One Coffin Too Many

by Brendan O'Grady

  “ That’s what we’re trying to find out, Miss Traynor. “

  “ And I’ve been told he was accused of murder. Why would poor Mr. Horgan kill anybody? It just wasn’t him. He was so gentle. “

  “ Miss Traynor, have you still got the keys to the office? “

  “ Of course, I do. That’s how I found out. I just thought that seeing as it is Friday I’d drop in and clean up the place a bit for Saturday morning – you know tidy up the paperwork etc. seeing as he was so nice to me. And what do I find? Old newspapers stating he had been arrested for murder and some other charges. Then I drove to his house and what do I find: it has been burned to the ground. A nightmare, an absolute nightmare. Who’d believe it? “

  “ Who told you he was dead? “

  “ One of the neighbours. She took me in for a cup of tea and told me everything. I mean it was all too much. What’s going on? “

  “ Like I said we’re trying to find out, Miss Traynor. “

  “ You don’t think it has anything to do with the Mafia now, do you? “

  Devoy and Moore looked at one another and tried not to laugh.

  “ I wouldn’t think so, “ answered Moore. “

  “ Do you think we could have a look at the office? “ Devoy asked.

  “ Aren’t you supposed to have a search warrant if you don’t mind me saying so? I know you’re the police but…“

  “ Strictly speaking, yes but if you invite us in just for a quick look-around then we won’t need one yet, later perhaps. “

  “ Well as long as we’re not breaking the law I suppose it’s all right. “

  “ Miss Traynor, if you think we’re breaking the law then you can call the police. Okay? “

  Ten minutes later Valerie Traynor led them into the musty atmosphere of Sunnyside Properties. It was a small establishment crammed with photos of houses for sale on stands and every wall. Valerie Traynor’s large desk served as a barrier to the rest of the office where behind a glass partition stood another desk, even bigger. A door at the back led to another room.

  Horgan’s secretary followed Devoy’s and Moore’s gaze.

  “ That’s Mr. Horgan’s office. As you can see he liked transparency. “

  Miss Traynor had stacked all of her late boss’s mail on her desk for sorting.

  “ Anything you want to show us, Miss Traynor? “ asked Moore.

  “ I was going to open these letters but now I was wondering if I should. “

  “ Why not, “ replied Devoy. “ You’re his secretary, aren’t you? There could be something important there. “

  “ You’re right, “ replied Miss Traynor and started to open the letters with the aid of a letter opener.

  “ Nothing important here.” She concluded after a few minutes. “ Just the usual stuff: Electricity, Telephone, and Water bills, some junk mail and a few cheques from rented accommodation. Nothing special. “

  “ Could I have a look, “ asked Detective Moore.

  Miss Traynor nodded her head in indecision for a while and then said ‘ yes ‘.

  Moore flicked through the letters but found nothing of interest.

  “ What do you think I should do? “ asked Miss Traynor. “ I mean life has to go on. There’s bills to be paid and of course my wages. What do I do about that? “

  “ You’ll have to get onto his accountant. Let him sort out things. He’ll get onto Mr. Horgan’s solicitor, his name is Dillon, I believe. “

  “ Oh no, it isn’t.” she replied emphatically. “ I can’t remember his name offhand but it isn’t Dillon. “

  “ But a Mr. Dillon represented him….”

  Devoy broke off as Detective Moore shook her head.

  Miss Traynor started to rummage through her appointment’s book.

  “ There, “ announced Miss Traynor. “ It’s Mr. Haynes of Crosby, Haynes and McHale. Do you think I should call him? “

  “ I think that’s a great idea, Miss.”

  “ Trouble is he’s up in Dublin. “

  “ Fine. You phone him and await his instructions. Tell him we’d like to speak to him. “

  Devoy handed her his card.

  “ On second thoughts we’d like to have his number. “

  “ Suit yourself. “

  “ I don’t suppose you have the name and address of his next of kin by any chance, Miss Traynor? “

  “ His next of kin? That’s asking a lot, Inspector. Mr. Horgan was one of the most secretive people I have ever come across. I know as much about him today as the day I first met him and that was four years ago. The man was a mystery. Nobody ever enquired about him, no woman, no child. He didn’t appear to have a family. He had friends, of course, business types and of course he played golf. I think he was originally from Dublin. He spoke a bit like you but there was something else there. He never bothered me and I never bothered him. He was the perfect boss and now he’s gone. Poor man. Nobody to mourn him except me. It’s very sad. “

  Miss Traynor started crying again.

  Devoy waited a while until the sobs faded.

  “ But surely Miss Traynor he had some sort of political organization behind him. From what everybody tells us he was a good politician. You don’t get to be a successful politician by keeping a low profile. “

  “ That’s true but he never, ever discussed politics with me. Here it was just business. Nothing else. Maybe he had another life. “

  “ Did he ever give you any idea why he wanted you to take your annual holidays in June? “

  “ No, and I didn’t ask him. All I know is that he was anxious to change the image of the business and was hell bent on doing it. I had the impression something big was in the air and he wanted to cash in on it. What I don’t know? “

  “ I see. Anything else you can tell us? “

  “ Like what? I just told you he never discussed politics here. Why don’t you go down to the town hall? I’m sure the other councilors will have something to say about him – good or bad. “

  “ That’s a good idea, Miss Traynor. And thank you for contacting us. Don’t hesitate to let us know if something occurs to you. “

  “ When’s the funeral? “ she asked.

  “ I believe it’s tomorrow morning here. Broderick’s are handling it. “

  “ What do you make of that? “ asked Devoy as he and Moore walked back to the station.

  “ I don’t honestly know, “ replied Moore. “ But knowing Horgan I’d expect anything. “

  “ Strange having Dillon here to handle his criminal affairs and somebody else up in Dublin to handle the commercial ones. I think we could make some hay there. “

  “ How do you mean? “

  “ It’s obvious now Horgan liked to compartmentalize his life. I wonder what Dillon would make of this latest information. It just might put him off having a go at us over Horgan’s suicide. “

  “ Nice one, Frank. Do you think we should give him a call? “

  “ I think that would be a splendid idea. He just might open up a bit and let us into what he really knew about Horgan’s dealings. He’s nothing to lose now seeing that his client is dead. “

  “ Do you want me to do it? “

  “ Yeah, give him something to think about between now and the funeral. Speaking of which, I can’t make it tomorrow. Sienna’s off to see her mother and I’m bringing her to the boat. I doubt whether I can get back in time. “

  “ So you want me to go? “

  “ Not only that, dear Angela. I want you to bring a video camera and film everybody who turns up at the funeral. Who knows what the film will reveal. “

  “ And after that? “

  “ Perhaps we could view the video in some quiet place along with a takeaway? How does that strike you. “

  “ It strikes me as fine but I was thinking more on the lines of a good restaurant with a bit of style. “

  “ Were you indeed, Madam? And what had you in mind? “

  Angela held up a brochure of some sort.


  “ That’s a hotel, Angela. You said a restaurant. “

  “ Actually it’s a hotel-cum-restaurant. They’ve a special offer this weekend. Dinner for two Saturday night plus the full Irish Sunday morning. “

  “ I take it they mean the breakfast? “

  “ Well you can always benefit from the other if it pleases you, Frank. We don’t have to clear out till eleven. “

  “ And not only that. They’ve tango dancing too. “

  “ I think I’ll stick to the horizontal version of the tango. It’s safer. “

  “ Then you agree? “

  “ Saturday evening it is, Angela. “

  “ Great. I’ll book it now.

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 22

  Saturday

  Devoy watched the ship slip out of the harbour and head in the direction of France. He spotted Sienna waving to him in the company of a hostess. He watched and watched with a heavy heart until the liner disappeared from view over the horizon. Then he headed back to his car.

  An hour later he pulled up outside Caroline’s cottage.

  He knocked on the door and was shocked when she opened it.

  “ You look like a lobster, Caroline. What the devil happened to you? “

  Caroline’s face was a pinkish red and peeling as was the rest of her body.

  “ Come in, “ she said. “ It’s good to see you, Frank. “

  Devoy shook his head.

  “ Tell me what happened. I know you took some time off. “

  Caroline made a face.

  “ Stupid me, “ she said. “ I had a long-standing invitation to go down to Lorient and back on a friend’s yacht and I fell asleep on the deck. The result is what you see. “

  “ Have you seen a doctor? “

  “ Oh, yes. Down in Lorient. I’ll be alright. Don’t worry. “

  “ I suppose you heard all the news? “

  “ Yeah, they filled me in down at the paper. Strange. I take a few days off and miss all the scoops. “

  “ I suppose you’ll be at the press conference on Monday. “

  “ I wouldn’t miss it. “

  “ What are the vibes down at the paper? “

  “ You mean about Horgan? “

  Devoy nodded.

  “ Some people think he was topped. Other are inclined to accept what the coroner said. “

  “ I see. “

  “ You weren’t at the graveyard this morning? “

  “ No, I’d a prior commitment. Sienna’s gone to France. “

  “ I saw your colleague there – Angela isn’t it. She was filming the whole scene. “

  “ Yes. I asked her to. “

  “ You suspect foul play, don’t you? “

  “ The fire brigade chief said the house stank of petrol. It was an arson job. I think it was done to put the frighteners on Horgan. Strangely enough we were preparing a search warrant for the house but somebody beat us to it. That’s where he kept all his files, I believe. “

  “ And you’ve got no leads? “

  “ Nothing. Nothing on Cremin, nothing on the strange coffin that disappeared along with Kennedy, and of course, our only lead, Horgan is dead. You know we were getting somewhere with Horgan. Prior to the fire Dillon the solicitor was pushing for bail on the basis of manslaughter but then the shutters came down on the last visit to the prison. The rest you know. “

  “ I heard Fallon’s undertakers along with Cremin’s house were taken apart by two teams on Friday. Is that true, Frank? “

  “ They were visited but I can’t tell you anymore, Caroline. Everything is hush-hush for the moment – maybe later. “

  “ Aw, Frank. “

  “ Sorry, Caroline but it’s ‘ no comment ‘, I’m afraid. “

  “ That’s unlike you, Frank. “

  “ I may need your drone in the days to come. Do you think you could make it available? “

  “ I don’t see why not but I’d like to know where my drone is going to be. “

  “ All in good time, Caroline. Keep in touch. “

  Devoy got up to leave.

  “ Look, I’ve got to go. Have a heavy date this evening. I may even be out of town. If anything turns up you’ll let me know.Still the old arrangement? “

  “ But of course, Frank although I’m beginning to think you’re backing out for some reason. “

  Devoy decided to open the door a little.

  “ It’s Horgan if you want to know. “

  “ Horgan? But Horgan’s dead! “

  “ Of course he is but nobody knows anything about him apart from maybe his golfing buddies. The man’s dead but there’s still his estate – his house, property, business etc. Did he leave a will or die intestate. We thought that maybe somebody would turn up but nobody so far. The man’s a mystery. But everybody as you know leaves a trace. “

  “ That’s true, Frank. Do you want me to run some checks on him on our files? “

  “ Yes, I’d appreciate that, Caroline but what can you tell me about his political cronies? You’ve been covering the antics of the town council for years. If anybody knows anything it’s you. I’m told he was an Independent – kept away from the main parties but that’s all. Anything you can dig out there would be a help. “

  “ No problem. I’ll work on it over the weekend. “

  “ Thanks, I really appreciate that. I’d say Dillon his solicitor will be working his butt off trying to sort out Horgan’s affairs but I daren’t approach him yet. I’m not exactly his favourite cop now. “

  “ Yes, I can appreciate that, Frank. Dillon is a nasty. “

  “ Don’t forget, Caroline. Keep me in the loop. “

  Later, Devoy reflected on his reluctance to be his usual communicative self with Caroline. Why? Was something warning him? What was it about Caroline that made him hold back. There was something there. His policeman’s instinct was alerting him. But what was it that was trying to surface from his subconscious?

  On the way to the hotel Angela became aware of Devoy’s preoccupied air.

  “ Frank, “ she asked. “ I hope you’re not worried about this evening? “

  “ Worried? Why should I be worried? “

  “ You know, being seen together. You being my boss. Separated man and all that. You know the way people talk in small towns. “

  “ We’re over the county border, Angela. Nobody knows us here. Why worry? “

  “ You’re right. Let’s enjoy ourselves. “

  “ How did the funeral go? “

  “ For a man with no known family and relatives he had quite a turn-out. “

  “ Really? Anybody we know? “

  “ The usual types. Local councillors, chamber of commerce, businessmen. People like that. Actually, Sullivan was there of all people. “

  “ You’re kidding me! Sullivan! “

  “ Probably paying his respects. He wasn’t wearing his uniform, though. “

  “ Did he see you? “

  “ I’m sure he did but he didn’t show it. In fact I saw him talking to Dillon on the way out. “

  “ Dillon. That snake. I don’t like this at all, Angela. Not one bit. “

  “ Oh, Frank, you’re overreacting. Dillon was probably giving Sullivan an earful over our visit to the prison. Getting his moan in before the press conference. “

  “ He won’t make it easy for us, you know. I bet the louse has been on to every paper in the area not to mention the nationals. It’ll be heavy going on Monday. “

  “ Anything on your reporter friend, Caroline? “

  “ Yes, as a matter of fact I went to see her today on the way back. You should have seen her face and her arms. Sunburned. Seems she fell asleep on the deck of a yacht. “

  “ Is that all. Nothing else. No reason for her abrupt holiday? “

  “ Just a long-standing date. Oh, I forgot to tell you. She spotted you at the funeral. “

  “ Well she would, wouldn’t she. That’s her job. I’m sure I have
her on video. I scanned enough people just to be on the safe side. She was probably wearing sunglasses. I was. “

  “ Okay, we won’t speak any more about the job. Let’s just enjoy ourselves and forget we’re cops – for the weekend. “

  The phone rang and rang incessantly. Devoy budged and got a kick in his back from Angela registering her annoyance. He switched on the bedside lamp and tried to focus on the phone. It was his personal phone. Sienna must be calling to reassure him she had arrived and was alright. But he didn’t recognize the number. He scrutinized the screen. She couldn’t have arrived at this hour. At two o’clock in the morning on a Sunday. He pressed the receive button.

  “ Hello, “ he said. “ Sienna? “

  “ No, it’s not Sienna, Frank. It’s me. Sergeant Power. I’m real sorry for disturbing you at this hour on your private phone but something has come up. You always told me that if the service phone was off I was to try your private one. “

  “ Yeah, I remember now. Hey, what are you doing on the graveyard shift in the early hours of a Sunday morning? It must be important. “

  “ You could say that, Frank. I tried Detective Moore but her phone is also switched off. Maybe she could deal with it? Do you happen to know where she is? “

  Devoy laughed.

  “ I’d like to say she’s right beside me here but that’s only wishful thinking on my part. What the devil is up? “

  “ It’s Dillon. Horgan’s solicitor. “

  “ Don’t tell me he’s been bumped off? “

  Power laughed.

  “ No such bloody luck. Somebody waylaid him last night and got into his office. He’s hopping mad. “

  “ So why call me? “

  “ He wasn’t content to file a complaint with the officers that found him. He demanded to speak to somebody up the line so the men called me. I obviously wasn’t important enough so he asked for you. We couldn’t get through to you or Detective Moore so he threatened to call Superintendent Sullivan. So I decided to call you. Thought it a good idea. “