One Coffin Too Many

by Brendan O'Grady

  “ What’s your feeling? “

  “ She’s in a state of shock. I told her we had photographs of her with her husband. She won’t say yeah or nay. When I left her she was sobbing. “

  “ Good. Let her stew for an hour or so and then ask her does she want to help us. “

  “ And you, where are you off to? “

  “ Well Kennedy and I have been talking for ages. I allowed him to put his pants and shoes on provided he stopped swearing and listened to me. I told him he was up for the burning of Carmody’s van and possibly for assisting in the murder of Fallon. I told him we’ve practically got an image of somebody other than Horgan at the scene of crime. “

  “ And? “

  “ And he’s sweating. He’s back in his cell. I promised him a takeaway. Seems he hasn’t eaten since this morning. He knows we’re onto his wife. Wait until I get back. “

  “ Right. See you later then. “

  Beatrice Marshall smiled at Helen.

  “ I have to admit, Helen that I might as well be looking into a well. All this technical stuff is beyond me. These images you’ve shown me- they could be anything. “

  “ Yes, well that’s the problem today, Beatrice. We’re being overwhelmed by technology. Sometimes I even have to stand aside and ask myself what it is. But then I always ask myself the question as an educated woman: why leave all this to men. What have they got that I haven’t? Are you with me, Beatrice? I mean how do most men perceive us? You tell me. You’re a career woman. You’ve made the leap from marriage to being your own woman. So how do they perceive us: as sexual objects, as bearers of children, as housewives, as glorified cooks. We are programmed to fit into certain categories and when we don’t what are we? You tell me. There has to be another life for us women. We just can’t be vehicles to accommodate men. “

  Beatrice sat back and appraised her cooly.

  “ I know I’ve only met you today but I sense something else there, Helen. A fellow being if I could describe it as such. Somebody reaching out to us. “

  “ Oh, “ replied Helen. “ I hope my private sentiments don’t go beyond this room. You referred to others, to ‘ us ‘. Whatever do you mean, Beatrice? “

  Beatrice reached across the table and patted Helen’s hand.

  “ Don’t you worry, dear girl. You’re in good hands. Providence has been at work today. You’re home girl. In more ways than you could imagine. Now let’s have some more coffee. I imagine we have lots to talk about. “

  Helen smiled at Beatrice and let her hand linger long on hers.

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 39

  Devoy and Burke watched Kennedy wolf down an oversized pizza with all the trimmings and disregarded his grunting and belching. After ten minutes Kennedy sat back and farted.

  “ Jesus, that was good, Devoy. I must say for a cop you keep your promises. That was the best pizza I ever tasted. Now I could do with a cigarette and another soft drink. A beer would be better but I suppose that’s too much to ask for. “

  Devoy reached into the carry-bag at his feet and put another soft drink on the table. Kennedy reached for it but Devoy snatched it out of his reach.

  “ Your turn to provide the goodies, Bobby. “

  Kennedy scowled at him.

  “ What do you want to know? “

  “ Everything. I asked you to reflect on what I said and now I want to hear what you have to say. “

  “ About what? “

  “ Tell me all about Horgan, Fallon’s murder, the arson attack on Carmody’s car and anything else you can think of. “

  “ That’s a tall order, Devoy. “

  “ You’re looking at a long time in prison, Kennedy. Don’t fuck me about now. I’m running out of patience with you. “

  Kennedy became quiet.

  “ Right, let’s see what Mrs. Kennedy has to say about her hero. “

  Burke handed a bundle of papers to Devoy.

  Kennedy sat up.

  “ You louse, you’ve been talking to my wife. “

  “ Of course we have. She’s down the corridor in another interview room. She’s up for aiding and abetting a criminal – you. She’s going to do time because of you, Kennedy. Show him the photos, Officer Burke. “

  Burke leaned over the table and showed Kennedy photos of him and his wife kissing and hugging.

  “ You’re really low, Devoy. “

  “ You better believe it, Bobby. So what’s it going to be? “

  Kennedy shook his head from side to side.

  “ Hey, you know the law as well as I do. You can’t use that against me. A wife can’t testify against her husband. “

  “ Who said she’s testifying, Kennedy. She’s merely giving us her version of events. “

  “ You make me sick, Devoy. “

  “ Good. Don’t bring it up here. Okay? “

  “ Alright then? “

  “ So tell me all about it, Bobby. What are you going to give us before your solicitor gets here and complicated matters?

  Kennedy contemplated his fingers.

  “ Yeah, I did the van. Put a brick through the side window and poured in paraffin. Didn’t expect the blowback, though. That video stuff sure went up like a bomb. I was lucky enough to get away before it blew. It even singed the hair on the back of my head. Still. “

  “ Who paid you to do it, Bobby? “

  Kennedy shrugged.

  “ That’s where I cannot help you and I’m being really honest, Devoy. I got a call. The person asked me was I interested in doing a little job on the side. What sort of job, I asked? The person ignored my question. She told me…”

  “ She? “ asked Devoy.

  “ Yeah, it was a woman. She told me she would give me two thousand Euros. One thousand down and the rest to follow. “

  “ And did you meet her? “

  Kennedy shook his head.

  “ No, everything was done over the phone. The instructions, everything. “

  “ And so how were you paid? “

  “ By the time I got home there was a thick envelope for me with a grand in it. It had been hand delivered. “

  “ And after that? “

  “ I torched the guy’s van and there was another grand waiting for me when I got back. “

  “ So you were under observation? “

  “ I suppose so. “

  “ Does your wife know about this? “

  “ Well, I was a great man for doing nixers about town. I was Horgan’s man, so to speak. My wife was used to mysterious envelopes coming through the letter box. The ready cash paid the bills and of course we had nice holidays out of it so she wasn’t about to start complaining about it. “

  “ But she didn’t know about the arson attack? “

  “ No, no need to distress her with that. “

  “ That was considerate of you, Bobby. “

  “ Well, I try to please. “

  “ When you say you were contacted over the phone you’re referring to a mobile phone? “

  “ Right. I did wonder about that. How did that woman know my mobile number? “

  “ Directory Enquiries, I suppose. “

  “ It’s not listed, Devoy. I didn’t want your lot coming across my number accidentally. “

  “ So else has your number? “

  “ Horgan for one, Fallon’s the undertakers for two and Wade up at the cemetery. “

  “ I see. Would you recognize this woman’s voice again if you heard her? “

  “ Hard to say. It was muffled. “

  “ So where’s your phone? “

  “ With the rest of my things back in the chalet. Why? “

  “ Look, you’ve been a great help. I have to put you back in the cell for a few hours until I sort a few things out. “

  “ Ah, shit, Devoy. I thought you were going to do me a favour? “

  “ I am, Kennedy. At least in here you’re safe. “

  “ What’s that supposed to mean? “

 
“ Look what happened to Horgan. I wouldn’t like you to be the victim of an accident. “

  “ And my wife? What about her? “

  “ I’m going to take a chance with her. I’m releasing her. Okay? “

  “ Fair enough. “

  “ I’ll let you see her before she goes. Okay? “

  Devoy went out into the corridor and called the desk sergeant and explained to him what he wanted.

  Burke followed him out.

  “ What’s all the rush, then? “

  “ We’ve got to get to that phone before somebody else does. It should have the originating number. Let’s go. “

  As Devoy and Burke drove to the chalets Devoy’s phone pinged. He looked at the message. It simply read: Fish biting.

  Half-an-hour later Devoy and Burke pulled up at the entrance to the lane that led to the chalets. Both of them started to run. When they arrived at Kennedy’s chalet they found to their relief that it was still locked. Devoy inserted the key and they were in. The place hadn’t been disturbed. Kennedy’s phone was on the coffee table in front of the television surrounded by empty beer and soft drink cans along with half-eaten pizzas and Chinese takeaways. Devoy swatted away the flies that were circling the food and picked up the phone. He switched it on and went immediately to the file which recorded received calls.

  “ Have a pew, “ he said to Burke, “ and write down these numbers as I read them out. “

  Devoy started with the most recent calls and read them out to Burke. Somebody has been calling Kennedy at least twice a day for weeks.

  “ I’d say that number is his wife checking him out. We’ll check that. “

  Next came a list of numbers that had been calling him every lunch time and evening.

  “ I’d say they’re takeaways: Chinese and Pizza parlours most likely. The fish and chips shops don’t do takeaways. “

  “Now here’s a good one. That’s Fallon’s the undertakers. I wonder who was calling him from there? Let’s see, there’s at least seven calls. And all during working hours. Interesting, very interesting. That’s worth a follow-up. Somebody’s got some explaining to do. “

  Devoy moved on to the next batch of numbers.

  “ Now, here’s a switchboard. See. The last digits end in zeros. And whoever was calling Kennedy called not just once but a few times. I think we’ve got something here, Andy. We just might be honing in on something. Let’s check all these numbers out. We’ll start with the last and work our way back. “

  Devoy put the phone on speaker and dialled.

  Both men heard the number ring out and then they joined a queue. A recording came on the line along with dreary music.

  “ This is the Old Convent Nursing Home. Your call will be answered as soon as possible. Please be patient. Thank you. “

  Devoy disconnected.

  “ I think Mr. Kennedy will have to make a few calls on our behalf if he wants to save his neck. In the meantime let’s gather up any evidence that will tie Kennedy in to the arson attack. “

  While Burke gathered up Kennedy’s clothes Devoy began to inspect the chalet. What intrigued him was that this chalet was the only one equipped with a satellite dish. What was so special about it? Horgan would hardly have paid a lot of money to have it installed just to please Kennedy as a hideaway. There had to be another reason. But what was it? Intrigued, he went outside to examine the chalet in comparison to the others. None of them were occupied so Devoy had no problem finding one that was dilapidated. He forced the front door and stepped into the front room. It immediately hit him. Kennedy’s chalet was much bigger than the others and seemed to have some sort of attic.

  “ I think this was some sort of office/administration building in the past when this place was a going concern. “ he said to Burke. “ Put that stuff down and let’s go through this place with a fine comb. “

  “ What are we looking for? “

  “ Secret places. “

  “ What do you mean secret places? “

  “ You never saw the videos that we found at Caroline Gleeson’s place. No, you didn’t. Well some of them were filmed at her place and the others elsewhere – I think it was here. I think she and her friends were renting this place for their sexual encounters and Horgan found out. Then he was into blackmail and perhaps something else. Anyway it led to arson and murder. Obviously Caroline and company were unaware they were being filmed so we have to find the hiding place from they were filmed. There’s some sort of attic or crawl space above us but no obvious staircase. So how do we get up there? “

  “ From the roof? “

  Devoy shook his head.

  “ No, it has to be from in here somewhere. Let’s see: Two small bedrooms on the left and one large one on the right alongside a kitchen and bathroom. In the middle is the dining room cum- sitting room. Let’s start examining the closets and cupboards. “

  “ Sir, would you mind if I made a suggestion before we start? “

  “ No, fire away. “

  “ No disrespect, sir but it just couldn’t happen like that. “

  “ Like what? “

  “ Like some sort of hideaway accessed by here. “

  “ And why not? “ replied Devoy, put out by Burke’s suggestion.

  “ Let me run it past you. Okay? “

  Devoy nodded.

  “ Okay, ‘ began Burke. “ Let’s say you’re the owner of this chalet and you want to spy on somebody inside. People come and go. You can’t exactly lie in wait with your camera ready for hours on end waiting for them to turn up and go into action. So, either you have a sophisticated self-activating system or you get to know their habits and film them. But what you can’t do is walk in here and access your hiding place. They’d be onto to you like a shot and the game would be up. So what you have to have is a place that is accessible from the outside where you can come and go as you please when you know they are inside. What do you think, sir? “

  Devoy shook his head.

  “ What do I think, Andy. I think you’ll go far. Let’s go out front and find a way to the attic from the outside. “

  While Devoy and Burke searched for a ladder of some sort Beatrice took the opportunity to show Helen around the mansion, the garden and the stables. Helen noticed Beatrice managed to move against her whenever the opportunity presented itself. She had just finished recounting the Marshall’s family history when she suddenly turned on Helen.

  “ Helen, what I don’t understand in all this is why you’re not asking the local police to help you. Surely they’re in a position to advise you on what’s what around here? “

  “ That may be true, Beatrice but for the reasons I’m going to outline to you such an approach is utterly out of the question. “

  “ But they’re your natural allies, aren’t they? “

  “ Of course they are, Beatrice but I regret to say that there may be the question of collusion. “

  “ Collusion! Are you telling me the local police are corrupt? “

  “ That we don’t know for sure, Beatrice. But we cannot take chances, you understand. This is a high-powered inquiry. For it to be free from interference of any kind we are obliged to steer clear of any local assistance. They’re cannot be any hint of contamination of any sort. “

  “ So they don’t know you’re here. “

  “ No, they don’t. “

  “ But where are you staying? Surely you must be feeling very isolated? “

  “ It can be lonely at times but at least in you I’ve found a fellow soul. I hope you don’t mind me saying so? “

  “ No, not at all. I feel the same way. “

  “ That’s nice. I feel we can work together on this project. “

  Beatrice’s brow furrowed.

  “ There’s something I don’t understand, though, Helen. “

  “ Oh, what’s that? “

  “ Where do I come in – I mean what do expect of me? “

  “ Ah, that could be a hurdle on your part and I’d un
derstand if you refused me straight out. “

  Oh, “ replied Beatrice, running her tongue over her lips. “ I hope you don’t expect me to be some sort of Mata Hari? “

  Helen shook her head and laughed.

  “ No, nothing of the sort. The state is hardly going to endanger the life of one of its most respected families down here. That wouldn’t do at all. “

  “ So what is it you need, Helen? “

  “ It’s simple, Beatrice. What we’re looking for is your cooperation and a free hand around here. That’s all. Do you think you could help us? “

  Beatrice’s eyebrows knitted in a frown.

  “ Are you saying you want to go poking around? “

  “ Poking around is not the kind of expression we’d use, Beatrice. You see, normally in a case like this we’d do everything by the book: ask for a court order, get a search warrant etc. but we feel that that avenue might draw attention and so it was thought that maybe you could help us circumvent the legal channels and give us a blank cheque, so to speak. “

  Beatrice puffed out her cheeks.

  “ I don’t know, Helen. I’d love to help but I can’t have police crawling all over our property. What’ll I tell my family and neighbours when they spot all this carry-on? “

  “ No, “ replied Helen, shaking her head in a reassuring way. “ It won’t be like that at all, Beatrice. They’re be nobody in uniform for starters. For the most part it would only be me. As for explaining

  my presence you could always say that I’m an expert from the Department of Antiquities of the National Museum engaged in archeological finds. Yes, that would get you off the hook with your family. “

  “ Tell you what, Helen. Why don’t you let me give that some further thought? “

  “ No problem, Beatrice. Anyway, I’ve taken up a lot of your time. I’ll be on my way. Perhaps you’d like my phone number? “

  “ Oh, that would be great. Look, I’m going back into town. Would you like to see my latest collection at the boutique? We’ve some lovely stuff. “

  “ I’d love to, Beatrice but you’re already forgetting what I said to you: I have to keep a low profile and well out of sight of anybody who might remember me from the past. You’re forgetting this is a holiday town. God only knows who I might bump into. “