One Coffin Too Many

by Brendan O'Grady

  floor. He reached down and saw a laptop on the floor. He pulled it out and examined it. There were no identification marks. He turned it over and saw a label with Dillon Solicitors stuck to the back. He switched it on and waited for it to boot up. Password protected appeared on the screen. He laughed.

  “ What’s so funny? “ he heard Angela ask.

  “ I just found Dillon’s computer, “ he replied. “ She tried to get into it but it’s password protected so we’ll never know was he into porn or not. And you? “

  “ Nothing special except this, she replied coming into the room holding up a black computer bag.

  “ Seems like a lot of people today she liked to sleep with her laptop and notebook. “

  “ What do you think of all this? “ asked Devoy .

  Angela cast her eyes over Caroline’s office.

  “ I think we may have stumbled onto Aladdin’s Cave here. Look at all those videos and DVDs. I suppose the computer is blocked? “

  “ You said it. “

  “ There must be weeks of work here, Frank? “

  “ We’re going to need help if we’re going to unravel all this. “

  “ Oh, I forgot to tell you, Frank. “

  “ What? “

  “ You needn’t have cared, you know about Caroline’s personal things. “

  “ Why do you say that? “

  “ She was not what you thought, Frank. Caroline wasn’t interested in men – not by a long shot. Her bottom drawer revealed that. “

  “ You mean she was ….”

  “ Yes, Frank. Your darling friend Caroline was a lesbian. Butch by the looks of it. “

  “ Oh no! “

  “ Aw please Frank. Don’t tell me you had designs on her too. “

  “ No, I didn’t. She just seemed…”

  “ A nice type of girl? “

  “ Well…”

  “ Lesbians are like everybody else. They just prefer their own sex. “

  “ I suppose I should have known: the close-cropped hair, never wore a skirt or make-up. “

  “ Good job you didn’t try to bed her then. You’d still be in hospital today perhaps nursing a broken jaw amongst other things. “

  Devoy snorted.

  “ Yes, Frank. Real women only deal with light injuries as you well know. We need our men in working order when all is said and done. “

  “ You suspected her already, didn’t you. The day you met, remember, when she showed us the drone. There were sparks in the air. “

  “ It sometimes happens that way. You meet somebody for the first time and for no reason the hackles rise. Our instinct warning us? “

  “ Yeah, I know what you mean. “

  Angela started nodding her head. This meant she had come up with something.

  “ Now if Caroline was a lesbian she had to have a partner or partners. Maybe you were right. Her death is going to lead us to others. “

  “ You mean other lesbians? “

  “ But of course, Frank. What’s got into you? Caroline’s lesbianism seems to have thrown you. “

  “ I’m sorry. Her death and now this has shaken me. You think you know somebody and it turns out you don’t. “

  “ We’ve got to get into her desk top. This is the first time we’ve been left with something we can use. We can’t leave it here. I hope we don’t need any special permission to examine her computer? “

  “ I shouldn’t think so. Had Caroline lived she’d be facing charges of arson and assault etc. That’s quite a few years behind bars. No, we’ve a legitimate right to follow through on a search warrant. In fact I’m going to get onto Sullivan and tell him what we’ve found. You continue searching. “

  Angela held up the computer bag.

  “ There’s an Apple in here and a Notebook. They’re both password protected. I’d like to try and get into them. “

  “ Leave it for the moment. There’s also her desk at the Courier. I’ll have to get onto her boss. Trouble is the search warrant doesn’t cover the newspaper. “

  “ We’re forgetting something. “

  “ What? “

  “ The drone. There’s no sign of it anywhere. “

  “ I believe they fold up. Try under the bed. It either there or in some storage space somewhere. It can’t be far. “

  Devoy’s phone rang.

  It was Costello.

  “ Hello Frank. I thought I’d tell you Caroline’s remains were released early this morning. Her funeral’s tomorrow morning at ten. Fallon’s are handling it. It’ll be in the local cemetery. “

  “ Thanks Doc. I’ll be there. “

  “ That was Dr. Costello. Caroline’s funeral is tomorrow morning at ten. Guess who’s handling it? Fallon’s! “

  “ So? “

  “ I have to be there. That means more video work for you, Angela. You never know who’ll turn up.”

  “ But we haven’t even looked yet at the video of Horgan’s funeral. “

  “ Then we’ll make it a double-feature. At your place. Don’t forget the popcorn! “

  “ Where are you off to? “

  “ Nowhere yet. I’m going to call reinforcements. We can’t leave Caroline’s stuff here. I need to speak to Sullivan. “

  Outside the cottage Devoy got onto Sullivan.

  “ Hello, Harry. We’re over here on the coast road at Caroline’s cottage. We found Dillon’s computer. She didn’t manage to get into it. It was password blocked. So now we have her for arson, assault and theft. We badly need some bodies and a van to ship this away to our place. Preferably somebody with a good knowledge of computers. All Caroline’s computers are password blocked. “

  “ I can give you Officer Andy Burke, Frank. “

  “ Burke is good at getting inside people’s heads – I’m not too sure about computers. “

  “ You’d be wrong there. When I came here I found my predecessor had blocked all the computers in this office. I called Burke in and he sorted it out pronto. “

  “ And how did he manage to do that may I ask? “

  “ Well it had nothing particularly to do with computers. Most people use a code that they can remember easily. “

  “ I agree. “

  “ Burke came up with the bright idea of phoning my predecessor’s wife down in the Algarve and asked her her birthday. And bingo! That was the code. A wise man never forgets his wife’s birthday if he values his marriage. So I think Burke might be your man. “

  “ Fair enough. If he’s coming could you tell him to wear civvies. I want him armed. It wouldn’t do for the public to see an armed policeman in uniform. “

  “ I get your drift. Are you expecting trouble? “

  “ I just don’t want Detective Moore here at a disadvantage. She’s also armed but she’s up to her eyes in work. Caroline left behind thousands of videos and DVDs. We just might be on the cusp of discovering things that have been a mystery to us for weeks now. “

  “ I’ll do that. I’ll also send you an officer in uniform to keep people at bay. “

  “ Thanks Harry. I appreciate it. Oh, one more thing. “

  “ Yes, “

  “ Have you ever met Tom Cronin the editor of the Courier? “

  “ No, I don’t believe I have. Why? “

  “ I need to see him – preferably today. I’d like to have a look at Caroline’s desk and locker. Thing is the warrant only covers Caroline’s cottage. I wonder could you possible phone him and soften him up a bit. “

  “ Yes, I can do that, Frank. I’ll also call Dillon and tell him the good news. “

  “ Right. As soon as Burke and the other officer turn up I’ll head off to see Cronin. I’m sure all this is going to come as a shock to him but there you are. “

  “ We’ll see, Frank. Keep me in the loop and again, good work. “

  “ Thanks Harry. “

  Sullivan rang off.

  Half-an-hour later Burke pulled up in a police van accompanied by Ryan. Devoy filled them in on wh
at had been found and what was required of them. Ryan took up position at the entrance to the cottage while Burke followed Devoy back to the cottage.

  Burke seemed nervous.

  “ What’s up, Andy? Something bothering you? “

  Burke pulled back his jacket.

  “ This, “ he said pointing to the 9mm automatic in a shoulder holster. “ I don’t feel comfortable with it. I haven’t fired one of these since training. “

  “ You’re supposed to keep your hand in, Andy, you know. “

  “ I know but you know how it is. “

  “ Look, I’m not expecting any trouble but it’s best to be prepared. I need you here to protect Detective Moore and also Ryan. Moore is already armed. We’ve found a lot of material. I just don’t want anybody hijacking it at this stage of the game. So get it into the van as quickly as you can and get it back to the station. Got it? “

  “ Yes, I got it. “

  Devoy noticed Burke was staring at the gun with distaste.

  “ You’ve forgotten, haven’t you? “

  Burke nodded.

  “ You didn’t forget your custom’s moll though, did you? “

  “ That was different. “

  “ Give me the gun. “

  Burke took the gun gingerly out of the holster and handed it to Devoy.

  Devoy quickly ejected the clip and pulled back on the slide.

  “ See, there’s nothing up the spout. Always make sure there isn’t. “

  He rammed the clip back in and pulled back the slide.

  “ Now it’s ready and armed. You then pull back the hammer, aim the gun at whoever is bothering you, use two hands to steady it and pull the trigger. It’s automatic after that. Have you got it? Good.”

  Devoy ejected the clip again and then the round.

  “ Now it’s safe again. “

  Devoy stuck it back in the holster.

  “ Listen, Andy, don’t you go shooting Angela, by accident, do you hear me. I’m very fond of her. “

  Burke nodded.

  “ I know you are, sir. “

  “ Good, that’s settled then. Good luck, Andy. “

  “ Oh, there’s just one more thing, Inspector. “

  “ Yes, “

  “ That stack of files from Cremin’s – the ones that Detective Moore had been working on. “

  “ Yeah? “

  “ Something occurred to me while I was going through them. “

  “ Like what? “

  “ I’d need some time to explain to you. Are you in a hurry? “

  “ In fact I am. I’ve a meeting with Caroline’s former employer in a few minutes. I just want to say a few things to Detective Moore before I go. Can it wait until the afternoon? “

  Burke nodded.

  “ Sure, of course. A few more hours won’t lessen the idea. I’ll see you later. “

  “ Arson, assault, theft! You can’t be serious. Our Caroline. No, it can’t be right. “

  “ I’m afraid it is, Mr. Cronin. We have Caroline for all three. We’ve just recovered the last item of her criminality before I came here. I’m really sorry. She was a good friend to me since I came here. I’m going to miss her. “

  “ So what’s going to happen now? Obviously she can’t be charged. Is this going to become public knowledge or what? “

  “ We’re not the only ones who know. Dillon, Horgan’s former solicitor, also knows up to a point. We had to tell him. It was Caroline who waylaid him and imprisoned him in his own office. She tore his office apart searching for something. She also stole his laptop. I think you should be aware there’s a story about Horgan and his solicitor, Dillon. Up to the arson attack Dillon was angling for a charge of manslaughter as against murder for his client and was anxious for a judge to hear his brief so that Horgan could be released on bail. After the fire Dillon changed tack: he was looking for an acquittal. He had battened down the hatches and was going for broke. I don’t know what changed his mind. Horgan seemed to be in another world that morning in the prison. As for Caroline, it’s not up to us to comment on this but we’ll have to send on the file to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and see what they say. The crimes of assault and theft are small in comparison to arson. The latter may bring complications seeing as Horgan is also dead. The insurance people will have to be told, too. During the course of our enquiries we discovered that Horgan has a brother. He’ll obviously be interested. Unfortunately he is out of the country at the moment and unlikely to return as he is on the run. There is a warrant out for him. I tell you this in confidence, you understand. You should also understand that Dillon may want to make capital out of all this. I wouldn’t put it past him. “

  Cronin chewed on his lower lip as he considered what Devoy had said to him.

  “ You mentioned Horgan’s brother. Could I ask you what he did? “

  “ He’s wanted for fraud and theft. Big money. He’s supposed to be hiding out somewhere in the Caribbean but I think it’s one of those Central American countries. I’m expecting to hear from his solicitor. “

  “ But surely his solicitor is Dillon? “

  “ That’s what we thought but the late Mr. Horgan liked to compartmentalize his affairs –especially his business affairs. “

  “ I see. I always thought there was more to Horgan than meets the eye. It was hard to pin him down. I’m always suspicious of self-made men. There’s always something not right. Something murky. Caroline seemed to be of the same opinion. “

  “ Yes, that’s the mystery. What did she know? “

  “ According to your boss, Superintendent Sullivan, who phoned me earlier you’re presently searching Caroline’s cottage. “

  “ That’s true. We suspect Caroline may be linked to other criminal acts that took place recently – hence the search. “

  “ You mean the spate of murders that took place? “

  “ Possibly. We’re not ruling anything out. At this stage we can’t afford to. “

  “ I take it you want to search here. “

  “ Yes we overlooked her place of work. Trouble is the search warrant that was issued doesn’t cover here. “

  “ And you’re hoping I’ll give you a free hand – me a newspaper man? “

  Cronin laughed and shook his head.

  “ Nothing of the sort, Mr. Cronin. We’ve no intention of trampling on the rights of the press. Far from it. What we’re hoping for until we get another search warrant is some leeway. “

  “ Leeway? You want me to turn a blind eye? Is that it? “

  “ No, again, Mr. Cronin. We merely want you to help us? “

  “ So how can I help you, Inspector Devoy without betraying my principles as a journalist? “

  “ Simple. We’d like you to use your keys to open her desk drawers and if she has one her locker. “

  “ That sounds simple enough. And what then? “

  “ We want you to examine every item and tell us what it is? “

  “ Is that all? “

  “ That’s all for the moment. “

  “ Ah, I thought there’d be a catch. “

  “ No catch. You’ll be just a good citizen doing his job. Besides, you cannot help Caroline any more seeing as she is no longer with us. “

  “ And what about her memory? “

  “ Her memory? Did I tell you that shortly before he hanged himself Horgan received an envelope in the post. The prison authorities examined it fearing there were drugs inside. There wasn’t. There was only ash. Ash from his burnt - out house. This for some reason had a very bad effect on him. He went into a catatonic state after that and ended up killing himself. We had the envelope examined for fingerprints and Caroline’s right index finger and thumb were identified. That was Caroline’s legacy: The death of another human being who was up on a murder charge. Why, we don’t know. What her motive was is a mystery. “

  “ Yes, I’ll admit that judging by her work she seemed to have a bee in her bonnet about Horgan. Odd. He
wasn’t the only low-life in town but she had it in for him. You could see that in her work. The photo of him with his pants down tied to the handle of his car. The photo of you and your colleague arresting him with the blood streaming her nose. Strange how she was always on scene as if she had an in with somebody. I don’t suppose you’d know anything about that? “

  “ The police frown on deep-throats, Mr. Cronin. You should know that. “

  Cronin laughed.

  “ Except when they want something in return. “

  “ No comment but you could be right. “

  “ Spoken like a true cop. “

  “ So are we going to jaw-jaw all day or what? “

  “ What do you want right now, Inspector? “

  “ Like I said we want to gain access to the drawers of her desk and her locker. In fact we don’t really need a search warrant if we are invited by the owner. You’re the owner. “

  Cronin nodded.

  “ Under the circumstances I don’t see why not. Let me get the duplicate keys. “

  Cronin went to his desk, took out a metal bow and withdrew a bunch of keys with tabs on them. He began to examine them.

  “ Here we are. Two keys. Caroline’s. One for her desk and the other for her locker. He came back and inserted a key into Caroline’s desk. Before he turned the keys he turned to Devoy.

  “ What’s the quid pro quo, Inspector Devoy? “

  “ What are you expecting, Mr. Cronin? “

  “ For my cooperation as a newspaperman I think I should be rewarded – above the rest, of course. “

  “ You mean the rest of your colleagues? “

  “ In a nutshell, yes. “

  “ Fine with me. What’s the deal? “

  “ If and when a story breaks on this I want first bite – not that I’m about to do the dirty on Caroline. Far from it. If anything comes out of this I’d like to be informed before the national papers and media. What do you think? “