One Coffin Too Many

by Brendan O'Grady

  The woman stood.

  “ Well in that case I won’t detain you any longer, Miss…”

  “ It’s Mrs. Ward actually but everybody calls me Sheila. “

  The woman gave Sheila a broad smile and made her way to the door.

  “ You did say your name was Ross, didn’t you…”

  Sheila’s question was addressed to the front door as it closed behind the mysterious woman.

  Fifteen minutes later Helen Roche sat smoking a French cigarette in her car savouring the aroma of the tobacco. She had parked in a side street and had been watching the boutique of Mrs. Marshall for some time. She didn’t know what she was looking for but as a cop she knew surveillance rarely went to waste. Something or somebody always tumbled into the net.

  Down the street from her Devoy and Burke entered the office of Sunnyside Properties Estate Agency. A tinkling bell announced their presence. They were immediately greeted by Valerie Traynor, Horgan’s secretary, who was keeping things running over until she heard otherwise.

  “ Detective Inspector Devoy, “ she said, looking up from her computer.

  “ And Officer Burke, “ added Devoy nodding in the direction of Burke.

  “ Nice to meet you, Officer Burke, “ said Valerie.

  “ Likewise, Miss Traynor. “

  “ Well it’s been a while since you popped in, Inspector. “

  “ We had intended coming in a week ago but we were unavoidably detained. “

  “ Oh, “ replied Valerie. “ I heard you were in some sort of accident, Inspector -you and Detective Moore? “

  “ Yes, you could call it that but here I am. “

  “ Well it’s good to see you out and about. “

  “ Thank you Valerie. Anything to report? “

  “ No, things are still ticking over. Mr. Lambert, that’s the accountant told me to keep things going but not to take any further booking for the time being. He hasn’t heard anything from Mr. Horgan’s solicitors so I suppose that will take some time. “

  “ Tell me what happens when people fail to pay their rent. “

  “ Oh, I don’t usually deal with arrears, Inspector Devoy other than to phone to remind people. “

  “ And if that doesn’t encourage them what do you do then? “

  “ Strange you should bring that up. That’s being preoccupying me for some time now seeing as Mr. Horgan is no longer with us. “

  “ You mean that Mr. Horgan himself went to collect arrears? “

  “ Only sometimes but most of the time he sent Bob and the matter was settled then. “

  “ Bob? Who’s Bob? “

  “ Oh you probably don’t know him. Bob Kennedy. A big stocky man with red hair. “

  “ The only Bob Kennedy I know that answers to that description works or used to work for Fallons the undertakers. “

  “ Oh, I don’t know anything about that, Inspector. All I know he that he came here after working hours but I haven’t seen him for ages. “

  “ And you won’t, Valerie. Kennedy did a runner while being interviewed at the station. We haven’t seen him since. “

  “ Oh, dear. I didn’t realize he was a criminal. “

  “ Petty criminal is more like it. “

  “ Speaking of criminals, Valerie, have you ever seen this man before? “

  Devoy took a photocopy out of his pocket and held it up in front of her.

  She peered at the photograph.

  “ He reminds me of somebody but I can’t say I’ve ever seen him. Who is he? “

  “ He’s your late bosses brother. He probably stands to inherit Mr. Horgan’s estate. Only trouble is he’s on the run from the police. So if he turns up here humour him and then get onto us. The guy’s a crook. “

  “ The likeness is in his eyes. “

  “ It’s not the only likeness, Valerie. Criminality seems to be a family trait with these people. “

  “ Now you said you intended coming here a week ago. Why was that? “

  “ It’s this, Valerie, “ replied Devoy handing her a sheet of paper.

  “ What’s this? “ she asked. “ It looks very official. “

  “ It’s a search warrant, Valerie. It allows us to search these premises. “

  “ And what exactly are you looking for, may I ask, Inspector? “

  “ Of course you may but we’re not exactly sure what we’re looking for. We’ll know when we see it. “

  “ Well, in that case, I’m going to make myself a cup of tea. I’ll be in the reception area if you need me. “

  Down the street Detective Sergeant Helen Roche jumped slightly when her phone buzzed. She picked it up and switched it on. It was an SMS. It read:

  A well-spoken woman phoned in about ten minutes ago looking for an officer called Rowe or Ross. She was told there was no such officer stationed here.

  Roche smiled and continued to observe the boutique. A few minutes later a well-dressed attractive woman came out and looked up and down the street examining every parked car and looking up at the roofs. She stood for a while examining the contents of the window and then went in. Roche gave her five minutes and then carrying her brief case got out of the car and crossed the road. She stood outside the boutique admiring the display of provocative underwear. She was conscious she was being observed from within but she didn’t acknowledge the presence of the woman who peered out at her from the interior. She then nodded her head in satisfaction and entered the shop.

  The interior was slightly dark with concealed lights casting out dimmed glows that accentuated certain mannequins. Roche sensed the woman before she saw her.

  “ Good morning, Madam, “ she heard her say. “ May I help you? “

  Roche turned to her left. Beatrice Marshall was standing in front of her.

  “ Good morning, Madam. Yes, you can. I’m looking for Mrs. Marshall. I…”

  “ Ah, yes. You were up at the house. Miss Roe or Ross, I believe. “

  “ No, neither. Your housekeeper got my name wrong. I’m Helen Roche. “

  “ I see, “ replied Mrs. Marshall knitting her brows in confusion. “ And I believe you want to see my husband. “

  “ That’s true, Mrs. Marshall. Perhaps you could tell me where he is or how could I contact him? “

  A thin smile crossed Mrs. Marshall’s lips.

  “ I’m afraid I can’t help you there. I’ve no idea where he is. We lead separate lives and if you’ve been to the house in separate parts. “

  “ Yes, I did notice that. “

  “ Perhaps I can help you? “

  “ Well strictly speaking it concerns Mr. Marshall. I believe he’s the owner of the property. “

  Mrs. Marshall crinkled her eyes in suspicion.

  “ You wouldn’t happen to be a solicitor, would you? “

  Helen Roche shook her head slowly.

  “ Nothing of the sort, “ she replied.

  “ You see we’re not divorced, you understand, Miss Roche. We’re just separated – a legal matter. For one terrible minute there I thought Roderick was up to something legal, trying to present me with a fait accompli. “

  “ No, that wouldn’t enter into it at all, Mrs. Marshall. Your marital status is no concern of ours. “

  “ I see. You make it sound very mysterious, Miss Roche. Are you a policewoman? “

  “ Well you could say that but not in the usual sense of the word. I’m part of an undercover task force that has targeted this area. Perhaps you’d like me to discuss this matter with you somewhere else? You see, Mrs. Marshall, in telling you this I’m taking you into my confidence. I wouldn’t like the subject of our conversation to be known to others if you get my drift. “

  “ Oh, I do, I do, Miss Roche. Look why don’t you come up to the house in the afternoon. Sheila, that’s the housekeeper won’t be there. We’ll have the house to ourselves. Perhaps you even like to pore through our brochures? “

  “ Brochures? What are you referring to, Mrs. Marshall? “

>   “ The brochures from the boutique, of course. We always give them away to prospective clients. You can peruse them in the comfort of your own home without your husband or boyfriend being aware. “

  “ Well that wouldn’t be to my taste at all, Mrs. Marshall. “

  “ Oh really, that sounds interesting. Shall we say two then? “

  “ Two will be fine, Mrs. Marshall. See you then. “

  Back at Sunnyside Properties Valerie Traynor was becoming irascible.

  “ Please Inspector Devoy, you and Officer Burke have been rooting in here for well over an hour and there’s no sign of you giving up. I can’t get any work done. Can you give me an inkling of what you’re after? “

  “ An inkling. That’s a good way of expressing it. We have to be honest and up front with you, Valerie. We also have to take you into our confidence. We’re dealing here with criminal activity. What we’re after is what the late Caroline Gleeson was after before her untimely death. You may not be aware of it but this woman was hounding your boss for a long time. It was later proven that she had burnt down his house, sent him an envelope of ashes in the post when he was in prison awaiting trial for murder, and later ransacked the office of the solicitor who was defending him. What she was looking for we don’t know. Earlier this week we received a phone call from a man who claimed a drone had crash landed on the roof of his greenhouse. This drone turned out to be Caroline Gleeson’s drone. We later found the remote control in the pannier of her scooter. The man who alerted us to the discovery of the drone informed us that Mr. Horgan had properties adjoining his with a considerable number of chalets. He didn’t seem too happy about it for some reason. We know that Mr. Horgan was the owner of a lot of chalets adjoining some of the beaches around here but this property escaped our notice. However, to cut a long story short, it didn’t escape the notice of Miss Gleeson – hence her aerial surveillance with the drone. She was onto something regarding Mr. Horgan but like I said we don’t know what. Can you throw any light on this? “

  Valerie Traynor shrugged.

  “ I wasn’t aware of chalets in that area. It must be a new development. “

  “ Maybe if we went back to square one we might get a handle on this. Okay? “

  “ Square one. Okay. What do you want to know? “

  “ Somebody wants to rent a chalet or cottage on one of Mr. Horgan’s properties. How do they go about doing it? “

  “ Well they book it over the phone or the internet and some even write. “

  “ Okay. What happens then? “

  “ We take their particulars, ask them what date etc and ask for a deposit. They pay the balance when they arrive. “

  “ So all this is entered in a book? “

  “ Yes, or on the computer. “

  “ They also have to pay a deposit for the keys. “

  “ Show me. “

  “ Does the search warrant cover this because this is confidential commercial information. “

  “ Yes, Valerie, it does. It even allows us to examine what type of teabags you use, coffee, milk, sugar, etc. In fact everything. Of course we can’t examine you. We’d need a female cop for that. “

  Valerie reddened.

  “ I hope you don’t suspect me of anything underhand. I’ve never done anything wrong in my life.”

  “ We never suspect pretty women, Valerie. Isn’t that so, Officer Burke? “

  Burke nodded.

  “ That’s a fact, Valerie. “

  “ Now you’re making fun of me. “

  “ No, not at all. We’re taking you very seriously. In fact you’ve thrown a lot of light on our problem. Can you give us a list of the chalets that are occupied and then loan us the keys for the ones that are unoccupied? “

  “ Of course. I’ll photocopy them for you. “

  “ Excellent. And you’ve no idea who owns the chalets adjoining the property of Mr. Cullen the market gardener. “

  “ No idea. There’s nothing here relating to it. Maybe Mr. Horgan was buying them piece-meal from another businessman. He did say something bizarre before I left so maybe he was in the process of doing something. It just hadn’t been completed. “

  “ And what makes you think what he said was bizarre? “

  “ Well he said everything would be up in the air by the time I got back so I don’t think poor Mr. Horgan managed to complete what he was doing. “

  “ Damn this is where that bloody drone would come in handy. We could get a bird’s eye view of that property.

  “ What do you want a drone or a map for? You can get all of that off Goggle. I bet you didn’t think of that? “

  “ No, we didn’t, “ replied Devoy making a face at Burke.

  “ Give me a moment and I’ll bring it up for you. “

  A few minutes later Valerie was showing them Cullen’s property.

  “ Is this what you’re looking for, Inspector? “

  Devoy peered at the screen.

  “ That’s it. That’s Cullen’s property. You can see the greenhouses. Move it across the road. “

  “ There, “ he said pointing. “ Cullen claims that’s Horgan’s property. “

  “ I never saw that before. It must be a recent acquisition. It probably happened when I was away on holiday. “

  Devoy grunted in satisfaction as if he had solved a problem.

  “ Tell me, Valerie. How did you contact Kennedy when you needed him? “

  “ Oh, I just phoned him. And told him where to go. “

  “ Mobile or fixed line? “

  “ Oh mobile. It was always his mobile. “

  “ Have you still got the number? “

  “ It should be here somewhere, “ she said, pulling out a drawer and rooting in it.

  She opened an office diary and flicked through the pages.

  “ Here we are, Inspector. Under K. Are you ready? “

  Devoy jotted down the number.

  “ All this is between you and us - the police, Valerie. Under no condition discuss this with anyone. And of course don’t phone Kennedy. “

  “ Don’t worry, Inspector, I won’t. “

  Devoy and Burke got up to leave.

  “ Don’t forget these, “ said Valerie, handing them a few sheets of paper. “ These just came out of the printer. “

  Both men looked puzzled.

  “ Your maps, gentlemen. You were forgetting them. “

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 38

  While Devoy and Burke made their way to search the chalets Detective Sergeant Helen Roche rang the door of the Marshall mansion at two o’clock sharp as expected. The door was opened by Mrs. Marshall who beamed when she saw her. Helen had the impression she was being examined physically as Mrs. Marshall ran her eyes over her like a man. Helen was glad she had changed into a skirt and blouse and high heels. She felt she was getting the anticipated reaction.

  She followed Mrs. Marshall down the black and white floor mosaic that was the hallway down to the end of the corridor.

  “ We’ll talk in the conservatory if you don’t mind Miss…”

  “ You can call me Helen if you wish, Mrs. Marshall. “

  Mrs. Marshall smiled and opened one of two doors that led into the conservatory.

  “ This is my side, “ she added. “ And you can call me Beatrice. Nobody will bother us here. You can tell me everything in complete secrecy. “

  She led Helen into the room which stank of vegetation and stagnant water. Helen almost expected slimy creatures to crawl out of the plants.

  “ Do sit down, Helen. I can’t wait to hear what you’re going to say. It sounds all so mysterious. “

  Helen sat down and crossed her legs. The gesture wasn’t lost on Beatrice Marshall whose eyes ran over Helen’s legs quickly.

  “ I’ve prepared coffee, Helen. Do you like it black or white? “

  “ Black will be fine, Beatrice. One sugar, please. “

  Both women took their cups and regarded one another. They wat
ched each other over the rims of the cups as if trying to measure each other up. When the cups were empty both women replaced them simultaneously on the cast iron coffee table which separated them.

  “ So, “ said Beatrice leaning back in her rattan chair and stretching her legs. “ what’s it all about, then? “

  Helen took out her packet of French cigarettes and looked at Beatrice.

  “ Would you mind if I smoke? “

  There was an initial reluctance in Beatrice Marshall’s eyes as if Helen had made an improper suggestion but her curiosity got the better of her.

  “ No, not all. Let me get you an ashtray if I can find one. “

  “ I’m afraid this will have to do, “ she said returning with a saucer. “ Roderick has commandeered all the ashtrays around here for his cigars. “ she added with distaste.

  “ Maybe I shouldn’t, Beatrice, “ asked Helen.

  “ If I can’t indulge a lady from time to time who can I indulge. “

  “ Quite, “ replied Helen giving Beatrice a smile.

  Helen lit up and took a good drag on the cigarette expelling a cloud of dark tobacco.

  “ They’re French, aren’t they, Helen? “

  “ Yes, I love the aroma. “

  “ My husband…I mean Roderick smokes them when he runs out of cigars. “

  “ Yes, I imagine he would. They smell similar. “

  “ So you were going to tell me something, Helen. “

  “ Yes, “ replied Helen mysteriously. “ Why I’m here. “

  “ Exactly. “

  “ Well it’s like this Beatrice. Our department was notified by a visiting official of the Department of Justice that a coffin of some description had been found in the Marshall family crypt. The local police had been alerted but somehow when it came to open the coffin it disappeared. I believe your husband was au fait with this matter and it was good of him not to make a fuss seeing as the mysterious coffin was in the way of the funeral of your late mother-in-law. “

  Beatrice brought her hands together as she remembered the funeral.

  “ Yes, I remember now. Roderick was most gracious about it considering it was his mother. He said something to the effect that Wade was getting his coffins mixed up. “