One Coffin Too Many

by Brendan O'Grady

  “ I’m Frank. “

  “ Nice to meet you Frank Devoy. “

  “ Likewise, Beatrice. “

  “ So are you on then, Frank? Do you want to try it? Have an interesting afternoon. Work with pleasure. “

  “ I don’t see why not? First I have to make a call. “

  Devoy took out his phone. Beatrice’s hand immediately moved to his.

  “ Best keep it between us. Besides if you’re thinking of phoning Detective Moore I saw her leaving town just before I came in here. She seemed to be in an awful hurry. “

  Devoy thought of Angela. He felt anguished. His instinct was to try and find her but Margo’s words kept running through his head. Women came and women went. And here was a golden opportunity to meet these women and hopefully find out something about Caroline and everything else. Mrs. Marshall stood up to force the issue. When Devoy remained sitting she looked at her watch.

  “ We have to go now Frank if we’re not to miss the carnival. “

  Devoy stood up and nodded his head in agreement.

  “ You right, Beatrice. I’ll get the bill. “

  Devoy paid for the cakes and coffee and followed Beatrice Marshall to the door. Before leaving she donned a pair of sunglasses. There was no sign of the Range Rover.

  “ Where’s your car? “ he asked.

  “ My assistant took it. I’m parked around the corner down the alley. She led the way until they both came to a white van with no marking.

  “ Sorry about this, Frank, “ she said. “ I’m using this because I’ve so much merchandise to transport. I hope you don’t mind? “

  Devoy shook his head.

  “ No problem at all, Beatrice. “

  She gave him another of her smiles and he went to the passenger side of the van. The door, he found was locked. Inside was chock-a-bloc with cartons. Beatrice came around the front of the van to explain to him.

  “ I’m sorry, Frank. I completely forgot about all these cartons up front. I hope I’m not breaking the law? “

  He ignored the question.

  “ Where can I sit? “ he asked.

  Beatrice pulled back the sliding door and pointed to a gap in the cartons.

  “ Do you think you could sit there for a few minutes? It’ll save me moving all those cartons around to make room for you. “

  “ Why not. “

  Devoy sat in the van amid the cartons and Beatrice slammed the door shut. The space was darkness with the cartons clustered all around him but he was able to see through the rear window. The van started up and soon they were leaving the town. Devoy felt the van accelerate as they came to a straight spot on the road. Devoy’s limited view of the countryside disappeared as they turned a corner and a carton fell and blocked his view. He sat there in the darkness wondering had he done the right thing? He was again afraid for Angela. And then his sense of foreboding was replaced by a sense of well-being. A strange calmness overcame him as if he had tasted some exotic drink. The last time he had felt like this was when he had taken a drag of marijuana. His mind lit up and he began to see the good in everything. Music meandered through his mind. Everything seemed to be nice and rosy. He asked himself why hadn’t he been like this before? Why all the useless anguish and worrying? After what seemed an eternity in the cramped space he felt the van slow down as it negotiated a turn and then it ran over a speed bump dumping the cartons on him. The van then stopped and the handbrake was applied. He heard Beatrice getting out and then her footsteps as they came up to his door. The door slid open and she stood there in the dark holding something black in her hand.

  “ You can come out now? Frank, “ she said.

  Devoy stepped out and looked around him. They were in some sort of warehouse with a high ceiling with shelving that ran up to the roof. He hadn’t a notion where he was and he didn’t think it was right to ask considering what he was going to see. Some light came in from windows in the roof but not enough to see his way around.

  “ Better put this on, Frank, “ Beatrice said handing him the black object that was in her hand. Devoy took it from her and discovered it was a mask exactly like the one the lesbians were wearing in the videos.

  Devoy donned the mask. When he looked over at Beatrice she was wearing one too. She slammed the sliding door shut and motioned him to follow her. They went into an office with a curtain covering what appeared to be a window. To the right of it was a door.

  “ Come over here, Frank, “ she said. “ I want you to see something. “

  As soon as Devoy stepped over Beatrice pulled back the curtain. The window turned out to be a two-way mirror. On the other side was a catwalk coming out of a stage and surrounding it on both sides were tables and chairs like in a bar or restaurant. All of the tables were occupied by women. All of the women were scantily dressed. And all of them were masked adding to their sensuality. Other women moved among the tables serving what looked like Champagne. Devoy started to get excited. He’d never seen so many good-looking women in the one place before. It reminded him of the bordels in films as he knew from bitter experience as a cop the real ones were far from glamorous. Devoy guessed there were at least twenty to thirty women in the hall. Jesus, he said to himself, were all these women lesbians?

  Suddenly he became aware of Beatrice’s presence behind him. He felt her breath on the back of his neck.

  “ So what do you think, Frank? “ she asked moving closer to him. “ Lovely ladies don’t you think? “

  Devoy nodded.

  “ Smashing. “

  “ And you’re the only man here. “

  The excitement started to course through his body.

  “ I know. “

  “ So how do you feel? Excited, perhaps? “

  He turned to face her but she had moved in closer to him. His left hand was now brushing her thigh.

  “ There’s no perhaps about it, Beatrice. I am excited. So many women and so lovely. “

  “ Maybe a little nervous and intimidated? “

  “ Yes, “ he replied with difficulty conscious of his rising erection. “ It can have that effect. “

  Before he could say another word she pulled him into her and started to unzip him. Then she moved in front of him and hiked up her skirt. She leaned against the two-way mirror and pushed back against him.

  “ I’m wearing nothing underneath, Frank. “ she whispered, “ and I’m ready for you. “

  Devoy entered her easily and she responded with a long, drawn out animal moan. As he lunged back and forth he observed the other women smoking and drinking. A small cloud of cigarette smoke rose above their heads towards the ceiling.

  “ I hope this will calm you down for a while until the main show starts. “ she added as she pushed against him.

  “ Scintillating isn’t it Frank? “ she asked. “ We can see them but they can’t see us. “

  Devoy was too engrossed in making love to her that her words passed over his head. He felt his brain was going to burst and he couldn’t stop it. When he climaxed he thought his head was coming apart. Fireworks flashed in his mind and stars exploded. Comets shot across with long luminous tails that crackled. The sun rose quickly and the sun went down. Everything was exaggerated. The colours were beyond belief. Out of this world. He was then conscious of a howling sound. It was Beatrice. She sounded like a banshee as she pounded against him extracting the last lunge of lust from him as if her life depended on it. Then it stopped. He withdrew but he was still hard. He couldn’t tell whether it was the impromptu coupling with a delicious woman who was hungry for him and the fact that she was probably bi-sexual that heightened his pleasure and had him in the state he was in or the fact that both of them were looking out over a hall full of sexy women who were unaware of their presence. Whatever it was it was exquisite. But Devoy suspected he had been manipulated in some way. His mind couldn’t dredge up the answer no matter how hard he tried.

  Beatrice led him back to an armchair and sat him down. He found it difficul
t to focus. Beatrice’s voice was unnaturally loud.

  “ How do you feel? “ she asked.

  “ Spent and happy, “ he replied.

  “ Well I hope you’ve kept some energy for the next phase, Inspector? “

  “ The next phase? “ Devoy asked.

  “ Yes, Frank, the next phase. What you experienced was only the introduction. The best is yet to come. “

  Devoy blinked at her.

  “ You mean I get to talk to these women – these friends of Caroline? “

  “ Yes, you could say that. Now Frank I’m going to leave you here for a while. I don’t want to disturb the ladies by your unannounced presence. So, what I’m going to do is explain to them your presence as a secret buyer and then I’ll introduce you. Do you understand? “

  Devoy nodded but he wasn’t sure where all this was going.

  “ Now, Frank, I want you to stand up and come over here to the window. I’m going to go out there and announce your presence. Keep your mask on and don’t let it slip. “

  Devoy got up and went over to the mirror.

  She pointed at the ceiling. Devoy followed her finger.

  “ See, there’s a speaker in the ceiling. You’ll hear what I say. When I announce you and call out your name you go through that door there and follow me out into the hall. Have you got that? “

  Devoy nodded.

  “ Good, Frank. Don’t let me down. When you get acquainted you can ask all the questions you want. How does that sound? “

  “ It’s what I came for. “

  Beatrice got up and went through the door. Devoy watched until she came in front of the mirror. He realized then there was some sort of platform in front of the office overlooking the hall. The women at the tables paid no attention to Beatrice until the lights dimmed and a spotlight came on above her illuminating her.

  “ Ladies, “ he heard her say. “ I’m sorry to interrupt but I have a surprise for you this afternoon. “ All heads turned immediately towards her. “ A guest – a man! “ Even though he was far away from the women he heard the collective gasp over the speaker as they turned towards one another in shock and to seek reassurance. “ No need to worry, ladies, “ Beatrice continued. “ The man is masked and a great admirer of our products. “ Devoy watched as heads nodded. “ He’s only here because he was a great friend of one of our departed – the late, great Caroline Gleeson whose presence is sorely missed today and forever. Whatever your reservations think only of what dear Caroline would have wanted. “ There was a round of applause. The hall became quiet again.

  “ And here he is, ladies, Mr. X. “

  There was polite applause as Devoy stepped out onto the platform and walked up to where Beatrice was standing. The spotlight went out and subdues lighting came on in the hall.

  “ Thank you, “ replied Beatrice and led Devoy down among the women. She picked a vacant table and invited Devoy to sit down. A waitress appeared out of the gloom carrying a bottle of champagne along with two flutes. The champagne was poured and Beatrice toasted Devoy. Devoy took a sip and sat back.

  Beatrice squeezed his thigh.

  “ The show will began soon, Frank. Relax. You were good. What you’re going to see will blow your mind. “

  Devoy relaxed. He didn’t feel like protesting. What was the point he asked himself? The women were in charge.

  The lights went down and soon the hall was in darkness. He felt Beatrice’s fingers travelling up his thigh. Music started and scantily clad women dressed in lingerie with ribbons in their hair to give them the appearance of teenagers came out from both sides and advanced up the catwalk. They held numbers in their hands for the viewers to note what they wanted. They retreated from the catwalk and were soon replaced by women dressed as nuns who took off their habits as they advanced up the catwalk revealing the sort of underwear nuns would be seen dead in. The nuns received an ovation as they trooped back. Next came nurses in white wearing stethoscopes and carrying hypodermic syringes in their hands. They also began a striptease revealing the sort of underwear that would raise the dead. Devoy was enthralled but at the back of his mind he felt controlled. Devoy’s champagne flute was refilled by unseen hands and he took another draught and then another. He wondered what had happened to Angela. Was she still pursuing somebody out on the country roads while he enjoyed himself? Then a voice came over the loudspeakers.

  “ Now ladies, we have all been naughty girls and indulged ourselves. It’s time the law made its presence felt. “

  The music came back on and a troop of women dressed up in police uniforms and swinging truncheons and handcuffs marched down the catwalk. They undid their skirts as they walked and threw them into the audience revealing black nylons and suspenders underneath. Devoy started to laugh but then he caught sight of Angela. She was the last in the column and looked dazed as if she were drugged. Devoy called out her name but she paid no attention to him. She seemed to be in another world. He looked over at Beatrice but she held a smirk on her face as if she were enjoying Devoy’s discomfort. Devoy tried to stand, to go to Angela’s aid but his feet felt as if they were glued to the floor. He made a supreme effort to rise but it was no use. He lost his balance and fell over toppling the table and falling to the floor. He lay for a while trying to make sense of what was happening but nobody paid any attention to him. Before he passed out he saw Beatrice looking down at him over her well-formed legs. Then she disappeared into a dark hole.

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 30

  Tuesday & Wednesday

  It was the voices that woke Devoy – that and the bright white lights that flashed across his eyes as if examining him like small searchlights. Somewhere beyond the white lights blue lights came and went. Devoy wanted to get move but he was held down by a weight, a soft perfumed weight that awoke a memory in him. But he couldn’t get his head together. The lights were sending shock waves into his brain. He had to close his eyes to stop the pain. The voices then became closer and he felt the air getting cold.

  “ Jesus, “ he heard a voice exclaim. “ That’s Detective Inspector Devoy. He’s naked, for God’s sake. Who’s that with him? “

  The soft weight on him began to moan.

  “ Oh, no. That’s Detective Moore. She’s ….she’s completely naked too. Christ, what in hell have we got here? The two of them! “

  “ What’ll we do? “

  “ Get Sergeant Power on the phone first and then call an ambulance. Keep it off the radio. We don’t want any reporters getting their hands on this. I’ll stay here. I’ll radio in to report a stolen car. “

  Devoy listened to their chatter and realized they were cops. He tried to get out from under the weight but he was sucked down again into the hole from which he was trying to escape. Then he let go. He couldn’t fight it.

  When he finally came to he was in a hospital bed. A drip was feeding something colourless into his left arm. A man in a white stood nearby. He was talking to a woman in white. For one dreadful moment he thought she was nurse Flood. He panicked and tried to get out of the bed.

  “ Keep that bitch away from me, “ he shouted. “ I’ll fix her when I’m better. By Christ I will. “

  The man in white nodded to the woman. They advanced to the bed. The man held him down while the woman injected something into his arm. Devoy buckled and tried to break free but he was unable to move anymore as he began to fall back into a hole, this one a white one. He felt he had to say something – to protest.

  “ Look after Angela,please, “ he managed to say. “ They’ve manipulated her. Help her. “

  Then the hole closed and the man and woman disappeared from view.

  “ How do you feel, Frank? “ asked the voice that belonged to a man dressed in white.

  Devoy tried to focus. An unseen hand drew something soft over his eyes.

  “ You can open them now, Frank, “ the same voice said.

  Devoy opened his eyes. Doctor Costello stood at the foot of the bed with a nurse.
>
  “ I feel fucking awful, excuse the language. Who diverted the local sewer through my mouth? “

  “ That’s the aftertaste of drugs. You’ve been drugged up to your eyeballs on Lysergic Di-ethyl Amide, better known as LSD. You’ve been on an extended trip, Frank. “

  “ That’s the 1960’s Hippy drug, isn’t it? “

  Doctor Costello nodded.

  “ Jesus, I’d love a cigarette. Can I have a cigarette? “

  “ No, Frank. No cigarettes. You gave them up years ago. The withdrawal symptoms will disappear in a few days. “

  Devoy held up his left arm.

  “ What’s this in aid of? “

  “ You and Detective Moore were both dehydrated. “

  At the mention of Angela’s name Devoy became agitated.

  “ Where is she? “ he demanded. “ What happened to her? Tell me. Is Angela okay? “

  “ Take it easy, Frank. Detective Moore is fine. She’s recovering down the corridor. We’ll let you see her tomorrow. “

  Devoy lay back on the pillow.

  “ Listen, Frank. Your boss is in the corridor along with Sergeant Power. Do you feel up to talking to them? If you don’t, just say so. I’ll send them on their way. “

  “ What day is it, Doctor? “

  “ It’s Wednesday morning. Can you remember what happened? If you want more time I’ll tell them to come back. “

  Devoy shook his head.

  “ It’s alright. Bring them in. “

  “ As you wish, Frank but call me if you need me. I won’t be far away. “

  “ Thanks Jim. I appreciate it. “

  Superintendent Sullivan wore a pained look on his face as if Devoy had told he was a star in a porno movie.

  “ Look, Frank, I don’t want to be a pain in the neck and I appreciate you’ve run over this before but tell me again. “

  Devoy looked at Power who looked away embarrassed.

  Devoy ran through the events of the night before as far as he remembered them.

  “ So, what you’re saying is that after interviewing Mrs. Marshall in her boutique you split up – Detective Moore to keep an eye on Mrs. Marshall and you to have a coffee. “