One Coffin Too Many

by Brendan O'Grady

  “ Go ahead. “

  “ Now that we’ve got that out of the way I’ve a question to ask you? “

  “ Christ! You make it sound as if you went through some sort of ordeal, Angela. Don’t tell me I was that bad? “

  Angela laughed.

  “ It was no ordeal for me I can assure you, Frank. I haven’t had an orgasm like that for some time. It’s just something I wanted to do with you and didn’t know how to approach you about it. After all you’re my boss. “

  “ So the question is: have I changed my mind about blondes? “

  “ No, Frank, that isn’t what I was thinking. You remember Detective Sergeant Marie Hayes? “

  “ I do. Hartigan’s femme fatale. What about her? “

  “ Is she really coming here? “

  Devoy laughed.

  “ No, Angela. I was only pulling your leg. It’ll be a long time before she shows her face in these parts again. She’s up in Dublin somewhere. I’m given to believe she’s even changed the colour of her hair. Doesn’t want to be recognized in case Hartigan’s widow turns up. So you’ve nothing to be worried about. “

  Detective Moore gave him a thump on his shoulder.

  “ You’re a pig, Frank. Do you know that? A dirty rotten pig! I had sleepless nights wondering was that bitch going to turn up here one Monday morning and start ordering me about. “

  “ Oh, one more thing, Angela. “

  “ What? “

  “ Marie Hayes. She’s no longer a detective sergeant – she’s just plain detective now. She was on probation as a sergeant thanks to Hartigan but snuffing out a superintendent is just not the done thing even if it was beyond the call of duty. She did herself no favours with Personnel or Human Resources as they call themselves now. These guys are desk jockeys. They like an easy life. They probably spent ages working out who was going where, who was going to be promoted etc and then

  O’Shea has a heart attack playing golf and dies, followed by Hartigan getting shagged to death. All their plans came to nought and who knows maybe some of them had to cut short their holidays just to bridge the gap and put everything back in place. No, she is not their pin-up. I’d say they have her

  doing replacement work all over the place. It’s their way of punishing her without incurring the wrath of her big -wig old man. “

  “ So now you know the truth. If you have sleepless nights then give me a call, okay. “

  They turned into the car park.

  Devoy parked the car and immediately spotted Costello’s four-wheel drive.

  “ Shit, “ he said. “ They’ve beaten us to it. Costello’s here and I bet he isn’t on his own. “

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 14

  They found Doctor Costello in Sullivan’s office with another man they didn’t recognize. He had civil service written all over him. He eyed both Devoy and Moore as if weighing them up. Sullivan made the introductions.

  Everybody shook hands.

  “ You know Doctor Costello. Inspector Devoy, Detective Moore, this is Mr. Fitzmaurice from the Department of Justice. Mr. Fitzmaurice is here to supervise the team who’ve been given the task of opening the mysterious coffin. However, Doctor Costello gives me to believe that we’re too late. The coffin is no longer in the Marshall mausoleum. It’s disappeared. “

  Devoy nodded.

  “ Yes, unfortunately the coffin disappeared over the weekend. It was there last Friday. This morning the cemetery caretaker discovered it was missing. He got onto me and we went there right away. I sent Doctor Costello a message as soon as I could. “

  “ I tried to get back to you, Inspector but there was no signal. “

  “ That couldn’t be helped. Both Detective Moore and I were deep in the bowels of the mausoleum trying to find another way out. Obviously the signal couldn’t penetrate the thick walls. Later we tried the other mausoleums just in case but nothing was disturbed. We were so dirty with the grime we had to clean ourselves up. That’s why we’re late. “

  “ Have you told The Marshall family about this? “

  “ No, it’s no longer their affair. They gave us permission last week to take the coffin out so why bother them now seeing as the coffin is no longer there. “

  Everybody nodded in agreement.

  “ So where do we go from here? “ asked Sullivan.

  “ No coffin, no investigation. “

  “ What do you intend doing about it? “

  “ The cemetery is sealed off as is the mausoleum. I’ve two officers there now. The caretaker, Mr. Wade is under arrest. I’ve seized all cemetery records from his office particularly those from last Friday morning through to Saturday. He’s under instruction to furnish us with a day-to-day account of his activities since last Friday and to account for all comings-and-goings since then. “

  Fitzmaurice cleared his throat.

  “ I’d like to ask a few questions if I may. “

  “ Ask away, “ answered Sullivan. “ It’s Detective Inspector Devoy’s case. “

  “ How long do you think it will take to complete the investigation into the disappearance of the coffin? “

  Devoy thought a while.

  “ That will depend on what Mr. Wade has to say and what we make of it. “

  “ Do you think he’s involved? “

  “ It’s possible. I can’t really say until we question him. “

  “ Do you think the coffin might be still in the cemetery? “

  “ That’s a good possibility. If it is then it’s either hidden in one of the other mausoleums or it’s below ground. “

  Fitzmaurice flicked through his notes.

  “ You say here it’s lead-lined and a foreign coffin to boot. How did you determine that if you don’t mind me asking? “

  “ Not at all, Mr. Fitzmaurice. The simple answer is: I didn’t. When I was made aware of the presence of this coffin I questioned everybody who had any connection with it. Mr. Wade referred me to a Mr. Kennedy who works for a local firm of undertakers. He informed me that being an old hand at the game the coffin was a foreign make and it was also lead-lined. He also said it weighed a ton meaning it was very heavy. He added that it seemed very new. “

  “ I see. “

  “ We initiated an investigation right away as to the provenance of this coffin – that is we sought out anybody who had dealings with the mausoleum and the more we investigated the more bodies kept piling up. “

  Oh, “ replied Fitzmaurice. “ bodies? “

  “ Yes, all those who were in a position to furnish us with information about the mausoleum were murdered: the owner of the undertakers and the former owner. In fact we have an individual on remand for one of the murders. Oddly enough his house was burnt to the ground Saturday night/ Sunday morning. The fire chief told me it was arson. So, as you can imagine, Mr. Fitzmaurice we’re rather stretched. “

  “ Yes, I can see your difficulty. “

  “ We’re considering asking for more manpower, “ interrupted Sullivan. “ Perhaps if we gave Inspector Devoy a day or two more he might come up with something? What do you think, Frank? “

  “ I think that would give us some breathing space, Superintendent. “

  “ What do you think, Mr. Fitzmaurice? “

  Fitzmaurice nodded.

  “ I don’t think we’ve any choice gentlemen,” he said and then remembering Angela was there added Miss.

  “ Fine, “ said Sullivan standing up. “ we’ll let Inspector Devoy and Detective Moore get on with their investigation. “

  As Devoy and Moore went out the door Sullivan asked them to keep in contact.

  They had just gone a few steps down the corridor when Fitzmaurice came after them.

  “ Sorry to bother you again, Inspector Devoy, Detective Moore. “

  “ Yes, “ asked Devoy.

  “ The coffin. I wonder did anyone think to take a photo of it? I’d like to see it if I can. “

  “ That’s no problem, Mr. Fitzmaurice. Th
e technical team photographed the coffin from all angles, I believe. The file is in my desk. “

  Fitzmaurice followed Devoy and Moore to his office.

  Fitzmaurice scrutinized the display of coloured photographs on Devoy’s desk.

  “ I think your Mr. Kennedy is right. I’d like to have a word with him if I can. “

  Devoy and Moore looked at one another.

  “ As it happens, Mr. Fitzmaurice, we’re hoping to have a word with him, too. Only trouble is he seems to be incommunicado at the moment possibly due to pressure of work. “

  “ I see. “

  “ Mr. Kennedy was supposed to help Mr. Wade this afternoon with the coffin. He didn’t turn up for work at the cemetery this morning. “

  “ That’s too bad. “

  “ When he shows up we’ll let you know. “

  “ Fair enough. Do you think I could have copies of these photos. Photocopies would be fine. “

  “ Angela, could you see to that? “

  Detective Moore made a face and scooped up the photos.

  “ What was that all about? “ asked Detective Moore when Fitzmaurice had gone.

  “ Search me. I suppose he wants to show that he has something for his trouble to show his bosses back in Dublin when he gets back. Justification. Bureaucrats love to fill in their boxes. Can’t abide empty spaces. He’s probably a principal officer. “

  “ So where do we go from here, Frank? “

  Devoy rubbed his nose.

  “ Well seeing as we have been caught off guard a few times I think we’d better start pre-empting whoever stalking us. “

  “ Oh, that sounds sinister, Frank. “

  “ It is sinister. Somebody’s one step ahead of us all the time and it’s getting to be a habit. “

  Angela shivered.

  “ This is the first time I’ve felt afraid in this job, Frank. “

  “ There’s always a first time, Angela. When was the last time you checked out your gun? “

  “ Oh, it must be ages, Frank. “

  “ Well check it out before you leave here tonight. Take it apart and clean it. We can’t take chances any more. We have to be alert. “

  “ When do you want to start on Wade? “

  “ We’ll leave that to the afternoon. He should be well sweated by then. “

  “ And now? “

  “ I know the horse has bolted but I think we should now make every effort to close the barn door just in case there are any more escapes. “

  “ So what do you intend doing, Frank? “

  “ The lock is going to be changed on the cemetery gate and ditto for the mausoleum. We can’t keep two officers up there indefinitely. That’s number one. “

  “ And number two? “

  “ Let’s go find Mr. Kennedy and see what he has to say for himself. We’ll try Fallon’s first. I’m sure Mrs. Walsh will put us in the picture. “

  Angela snorted.

  “ I thought you’d manage to squeeze her in somehow. “

  “ Anything else? “

  “ Have you had a chance to read this morning’s paper? “

  “ No, why? “

  “ I tried to call Caroline about Horgan’s house earlier this morning but all I got was voice mail. Strange, I’d have thought she’s be itching for some news on the arson. “

  “ Yeah, it does seem odd. “

  “ See has anybody got a copy of the Courier. I’ll make the coffee. “

  Angela headed off to the canteen.

  A few minutes later she returned.

  The front of the paper was dominated by a large photo showing the remains of Horgan’s burnt-out house. The headline stated in big black capitals: Arson! The reader was invited to turn to pages two and three. On pages two and three were accounts from neighbours and witnesses. Page three also featured a photo of Councillor Horgan who, as they diplomatically termed it, was unavailable for comment. The by-line was signed a special correspondent.

  Devoy grunted.

  “ A special correspondent indeed. That’s the editor. I wonder where Caroline is? “

  He picked up the phone and called the paper. When it was answered he asked the switchboard could he speak to Caroline about the photos of the fire she took Sunday morning.

  “ Oh, sir, “ she replied. “ Caroline didn’t take those photos. “

  “ I see and why is that? “

  “ Caroline’s on leave for a few days, sir. Do you want to leave a message? “

  “ Yes, tell her Detective Inspector Devoy called. “

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 15

  Mrs. Margo Walsh looked like she’d seen a ghost when Devoy and Moore came into the reception area of Fallon’s. Devoy remembered she’d worn that look the first time he’d set eyes on her which despite being only a week away seems like a lifetime to him.

  Mrs. Walsh stood and pushed her hair back as if she wanted no obstacles in front of her. Devoy noticed the hard look she gave Angela as if looks could kill.

  “ Well, good morning officers. Reinforcements today, I see. “

  Devoy ignored her sarcasm. He nudged Detective Moore.

  “ We’re here to see Mr. Kennedy. “

  Mrs. Walsh picked up an appointment book and flipped through it.

  “ He was here this morning. Is something up? “

  “ Yeah, I’d say, “ replied Devoy. “ He was supposed to be available this morning at the cemetery but he didn’t turn up. “

  “ Oh, “ replied Mrs. Walsh. “ Well there’s nothing scheduled for him here for this morning and there’s been no burials. “

  She turned a page.

  “ Ah, here he is. “ she said pointing to a section on the page. “ This afternoon. An appointment with Mr. Wade at three o’clock. One hearse required. I remember now. You arranged all this last Friday. That was the last time you were here. I haven’t seen you since. “

  She turned the book around so that Devoy and Detective Moore could see the entry.

  Devoy nodded and saw the hooded look in Mrs. Walsh’s eyes. He wondered what she was trying to tell him. He was fully aware he hadn’t seen her since Friday nor had he phoned her.

  “ Any chance of phoning him, Mrs. Walsh? “

  Mrs. Walsh smiled.

  “ Of course, Inspector, ” she replied, smirking at Detective Moore. “ Anything to please you. “

  She dialled Kennedy’s number and put the phone on speaker. They heard it ring out and after a while Kennedy’s voice came on the line saying he was unavailable and to leave a message.

  “ How strange, “ Mrs. Walsh said. “ He’s usually available.

  “ Okay, Mrs. Walsh if he phones or turns up ask him to contact us straight away at the station. Can you do that? “

  Mrs. Walsh gave him her best smile.

  “ You can be sure I will, Inspector. “

  “ To the cemetery then? “ asked Angela.

  Devoy smiled.

  “ No, to Kennedy’s home. Let’s see what’s cooking there. “

  Detective Moore shook her head.

  “ Blondie won’t like that, Inspector. Being led astray. She won’t like that at all. “

  “ I don’t care what blondie likes or dislikes and she’s Mrs. Walsh to you, Detective Moore! “

  “ Ooh, and who stood on your tail, sir? “

  Devoy gave her a sharp look.

  “ Leave my poor tail out of it – at least for the moment, thank you. “

  They both laughed at Devoy’s sexual allusion and then headed for Kennedy’s home.

  Kennedy’s wife’s eyes widened when Angela and Devoy showed their police ID.

  “ I hope he’s not in any trouble, “ she asked when they said they’d like to speak to him.

  “ If he is, Mrs. Kennedy, he hasn’t told us about it. “

  A puzzled look came over Mrs. Kennedy’s face.

  “ Is he home? “ asked Angela knowing Devoy was exhibiting his sarcastic streak.

  “ No, no
, “ replied Mrs. Kennedy, shaking her head. “ He’s at work. “

  “ He’s not at work, Mrs. Kennedy. That’s why we’re here. “

  “ Well he left for work this morning before eight. Told me he had a busy day today. Probably wouldn’t be home for lunch. “

  “ Okay, Mrs. Kennedy, that’s all. If your husband contacts you tell him we called. “

  “ I’ll do that, sir.

  “ Where to now, asked Angela? “

  Devoy looked at his watch. It was coming up to mid-day.

  “ We’ll head back to the station. I think we’d better start getting some search warrants ready. “

  “ Oh, “ replied Angela. “ I was hoping for a cup of tea or coffee before we went back. “

  “ Is this another call of nature, Angela? “

  “ It could be, Inspector, sir. “ Moore replied in a teasing tone. “ I didn’t really want to say but it could be. “

  “ In that case you drive, “ replied Devoy, “ seeing as you’re in a dominating mood. “

  “ As you wish, sir. Anything to please you. “

  For the second time that day he entered Angela’s house. Angela headed straight to the kitchen and Devoy flopped onto the settee.

  “ Tea or coffee, “ she asked.

  “ I’d like something stiff if you don’t mind, Angela. “

  “ That’s my line, Frank. “

  They both laughed at the sexual allusion again.

  “ Whiskey or Cognac? “

  “ I’ll take Cognac. “

  “ I’ll join you. “

  She joined Devoy on the settee and they sipped their drinks silently.

  “ What are thinking about, Frank? “

  Devoy laughed.

  “ I was wondering, Angela, only wondering, mind you…..”

  “ Yes, “ she replied intrigued.

  “ Do you only want me for my body or are you trying to get even with Hays? “

  She took another sip of her drink and placed the glass on the coffee table beside her. Then she threw her leg across Devoy and straddled him.

  “ There’s only one way to find out, Frank. “

  “ Really, “ replied Devoy.

  “ Really, “ she said emphatically.