by Linda Coles
“Of course. Can I bring you anything? Maybe something you’re missing?” He’d gone straight to bed almost and hadn’t looked through his new belongings in any detail, nor the kitchen cupboards. He suddenly fancied a fresh coffee.
“Maybe a cup of strong coffee if you pass somewhere?”
“I can do that. In the meantime, don’t answer the door to anyone. When I arrive, I’ll knock four times, okay?”
“Got it.”
“See you shortly.” The line went dead.
Almost an hour to the minute later, there were four taps on the door and Elliott approached it feeling a good deal more awake than he had earlier. Dressed in faded jeans and a sweatshirt, he looked more like an advert for the Salvation Army than GQ Magazine but at least he was clean and felt human again. He could see a female silhouette on the other side of the glass panel and so pulled open the door. The woman had a bright smile, a perfect match for the voice he’d heard on the phone earlier. Wavy brown hair stopped just below her jawline, and trendy plastic glasses perched on her tiny nose. She looked about the same age as he was.
“Hello, please come in,” he said, stumbling a little on his words as he opened the door wider for her. He’d get used to it all in time he was sure. She held out the coffee cup and Elliott took it, taking a long drink, cherishing the strong flavour within.
“You look like you needed that,” she said, making her way through to the living room.
“Please, take a seat,” he offered.
Elliott sat opposite her, waiting for whatever came next. He felt as if he were in a game of some sort, and one that he didn’t know the rules of, the steps, the way things worked. He waited for his instructions.
“My things are in the car outside, I’ll bring them in shortly, but I wanted to sit and chat to you for a while first, if that’s all right?”
“I have no expectations, no knowledge on what happens from here, so you’re the leader in that respect,” he said. “You tell me what happens next.”
“You start your new life is what happens next. Though you can’t go calling yourself Elliott any longer. From this moment on you’re Ronan. Elliott has gone.”
He nodded his understanding. She pulled out an envelope and slipped the contents into her hand and passed him his new identity. It was so small. “You’ve got a driver’s licence in the name of Ronan Walsh, but no passport, there wasn’t time and you shouldn’t need one yet anyway. Photo ID is enough for local and I don’t suppose you’ll be holidaying in Spain quite yet.” He shook his head, ‘no’. He sipped the rest of his coffee.
“There will be someone coming with a few more boxes, and he’ll be here around 6 pm. I’ll give him a hand. You need to stay indoors for the time being.”
“Right.”
“I’ll be with you most of the time, as part of your new set up, and we’ll work on you during that time. I must warn you though, you may find it quite intense, but experience tells us it’s worth it. We’ll have plenty of breaks to begin with. As time progresses, you’ll be allowed outside. How does that sound?”
“Fine by me. I’m happy to get going. I just hope I can keep up.”
“You’ll be fine, I’m sure.” There was that bright smile again, and it put him at ease. He was beginning to like the woman already.
When it was clear they’d finished talking for the time being, ‘Ronan’ stood and suggested she bring her things in. As they headed towards the door, he asked, “So, you know I’m Ronan, what’s your name?”
“It’s Ciara,” she said.
Chapter 48
Adam had chosen to drive over to Father Ted’s house and Chrissy hadn’t tried to dissuade him. Not that it was called Father Ted’s since it was a private residence. Glanquin Farmhouse was its local name and it sat proudly in the small town of Lackareagh, about forty minutes’ drive from where they were staying. Since Adam was driving, he’d decided to take the more scenic route rather than the direct, choosing instead to have a look around some of the smaller villages as they passed through. It had added about ten minutes more to the journey and by the time they’d finished their detour Julie’s head was well and truly buzzing, the painkillers from earlier not making a dent. Chrissy glanced across at her sister, they were on the back seat together, and could see that she was still in pain. Knowing the full story that she’d been whacked on the back of the head, she wondered if her sister perhaps had a concussion and whether she should take her to hospital to get checked out. Not that they’d be able to do anything but instruct her to rest. And how was she going to do that without raising suspicions with both Adam and Richard? Maybe she could say she’d had a fall, hit her head. Julie glanced across and gave her a weak smile as Chrissy reached out for her hand and stroked the back of it gently for a moment.
“Not long now,” said Adam, catching Chrissy’s eye in the rear-view mirror. Maybe he’d seen the exchange between the two sisters.
The scenery was sparse and they hit the last small village before turning up a road that was almost single-lane width and looked like many others out in the country. The colour of the stone walls gave the place a look and feel of Derbyshire perhaps, with its mainly limestone walls, though any stone was used in these parts. The colours matched the sky with darker variations of grey on one side of the stone to the other, just like the ever-thickening clouds above. Overgrown brambles and mixed shrubbery lined the narrow lane, muddy gateways gave farmers a place to pull in, and a handful of almost derelict dwellings looked like they’d been there forever. As they neared their destination, the once white wrought-iron entranceway held a sign that informed them it was a private residence and visits were by appointment only. Adam turned up the unsealed driveway and headed for the huge two-storey house in the distance. Chrissy counted three chimney stacks though suspected the place was stone cold inside. She shivered. There didn’t appear to be anything else around and indeed it stood looking out as if it was on Craggy Island. The whole place looked bleak. Kind of Emily Brontë-ish. Heathcliff wouldn’t have looked out of place stood by the door.
“It looks quite foreboding,” said Julie from the back seat as they approached. Adam pulled into the small car park and waited for everyone to get out. There wasn’t much to see from the front entrance. The building stood on its own, surrounded by deep green fields where a handful of woolly sheep grazed the grass to a neat carpet length. They headed inside the huge, old Georgian-style property and immediately it wasn’t hard to see the place didn’t look any different than on the TV show. Dark wooden floors, white sash windows with oak-coloured wooden panels to either side, sofas with throws over them. It didn’t look like anything had changed from the set but that was the point. Chrissy glanced around at the other visitors that were enjoying their afternoon tea, some taking selfies of themselves by the fireplace Father Ted himself had stood next to on many occasions. Adam slipped his arm around her shoulder and they made it known to the receptionist that they had a booking. As soon as they were seated, Chrissy offered Julie more painkillers and she waited for a glass of water before taking them. Since it had been her idea to take afternoon tea, it was a shame she couldn’t enjoy the experience properly. The likelihood of them returning to this particular part of Ireland in the future was almost non-existent.
It turned out to be a fairly arduous event for Julie, who all but picked at her food, before throwing up what little she had consumed in the ladies. She returned sweaty and shaking, and the four decided it best to beat a hasty retreat back home. Julie wouldn’t be going out later, whether there were white linen tablecloths or not.
She rested her head in Chrissy’s lap as they took the main route back home. Adam offered to cook and suggested they drop Julie back at the house before going off in search of supplies, and Chrissy volunteered to go with him. Everyone seemed happy with the plan of a quiet night in and another casual dinner. Julie blamed it on a migraine and would likely go straight to bed with her eye mask. Sleep and a dark room was all she needed.
A
fter dropping Richard and Julie at home, Chrissy and Adam headed back out, for the town of Ennistymon. For Chrissy, it was the second time in one day, with her earlier visit to the Guards, and she directed Adam to a grocery store she’d noticed earlier, hoping they would get everything they needed in the one place since it was touch and go anywhere else would be open. It was hardly Englefield Green with its late-night Tesco and the like.
They were in luck as they pulled up out the front and the two headed inside to see what they could find to create a casual meal from. Or that Adam could create a meal from. Fifteen minutes later they were back in the car, two bags of supplies loaded and heading back, Chrissy munching through a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, passing occasional ones to Adam which he clamped with his lips then crunched as he drove along. They were almost at Doolin when a van caught Chrissy’s eye as it turned into a property just ahead of them. Could it be…?
“Pull over!” she instructed urgently as she turned back to look over her shoulder.
“What’s up?” Adam asked as he slowed to a standstill. Chrissy stayed silent as she watched the van drive down the side of the house. A tall man got out and headed to the side entrance door.
He had blond curly hair. The barman. Again.
“Chrissy?”
“Can you pull back around, drive back the other way? Just for a minute.”
Knowing he wouldn’t get an answer as to why he should if he asked, he did a U-turn and headed past the house she appeared to be interested in. He saw the van, but nothing else.
“Are you going to tell me what this is about?”
She could hear an ounce of frustration in his voice. She watched the barman undo the back of the van and retrieve a large box. He took it inside.
“I thought I recognised someone, that’s all,” she said, smiling and dismissing his question. “Sorry, let’s get back.”
Adam didn’t need to be asked twice and headed off in the direction they should have been going in while Chrissy rummaged in her bag for her phone. Maybe he lived there, it being his van; nothing wrong with that. Or the van might belong to someone else. She tapped the registration plate details down for later. Either way, she knew it was the same one as she’d seen at the castle during the night; it couldn’t be a coincidence. The large box looked the same style too. Maybe he was moving in? As Adam pulled past, she was just in time to see a woman appear on the doorstep for the briefest of moments before vanishing back inside.
Something about her seemed familiar.
Chapter 49
Who the hell did the van belong to? Was it the barman’s? Not that she even knew his name, but that wouldn’t be too hard to find out, she could simply ask at the pub, but if it belonged to someone else? Where did he fit in? She grabbed a carry bag and helped Adam with the groceries they’d bought and headed inside. She dumped her own bag on the worktop and went straight through to have a chat with Richard to see how Julie was.
“She’s gone to bed. She’ll be fine in the morning, just a migraine, she thinks,” he said, dismissing it and Chrissy hoped it was just that. Even if it was a concussion, and she doubted it was, not from being whacked with a lamp base, there was nothing to be done but keep a close eye on her. Anyway, Julie suffered with migraines, so since she’d vomited earlier and had had some rest, she’d likely be back to her normal self tomorrow. Satisfied that all was well with her sister, she grabbed her phone and headed to her room to make a call.
Maybe Bridget would be feeling amenable. A woman answered quickly, and Chrissy smiled as she imagined her sitting at her desk beavering away on something through the proverbial ‘back doors’, or surfing the dark web as she was prone to do.
Bridget Knox was a talented though tiny woman who liked to think of herself as a bit of a Lara Croft. While she didn’t carry a gun on her hip, she did kill people with her tongue and her strong attitude was polarising to many. Plus, Bridget either liked you and you her, or you didn’t, and she didn’t lose any sleep over it. But talented she was, particularly when it came to digging into things where she shouldn’t be digging. She had a knack for finding answers that usually involved borderline illegal means, and borderline illegal tools. Her day job was as part of a Kent-based detective team, working just outside of Ashford, while technology was her side interest. Often the go-to girl when the official tech team were too busy, with her prowess and knowhow she’d kept cases moving that otherwise would still be sitting in a queue waiting. Getting the name and address of the van owner would take her all of two seconds. As long as Bridget liked you. Chrissy had worked with her on a case that had taken them to France and the woman had been a godsend and instrumental in getting everyone back safely. All power to her. They’d kept in touch.
“How’s it?” Bridget asked by way of greeting. Chrissy smiled. She’d not heard the woman’s dry tone for a while, and not those words either. There were only so many times she could tap into Bridget.
“It’s good,” said Chrissy.
“What the favour?” Bridget, straight down to business. There was no small talk. There was no need.
“Need a plate run.” Chrissy gave the details.
“Is that all? Hang on.” Chrissy could hear keys tapping in the background and waited the few seconds for the information to come back.
“It belongs to Ethan Duffy. Quite an attractive looking man actually,” said Bridget. “Lovely blond hair.”
“Blond curly hair by chance?”
“A girl’s dream actually. I’d almost die for natural curls like that.” Bridget was also blonde, though out-of-the-box. “He’s stunning. Rather jealous.”
Chrissy smiled at the amount of information Bridget was offering, most unusual for her to pass an opinion. Maybe she was in between boyfriends and liked the look of the guy herself. “Do you have an address?”
“Of course I do. What’s your interest?”
“Not sure yet, but he keeps popping up in unexpected places. I’m just trying to put things together.”
Keys tapped in the background. “You want to know more about him?”
“Of course,” said Chrissy. She hadn’t wanted to push her luck, the reg details would have sufficed, but if Bridget was offering…
“He’s got a sheet but has never done time,” she said. Chrissy waited for more to come and could imagine Bridget’s own blonde head scanning the screen in front of her. “He’s had a couple of run-ins but, funnily enough, all the charges have always been dropped. There’s four or five of them here – assault, looks like. I wonder why.”
“How can you even get into the Guards’ system? No, in fact, don’t bother answering that, I don’t want to know.” Chrissy heard Bridget almost grunt down the phone though it wasn’t really a grunt. It was more a loud grin, if a grin had a sound.
“Who mentioned the Guards?”
“You mean offences in England then?”
“Indeed, though this cutie pie seems to have the luck of the Irish.” Chrissy’s phone pinged with incoming text as an address was relayed to her phone. Bridget worked at the speed of light in everything she did, which is why she accomplished so much during her waking hours. The address was in Dublin, not local.
“I wasn’t expecting a Dublin address. I was expecting something a bit more local, to say County Clare, Doolin maybe.”
“Hang on,” she said. Chrissy waited, wondering where Bridget was breaking into. She could imagine her screen looking more like a spider’s web with various lines running off in all directions, connecting with others. She was reminded of her bubble chart from when she’d gone out for a walk trying to link things together.
“It’s not his only vehicle. I’ve just done a cross reference. He’s got the van and has got a regular Honda Civic as well, I guess his run-about. I’ll send you the reg details, you might spot it locally.”
“Perfect, thanks.” Chrissy’s phone pinged again with the new information.
“Best get on.”
Bridget was gone, leaving Chrissy wonderi
ng about the barman with blond curls Bridget would almost die for. That was her powerhouse token gone for another few months. Shame, she’d have liked to have asked a few more questions after all.
Chapter 50
After Brocc had bumped into Julie at the castle he’d headed straight over to Bronagh’s shop before returning to the garage. He’d been conscious of time, having left Jake on his own for most of the day already. No apprentice should be put in that position, particularly with customers collecting their vehicles at various times. While he had a business to run, that didn’t stop his inquisitive mind running overtime. His visit to his sister’s shop hadn’t unearthed any further clues, though he hadn’t really expected anything to shine out for him. What exactly could he have found? A big neon sign with an arrow pointing to what he needed to know? No, but whatever Bronagh was involved in, he intended to squeeze more out of her later. He checked his watch; time was marching on. As he pulled the garage roller doors closed, his last customer gone, Jake well on his way home, he figured he’d have to make himself a sandwich when he got home later because by the time he’d taken a quick shower and driven across to the hospital, visiting time would be almost over as it was. Again. He looked at his shiny new phone and wondered about calling her to let her know that he was on his way. She had been adamant earlier on that he mustn’t go back, she’d be home tomorrow anyway. He could ill afford more time away from the business, but someone had to pick her up, assuming of course the doctor said she was able to go home.
“Get on with it, Brocc” he said sternly to himself, grabbing his keys and heading out to his car.
He entered the ward for the second time that day and was pleased to see her sitting up in bed, looking a whole lot brighter with colour back in her cheeks. A chemical disinfectant fragrance mixed with the odour of long since delivered hot food, and his stomach rolled at the lingering stench. Or was that at his own hunger? An empty dinner tray sat in front of her, she’d obviously eaten a meal. Bronagh looked surprised when she saw him ambling over but then changed into a full smile. Everyone liked a visitor in hospital, if only to break the boredom.