenda and Kate and hoped that the gardaí would be able to charge Brian with their rapes. She couldn’t sleep. She lay and practised her breathing and muscle-relaxing exercises.
Chapter 59
Monday 1st July
At dawn Isobel rose. She had not slept but she had rested. She changed into her tracksuit and with her earphones in went for a walk. As always walking helped. She arrived home singing along to herself.
Patricia touched her arm and Isobel jumped a mile, pulling the earpieces from her ears. “You scared the life out of me.”
“What song is that?”
“‘Monster’.”
“I don’t know that one.”
“It’s sung by Walking on Cars. Let’s hope we can lock up our monster.”
“Probably by this evening we’ll know if that is likely.”
“True.”
“Did you sleep?”
“No. You?”
“Me neither. How do you feel about your results today?”
“I’m worried but half the time I’m thinking about the case and, you know something, it makes me less nervous. There is nothing I can do about the results. I’m powerless but the case, well, there I can do things. It has really kept me distracted.”
Patricia nodded.
They made coffee and sat outside at the picnic table sipping it. There was very little to say.
After a light breakfast Isobel showered and got dressed.
Malcolm rang. “Aidan’s up. He’s showering.”
Isobel said, “We’re almost ready. We’ll head into the city. Ring me if he moves.”
Isobel was near the Crescent Shopping Centre moving towards Dooradoyle when Malcolm rang again.
“Aidan’s gone. I would say he’s gone to work.”
“What about the package?” Patricia asked.
“He didn’t take it with him.”
“Oh well, that’s good, isn’t it?”
Malcolm said, “It’s just a waiting game now.”
“Are you tired Malcolm? Do you need to sleep?”
“No, I’m fine. Bella did the night shift last night.”
Isobel said, “The DNA won’t be back until this afternoon.”
“You’ve that important business meeting. You relax and I’ll watch the package. Ring me when you know the DNA results.”
“And you ring if Aidan or anyone else moves the package,” Patricia said.
“I will.”
Patricia turned to Isobel. “What now? We’ve got a lot of time to kill.”
“I was thinking that we would go and talk to Emer.”
“Are you sure? We can’t tell her anything.”
“No, but we can see if she would be prepared to make a statement.”
“What if the package isn’t full of trophies? What if its money Brian is hiding from the tax man, or drugs? There may be no way to tie him to Emer’s rape.”
“I know. But there may be evidence on the suit or the ground sheet and if there is the gardaí will need people to match those samples to.”
Patricia sighed. “True. Do you think that Emer would be up for all of that?”
“I don’t know. When she thought The Shadow had been caught, she wanted to have her day in court. I don’t know if she realises how harsh that experience could be but I want her to have the option and I want her to have time to think about it.”
Patricia nodded. “Fair enough.”
Isobel made a call. In a few minutes they were battling commuter traffic once again, heading back to Corbally.
Emer was in the same front room but the room seemed fresher and brighter and the pillow was gone from the sofa. Isobel hoped that that was a good sign.
“Have you any news for me?” Emer asked.
“Maybe.”
They sat down.
“What? There was nothing online or in the papers.”
Isobel looked at Patricia, “No – but they’ve found a black suit and a ground sheet.”
Emer’s hands flew to her mouth. “Have they caught him?”
Isobel bit her lip. “They’re not sure. As you know the attacker wore a rubber suit and was very careful about forensics. In a way the gardaí are hoping that there will be microscopic traces on the suit and groundsheet.”
“Who is it? Who do
they suspect?”
“I can’t tell you that in case it’s a mistake like the last time.”
Emer looked at her. “But you think it’s him.”
“I’m pretty sure it’s the guy who attacked me and I’m also pretty sure that the guy who attacked me is the one who attacked you. I scratched him.”
Emer opened her mouth and looked from one to the other. “And that means?”
Isobel said, “And that means when the DNA comes back we’ll know if he’s the one who attacked me.”
Emer exhaled. “And you can prove it. So you think that you might have caught him?”
“Yes, we might have.”
Emer looked at her. “And you’re here because …”
Isobel made a face. “Because if there is some of your DNA on the groundsheet or the suit, how are the gardaí going to find you and test it?”
Emer got up and walked towards the window. “You mean that if this is the man and they find unidentified female DNA samples then they won’t know who they belong to.”
Isobel nodded. “Exactly.”
“So you’re saying that there might be a chance to have a day in court?”
Isobel grimaced. “It’s only a might, Emer. Six or seven months have passed since you were raped. It’s only a might.”
Emer walked up and down in front of the window. “Answer me this, Isobel, how many women have you found that went through what I did?”
Isobel bit her lip and looked at Patricia.
Emer said, “I don’t want to know their names or even tell anyone else. I just want to know about the scale of what happened.”
“We don’t know the scale of it. We know some.”
Emer said, “Well, there’s Sarah.”
Isobel spread out her hands. “I can’t.”
Emer flicked her hand at Isobel. “I’ve been talking to Sarah on the phone twice since that guy Mark was arrested. I know she went through what I did. How many more do you know about?”
Isobel took a deep breath. “Two more like you and one other failed attack like me.”
“And the two women who died,” Emer said.
Isobel bowed her head. “Yes.”
Emer looked at the ceiling. “So, two murders, four rapes and two attacks.”
“Yes.”
“Do you think there were more?”
“Yes, we do. We just haven’t found them.”
“So you might never know who all of his victims were?”
Isobel sighed. “Maybe not, probably not.”
Emer nodded.
“I’m not here to pressurise you,” Isobel said. “You rang me the other day wanting to have your day in court. I don’t know if you can get that but I wanted to let you know that there might be a chance of that and what you could do to make that possible. The choice is yours, Emer.”
“Will you phone me and let me know when they’re sure that this is the guy who attacked you?”
“Of course. And Emer, what I’ve told you is confidential.”
Emer nodded. “I understand and I do appreciate your telling me. I have to think about this and maybe talk to my mum and Ben.”
“Absolutely, but they have to treat this information as confidential because this getting out could jeopardise the whole case.”
Emer nodded. “I understand.”
“Emer, I want you to know that if you hadn’t talked to me no one would have known what was happening and we wouldn’t have found this guy. In a way you set the ball rolling. You have already helped. No matter what you do now, know that your courage and honesty were vital to catching him.”
Emer’s eyes filled with tears. “Thank you for that.”
She hugged Isobel and Patricia.
When they were outside, Patricia looked at her watch. “What now?”
It was half past eleven.
Isobel said, “Let’s walk along the river for a bit before we go to the hospital.”
Chapter 60
At two o’clock Isobel was sitting in the purple chair facing the door where the staff came to call the names. Today the delays were minimal and so it was only two fifteen when the nurse called Isobel’s name. Isobel could feel her stomach somersaulting. She swallowed and could taste fear. She took a deep breath. Patricia reached over and squeezed her hand. Isobel stood and pulled Patricia with her. As they went through the door and along the corridor towards the doctor’s office Isobel could feel herself starting to feel spacey.
The nurse turned to her. “I saw your name and photo on the news. Are you alright after that man attacked you?”
Isobel nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank God.”
The nurse turned left into a room guiding them in to where a doctor was sitting behind the desk. She swiveled in her chair as they entered.
“Ah, Isobel. The nurse was telling me that you were in the news because you were attacked during the week.”
Isobel said, “Yes. I’ve recovered from that. I’m fine. I’m just nervous about the results of the mammogram today.”
The doctor smiled at her. “Your results are fine. You’re clear. There’s nothing to worry about on the right side. We’ll see you again in six months and you’ll have another mammogram in a year.”
Isobel burst into tears.
Patricia hugged her.
Isobel said, “Thank you, thank you.”
She danced along the corridor to the exit and the lift. “Oh thank God!”
Patricia leaned against the wall beside the lift. “Jesus, I feel weak. I don’t know how you do it. That was so stressful.”
“I know, hence the tears.”
The lift arrived and they climbed in.
Patricia hugged her. “Thank God you’re alright.”
They lift doors closed. Isobel’s phone rang.
As she answered the lift announced its destination.
Isobel raised her voice slightly to be heard. “Eoin?”
“The DNA is back.”
“And?”
“How soon can you be here?”
“We’re on the way to the car. We’re in Dooradoyle. We’ll be there as quickly as we can.”
Eoin rang off.
“Well?” Patricia asked.
Isobel shook her head. “He didn’t say. He’s expecting us.”
“God, more results.”
Isobel raised her eyebrows. “Let’s hope the news is as good.”
Chapter 61
Eoin and Alanna were in the office when Isobel and Patricia were shown in. They sat down.
Isobel said, “Well?”
“The DNA of your attacker matches that of Brian Fitzwilliam,”
“Yes!” Patricia cried.
“Oh my God!” Isobel put her hand to her mouth.
Patricia said, “So we have him for his attack on Isobel.”
Alanna nodded.
Eoin said, “The DNA on the inside of the right sleeve of the black rubber suit is Brian Fitzwilliam’s.”
“So that connects him to the rucksack,” Alanna said.
Isobel nodded. “Well, that’s good.”
Eoin said, “There’s more.”
Isobel raised her eyebrows.
“Forensics examined the black suit and they found your fingerprints, Isobel, on the outsides of the wrists and gloves where you reached up to loosen his hands.”
Isobel bit her lip.
Alanna said, “There are other fingerprints there, not yours and not Brian’s.”
“Some of the other women?”
Isobel was glad she was sitting down. “Whose?”
Eoin said, “We have identified fingerprints from two more people.”
Isobel fixed her eyes on Eoin and nodded at him.
“Michelle and Catriona.”
Patricia gasped.
Isobel felt as if her heart was floating free in her chest. “So, you have him for two murders?”
Alanna reached out and touched her hand. “Yes.”
Patricia said, “So he’ll be going away
for a very long time.”
“Definitely.”
Isobel said, “And the other women that he raped?”
Eoin said, “There are three unidentified sources of fingerprints on the black suit. Maybe they belong to some of the women that you’ve found.”
“But they may not.”
“No, they may not.”
“And we don’t know how many victims he had and we have no idea who else he raped.”
Alanna said, “We’ve already contacted Brenda and asked her to come in and give her prints for comparison and a DNA sample.”
“She was attacked in April last year,” Isobel said.
“Yes. That is a long time but all we can do is check.”
Eoin said, “We think it’s more likely that the prints are from the more recent victims.”
Patricia nodded. “That make sense. We were thinking that he attacked one victim a month but …”
“He could have had a rest in April and May,” Alanna said, “or he could have attacked four unknown women, or more come to that.”
Eoin said, “There is one last source of forensics, the ground sheet. The team is going over it with a fine-tooth comb. Apparently, it is quite a coarse weave which isn’t good for fingerprints but the fibres are rough.” He looked from Isobel to Patricia, “Rough enough to maybe cause some skin cells to slough off.”
“There’s no easy way to say this,” Alanna said. “The friction during the rape caused skin cells to come off. It’s a slow job because the ground sheet is big and probably wasn’t positioned the same way each time, but literally the team is going through each fibre to see if they can get DNA from the victims.”
“So we have to hope that Brenda and the others shed some skin.”
Alanna looked miserable. “Basically. But if we found some of Brenda’s then we could go after him for her rape at least.”
Isobel said, “And the others could only be confirmed if they came forward.”
“Maybe you can talk to them and tell them what we have and see what they want to do,” Eoin said.
Alanna said, “Otherwise our only other hope is finding the trophies. Obviously, we got the search warrants because of these results and teams are on their way to Brian’s home, office and boat.”
Broken Silence: A tense psychological thriller Page 34