“I’m so sorry, mate, I tried to get him but he was on a bike and out of there – I couldn’t catch up with him. I picked up her phone, mate, y’know, just in case you . . . I don’t know . . . you might want it or something . . .” He hands it to Conor.
“Thanks.” Conor takes the inanimate object that has caused his wife to be in an operating theatre right now. A phone has caused all of this. One hundred and forty-nine euro is what her life is worth.
He keeps pacing back and forth on the vinyl floor and his shoes squeak every time.
“I rang 999 straight away and then I picked up her phone because I kept thinking what if she was meant to meet someone and then she just doesn’t show up? Or what if someone was waiting for her to come home and she never arrives – I knew someone would be worried so I rang the number she had dialled last and that was you.”
Conor nods. “I’m her partner.”
Brian looks him in the eyes, a chunk of hair has come free from the gel and is sticking up like a backwards C.
“I’m so sorry, mate, I can’t imagine how you’re feeling right now. I want you to know that I held her hand, mate.” His voice starts to choke. “I held her hand until the ambulance came – so she wouldn’t be alone. I held her hand.”
Chapter 53
Rachel is coming out of her estate on her way to Shirley’s house when her phone rings. She pulls the car over and turns down the radio to answer it.
“Rachel – it’s Libby.”
She had told her that she would be in touch in a few days when they parted in the courtroom earlier, so she knows that something must be up. “Hi, Libby, is everything okay?”
“Listen, when I came home from the court Jack wasn’t here. I know there’s nothing unusual in that so I checked out on the road but none of the other kids have seen him. I looked in his friends’ houses too and he wasn’t there.”
“I’d say he’s probably in that bookshop on Haymarket Street again,” Rachel sighs. “He seems to like going there for some reason. I’m actually waiting to hear back from the Gardaí about the background check on the owner –”
“I checked there too but it was all closed up,” Libby cuts across her.
“Well, what about John-Paul? Have you tried contacting him?”
“I went around by John-Paul’s place, y’know, just in case, but he wasn’t home. I’ve been ringing his phone but it’s turned off. I’m really worried about Jack . . . it’s getting dark out now and he knows he has to be in before it gets dark – he’s frightened of the dark. I just have a bad feeling in my bones. You saw the way John-Paul reacted in the courtroom earlier. What if he’s run off somewhere with him?”
Rachel feels a shiver make its way up her body. Something about it doesn’t sit well with her. “Okay, don’t panic, I’m sure he’s just lost track of time – but to be on the safe side maybe you should check with your neighbours again and I’ll be right over.”
When she arrives at the house, before she even has time to press the bell Libby has answered the door to her.
“Still no sign of him?” Rachel asks.
Libby shakes her head. “I’m worried, Rachel.”
Rachel follows her in, to the small kitchen table covered with a PVC tablecloth with a repeating blue-and-brown teapot design.
“Where’s Tina?”
“She’s still asleep upstairs – she doesn’t even know that he is missing.”
“Okay, maybe under the circumstances we should call the Gardaí. Usually they won’t respond to a missing persons case until a certain time period has elapsed but, in this case, considering today’s events, I think it warrants getting them involved sooner.”
“Oh God!” Libby’s hands fly up towards her mouth.
A short while later Garda Gerry McCartney is standing in the small kitchen with his back resting against the cupboards, taking notes. Rachel has briefed him on Jack’s history and the day’s events in the district court.
“And you’ve checked in all his friends’ houses?” the Garda asks.
Libby nods. “I’ve checked every house on the street and even the street behind this one but no one has seen him.”
“And what about this bookshop that you mentioned?”
“Well, he likes to go there, y’know, after school, but I checked it and it’s closed.”
“And still no word from his father?”
“I can’t get him. I just tried him again there a few minutes ago. I checked the pub too because he spends a lot of time there but they said there was no sign of him all day, which believe me is strange in itself.”
“He might have taken Jack off somewhere and lost track of time,” the Garda says.
Libby shakes her head vigorously. “John-Paul knows to ask Tina first if he wants to take Jack somewhere.”
“Okay, well, I’ll go make a few calls and see if I can track down this bookshop owner and also John-Paul, to see if either of them can shed any light on the matter.”
“Thanks, Garda.”
Libby sees him out and comes back in and slumps down at the table. She rests her elbows on the table and holds her head in her hands. “I’m so frightened.” Her voice is trembling. “What am I meant to tell Tina when she wakes up? She’ll be asking where he is.”
Rachel puts an arm around her shoulders. “He’ll be okay. I bet he just got distracted by something and lost track of time – you know what he’s like.”
“But what if that fella in the bookshop has taken him somewhere – God knows he could be doing anything to him!”
“Well, let’s not jump to conclusions,” Rachel says measuredly, even though the same worries have been going around her head since she got the call about Jack’s disappearance. She has had her own suspicions about Conor’s intentions all along. “For all you know, John-Paul could have taken Jack off somewhere after school like the cinema or someplace and forgot to tell you.”
“I’m telling you, he would never take Jack anywhere without asking me or Tina first. I’m going to go up and check on her in case she’s awake.”
Rachel stays sitting at the table while Libby goes upstairs. She looks up at the light fitting – it doesn’t have a shade, just the bare bulb hanging down from the ceiling.
Upstairs, Libby pushes the door open gently, with a soft creak, before sticking her head around it. She sees the pale face of her sister, her hair with its grown-out blonde highlights spread around her on the pillow.
“How are you doing?” she whispers, coming into the room. “Would you like a drink of water?”
She walks over to the bedside locker and fills the glass with water from the jug left on top and holds it up to her sister’s lips.
Tina leans forward to take a few feeble sips. Water is all she’s able for these days.
“Thanks, Lib, is Jack home yet?”
Libby is torn about whether she should lie to save her from worrying or come clean and risk making things worse for her dying sister. She brushes a stray rib of hair that is trailing across Tina’s eye back off her forehead. She stares at the beautiful face of her sister. It’s a bit more lined now, of course, but it’s still the same face that she remembers smiling up at her through the gap between the wall and their bunk beds, glowing orange in the torchlight when they were meant to be asleep as children.
“Is Jack home yet?”
She can’t lie to her. “No.”
“Well, where is he?” Tina’s eyes widen. “I told him to be back in time for dinner.” She looks over to the drawn curtains. “It’s dark out – he knows that he has to be home before it’s dark.”
“I’ve checked out on the road but there’s no sign of him so I checked in all the houses on the street too but no one has seen him.”
“I bet you he’s down in that bloody bookshop again! I’ll kill him!”
“I checked there.”
“And he wasn’t there?”
Libby nods. “No, it was closed. We think he might be with John-Paul. I tried his place but there�
��s no one home.”
“Who’s we?” Tina says, trying to sit up in the bed. Libby rushes forward to ease her up against the pillows.
“Rachel and I.”
“C’mere and give me my phone and I’ll give John-Paul a call. If he’s off gallivanting with Jack without telling me, he’ll have me to answer to!”
“I’ve been trying to ring him but there’s no answer. I don’t want you to panic, I’m sure he’s just in one of his friend’s houses, but I called the Gardaí just in case.”
“The Gardaí?”
“Just to be on the safe side . . . I think John-Paul’s reaction in the court earlier has us a bit anxious, that’s all. Anyway they’re going to try find the bookshop owner and John-Paul to see if either of them know anything or have seen him.”
“I’ve had my suspicions about that fella in the bookshop but, God, if he has so much as laid a finger on my son, cancer or no cancer, I’ll get up off this bed and make sure he’ll never do that to another young fella again!”
After a while Rachel comes into the room and hands Libby her phone. “Sorry, I hope I’m not interrupting, but your phone was ringing downstairs so I answered it just in case it was important – it’s Garda McCartney for you, Libby.”
“Hello?” Libby says, answering it quickly.
Tina points at her to pass it to her so she puts it up to her ear.
“Sorry, Garda, this is Tina White, Jack’s ma. Did you find him yet?”
“Not yet. I tried the address your sister gave me for John-Paul but as she said there is no one home. I did manage to track down the bookshop owner Conor Fahy. I’m not sure if it’s related but he is in hospital after being assaulted. The man who owns the newsagent’s up the street saw him being carried out of the shop on a stretcher and put into the back of an ambulance just after half past four. He didn’t know what had happened. I’ve been in contact with the hospital and they confirmed that he was admitted there following an assault. His condition isn’t serious but he did sustain fractured ribs and severe cuts and bruising.”
“Right, and you think this has something got to do with Jack going missing?” Tina asks impatiently.
“Well, I’m not sure but I have a feeling that these things are related. I’m going to go and speak to him to see if he knows anything about Jack’s last known whereabouts. I’ll update you straight away once I have spoken to him. Any word from John-Paul in the meantime?”
“No, he’s not answering his phone.”
“Okay, well, I’ll update you soon, Tina, and if you hear anything or learn anything new you have my number.”
“Okay,” she says, hanging up. She feels desolate and helpless.
She tries to get up out of the bed.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Libby asks, standing over her.
“I can’t sit here and wait for news. I need to be out looking for him.”
“But you can’t go anywhere, Tina love, you won’t be able for it. You heard what the doctor said the last day – you need to conserve what little energy you have left. Even the stairs is off limits for now. Lie back down there, love – they’re doing all that they can.”
“I feel so useless – God, anything could have happened to him! They need to find him now!”
“They’ll find him soon and we’ll have him back home with us before you know it.”
“Come on, Jack, hurry up!”
They are passing St James’ Gate and the earthy scent of hops hangs on the air. The Liffey looks oily and thick in the street lights.
“I’m frightened, Da, I don’t want to go. Can’t we just go home? Ma’s going to be cross. Please, Da?”
“I told you to come on! We have to go.”
“But I’m worried about Conor – you hurted him really bad, Da!”
“He’ll be grand, Jack. Look I know I probably shouldn’t have done what I did back there but it was for your own good. Now hurry on, come on!”
“But Conor is my friend!”
“He’s too old to be your friend – trust me.”
“But why are we running, Da? My legs are tired.”
“Because they won’t let me see you ever again and you want to see me, don’t you? You want to live with me, don’t you?
Jack nods because he is afraid not to.
“Well, then, come on, we have to hurry on before they find us. You don’t want to be living in the back of beyond because that’s where they’ll send you if you don’t come on now.”
“But where are we going?”
“It’s an adventure, Jack, a big adventure.” There is a glint in his eyes that frightens Jack.
“Are we going to go on a plane? I’ve always wanted go on one.”
“Maybe, Jack, in a while – yeah, that’s a good idea but first we need to hurry on and get on the train.”
“Why are we not getting the DART?”
“Because the DART doesn’t go where we’re going – you’re asking too many questions, Jack.”
“But where are we going?”
“I told you, I don’t know yet!”
“Then how do you know which way to go?”
“Come on, stop asking questions. We’re nearly there.”
They half walk, half run down the quays until they reach Heuston Station. Once inside the ticket hall, John-Paul goes up to the counter.
“Which train is leaving next?”
“Well, we have the 17.20 to Galway – that’ll be leaving shortly – or we have the 17.35 to Cork.”
“Galway, please, an adult and child.”
He pays the fare and she directs him to the platform. “You’d want to run, it’s a long way down.”
They run down to the platform and see the door close on their train. A conductor runs up and lets them on before it pulls out of the station. They make their way through the carriages until they find a seat.
“This is exciting, isn’t it?” John-Paul says, sitting back into the seat.
“Where are we going, Da?”
“Galway.”
“Where’s that?”
“In the wild west somewhere. I’ve never been myself but people go there on their holliers all the time.”
“So is that what we’re doing, Da, going on our holidays?”
“That’s it, Jack. Good fella – we’re off on our holliers.”
“But we’ve no holiday clothes. I don’t have any swimming stuff with me. “
“We can get stuff down there.”
“Does Ma know I’m going? I’ve never ever been away from her for a night.”
“Your ma doesn’t want to come – it’s just going to be us lads.”
“Where are we going to stay?”
“I’ve a mate somewhere down there and he might put us up. Don’t worry, Jack, we’ll find somewhere.”
“Will I have me own bed or will I have to share with you?”
“We’ll see.”
“I just remembered – I don’t have my toothbrush with me!”
“Don’t be stressing. I’ll buy you one when we get there. Here’s the tea lady now – do you a want a coke or some crisps to eat?”
“But we forgot to have dinner!”
“A packet of crisps will keep you going for a while.”
“But Ma will murder me – I’m not allowed eat crisps before me dinner.”
“Never mind your ma – if I say you can have crisps you can have them.”
“It’s okay, Da. I don’t feel very hungry anyway.”
Chapter 54
Dublin 2012
Sometime later he is sitting on the plastic chairs outside the theatre where Leni is. Brian has gone to get them both coffees. It will be the third one he has drunk in the two hours that they have been there. Brian keeps drinking one after the next and Conor does too because he keeps getting him one as well. The doors flap open and a doctor in green scrubs with a mask hanging around his neck is walking towards him.
Conor is begging inside for good news. His heart is sc
reaming so loudly at this man to deliver good news. The doctor gets closer to him. His eyes won’t meet his.
“You are the next of kin?”
Conor nods. “I’m her partner, Conor.”
“I’m so sorry to have to tell you this, Conor, but she sustained a massive head injury in the fall. At the moment she is on life support but that is just keeping her organs alive. I’m afraid she’s not going to pull through this. I’m so sorry.”
“Are you saying she’s . . . ” he gulps before he says the word, “dead?”
“Well, without the machine to keep her alive, yes, she would be dead. We will need her next-of-kin to make the decision about whether to keep the machine on or not. Again, I am truly sorry. If you would like, you can go in and sit with her. Have you anyone we can call to come in to support you?”
Into the Night Sky Page 26