“Which could prove problematic.”
“Not so much problematic as time consuming.”
“Susan’s firm does his accounting,” Maureen said behind us.When we raised our eyebrows at her, she smiled. “Sorry, I figured if you were going to be all surreptitious about it, that you would be saying something I’d want to hear. She took a swig of her brandy and headed back to the bottle that sat on the living room table. “That should help a lot, shouldn’t it? They could give us all the information we need.”
“Not that simple,” Charlie said. “We would need a court order to request their records. At this point, it’s best to leave them out of it.”
“But Susan—”
“We’d be putting her in a vulnerable position, asking her to help with this.”
Maureen nodded. “Good point.”
There was a knock on the door and Maureen ran to greet her brother, hugging him before he could even step in out of the drizzle. “He’s missing, Dec. He’s really missing.”
“I know that’s what you think, Maureen, but why should this be different from any of the times he’s just taken off—on one of his adventures?” He confirmed Charlie’s theory that Maureen had confided her concerns in her brother but he had discounted them as her mother had done.
Maureen looked to Charlie and me for help. “We think there’s cause for concern, laddie,” Charlie said. “Not to alarm you, but we’ve been trying to find your father for a wee while now.”
“And what makes you think he’s missing?”
“Several things, actually. First of all, he left without telling us he was leaving,” Charlie responded.
“Why would he?”
Now it was Charlie looking to me for help. “He had asked us to keep an eye on Sarai, to make sure she was all right. So, he was in the habit of telling us before he left town so we’d know to do that.”
“Why would Sarai need someone keeping an eye on her?” Declan asked.
“He was concerned that she might have some unwanted visitors.”
“Such as?”
“Such as Aileen,” I said. “He was concerned that she might be out for revenge.”
“But you were tailing Aileen anyway,” Maureen said.
“You were?” Declan asked. “Why?”
“Long story.” Maureen patted her brother on the back. “For our drive home, Dec. Anyway, he didn’t kick Aileen out. She left, so why would she seek revenge?”
“Because she knows he’s had his eye on Sarai for a while. He thought it best we keep an eye out,” Charlie said. “Just in case she . . . or anyone else came along.”
“Anyone else?” Declan said. “Like us?”
Charlie smiled and shrugged. “He just wanted to keep the wee lassie from being traumatized.”
“So, where does Sarai think he is?” Declan asked.
“Thailand,” Maureen answered. “But I don’t believe that for a minute. What would he be doing in Thailand?”
Charlie sighed, and I could hear him debating how much to divulge. He settled for, “We don’t think he is in Thailand.”
“You think Sarai is lying?”
“Either she’s lying or he’s lying to her. If he has telephoned her, that is.”
Declan shook his head. “This is getting too confusing. Just tell us how to help.” He sat down on the couch where Maureen had settled herself and he snatched up her brandy before she could, taking a sip first.
“You can go through those index card files and tell us who you think would be after your father or his money or have a grudge against him for any reason. Stack them in order of who you would be most concerned about.”
Declan nodded and he and Maureen went to work, agreeing on the same ones. Charlie took the pile of cards and we looked through them. Aileen’s card was on the top, followed by Evelyn Shelton, second ex-wife, and Chantal Michaels, ex-girlfriend between ex-wife number two and Aileen. Those were followed by Melody Bass, Patricia Weston, and Honoria Turner, all past girlfriends. We didn’t mention that we would be adding the card with their mother’s name to the pile.
“Tell us about these,” Charlie said, separating the top three from the pile.
“Well youse know Aileen,” Maureen said mockingly. “Sorry. Anyway, you know her already.”
“Evelyn was our dad’s second wife,” Declan said.
“She’s the reason Declan and I are so hard on dad and his lady loves. She pretty much taught us not to trust anyone.”
“And Chantal—” Declan began, but was quickly interrupted by his little sister.
“She wasn’t so bad. I mean, she loved money, that was for sure, and she was pretty upset when she realized there was no way Dad would marry her, but she didn’t seem spiteful or anything.”
“It was more like, ‘why am I wasting my time on you?’” Declan offered.
“Yeah. That’s about it.”
“So why is she in your top three?”
Declan shrugged. “Probably ‘cause she loves money, like Maureen said.”
“And the other three ex-girlfriends? Honoria, Patricia, and Melody?” Charlie asked.
“They weren’t around long. Only a few months each,” Maureen said.
“So where are they now, Evelyn and Chantal?”
“As far as I know, Evelyn is still living here in Seattle, works at an attorney’s office.”
“Didn’t get as much as she had hoped in the divorce settlement,” Maureen added with a smirk. “So, she went back to work.”
“How long ago were they divorced?”
The siblings thought for a moment and answered simultaneously, “Eight years?”
“And Chantal?” I asked.
Maureen glanced at Declan. “Last I heard she had moved abroad. Somewhere exotic like Spain maybe?”
Declan nodded. “Or Portugal? Overseas anyway.”
“Yeah, she moved away a long time ago. And as far as I know, she and Dad haven’t been in contact since.”
“But she’s still in your top three,” Charlie said.
Declan shrugged. “Probably shouldn’t be, but they were together for what? Three years? Longer than most.”
“Yeah, something like that,” Maureen said. “But if I were you, I’d start with Aileen Shannon.”
“And Evelyn,” Declan said, frowning.
“Not your favorite person, I take it,” Charlie said.
“Probably wouldn’t have been so bad if she hadn’t been our step mother,” Declan said.
Maureen shrugged. “Maybe, but as far as I’m concerned, the woman is an evil bitch.”
I stifled a laugh at the lassie’s candor, just one of the things I admired about her.
They had skipped over Sam and Ella’s names, I had noticed. “What do you know about the caretakers on Tara Island?” I asked.
“Sam and Ella?” Maureen looked at me with disgust that I would even ask that. “They’ve been working for dad for twenty years. And they’re good friends too.” The emphasis was on the good.
“Anyone else you can think of?” Charlie asked.
“Yeah, he’s not in here,” Declan said, “But you should know about some contractor guy who sabotaged one of Dad’s construction sites several years ago. He’s probably still in prison, but just in case—”
“James Webb,” Charlie said. “We’ve already interviewed him.”
Declan looked at his sister and for the first time seemed to realize the sobriety of the situation.
“No men?” I asked, gazing down at the cards again.
“Yeah, but they’re not in there. The jealous husbands of the women who have chased after Dad over the years.”
“Such as?”
Brother and sister brainstormed for a few minutes, jotting down a few additional names for us to pursue. By the time they finished, I realized we had our work cut out for us. Even though I was only Charlie’s lowly assistant, I felt a sense of urgency and knew I needed to give the Sharkey matter as much attention as I could afford which was
never enough.
After the two young Sharkeys left Charlie’s, I asked, “So I take it, you’re no longer looking at the bairns as suspects?”
“Assuming they stand to inherit his entire estate, they are the only ones to benefit from his premature death.”
“In other words, the only ones who have no need to request ransom.”
“Aye.”
“But do you, Charlie? Do you believe they are capable of doing such a thing?”
“No, I don’t,” Charlie said. “I never did think Maureen would be up to something. I do not believe her concern for her father’s wellbeing is an act. And I was watching Declan closely as they were going through the cards. I didn’t sense anything malevolent in his nature.”
“Nor I.” I released a sigh of relief and followed him back into the living room.
I noticed that he had returned to the list of names they had written and was jotting down one of his own. If I wasn’t mistaken, and could read anything at a five feet distance and upside down, he had written the name of one of our soccer teammates. Sean O’Malley.
* * *
Charlie bore the brunt of the work the following day as I had a morning lecture to give at the University. Josh came with me and I dropped him off at Matt’s dorm. After he and Matt had come up with a theory and Charlie had discovered some new information about the men who were after him, Josh felt comfortable going back up to the island with Matthew to spend the weekend with Jenny.
Two things were keeping me away. Charlie’s need of my assistance and Jenny’s need to spend time with her son who was yet to learn about the status of our relationship.
After my lecture, I headed over to the University library where one of Charlie’s lads was observing Aileen and her brothers at their regular meeting of Irish rebels. I sat at a nearby picnic table, sipping my black coffee and reading the newspaper. As soon as they started to disband, I walked over to them.
“Hey, there’s the Scottish hunk. Come to tell me you’ve changed your mind, have you?” Aileen reached out with a hug.
“Sorry, lass, I’m taken.” I winked at her. “But if I weren’t—”
She grinned. “If you weren’t you’d be a luckier man than you know.” She really did take to older men, I thought.
Shannon One and Two looked on with disapproval.
“What are the three of you doing here?” I asked with my innocent best. “Up to mischief, are you?”
“Just getting together with some friends,” Aileen said. “I’m tryin’ to get these two layabouts to get off their arses and make something of themselves.”
The brothers glared at her. “We’re doin’ our share,” Liam said. “We’re paying our part of the rent, aren’t we now?”
“Just barely. You’re as useless as tits on a bull.” She ignored the ire that was rising in their eyes and turned back to me. Apparently she was one of the few not to be threatened by them.
“Hey, we’ve got good work now,” Dougal protested. “We’ve been working on that house for two weeks steady.”
Aileen shook her head in disgust. “About time. What about you, handsome? What are you doing here?”
“I teach here, remember?”
“Aye, of course I remember. But isn’t the physics department a ways from here?”
“I do make it to other parts of campus,” I said, walking along as she and her brothers made their way toward the parking lot. “And it is such a lovely Seattle day I could not pass up an opportunity to be outside.”
“Ah, that it is,” she said. “’Til today it’s been as dreary as an Irish winter.”
“Aye, it has been dreich indeed. So, lassie, what have you been up to lately?” I asked as if I hadn’t been briefed by Charlie’s men who had followed her from apartment to classes to meetings to study groups, to soccer, and to the pub. I was grateful we had maintained at least partial surveillance, or she might be under more suspicion concerning the whereabouts of our friend Sharkey.
Her brothers had been under partial surveillance as well these last couple weeks. They too had maintained a relatively innocent schedule of apartment to construction site to pub to soccer field to pub, with a few women’s apartments thrown in as well as half a dozen fist fights. The only reason Charlie wanted me to “run into” them was because he wanted to establish the status of their animosity towards Sharkey.
“Mostly busy studying,” Aileen answered my question. “And soccer of course.”
“How are you surviving your new living arrangement?”
She groaned. “Not grand like living in a castle with servants, but it’s only temporary. And if the close and messy quarters which reduce me to playing the part of a scrub maid, if they get to me, I just close my eyes and pretend I’m living in the lap of luxury.” She grinned at me. “Don’t you worry about me now, Malcolm MacGregor. I’ll be okay, I will. I’ll find my way back into the luxurious lifestyle I was meant to live.”
I had no doubt that she would do exactly that. “I trust you will do just fine, Aileen.”
“I will indeed, Malcolm.” She gave me a fetching smile that indicated the path her thoughts were taking.
Not wishing to have to reject her again, I swiftly changed the subject. “So, have you been back to the Shamrock and Thistle to hear Charlie play again?”
“I mostly frequent O’Connell’s. Back working a couple shifts. Haven’t seen you in there much.” She gave me that look that said she had been looking for me.
“I’ve been busy as well, not much time for the pub and with the torrential rain we’ve been having, we haven’t had practice so no excuse to come in for a pint after playing hard. Have you seen your old friend Eddie lately?”
She stopped walking to glower at me. “Now why would I want to see that tosser?”
I glanced at her brothers whose expressions had turned sour as well. “I doubt you would. Just thought you might have run into him. You do tend to frequent the same pubs.”
“Well, if he knows what’s good for him, he’ll stay clear of our sister,” Dougal said.
“If he does that, you won’t have your chance to punch him,” I pointed out.
“Maybe so,” Liam said, “But we could find him if we wanted to.”
“And where would you find him?”
Liam snickered. “At that mansion of his.”
“Or one of his football matches,” Dougal said.
Aileen rolled her eyes. “Youse two are so full of shite.”
“We’re just lookin’ out for you, Aileen, and you know it.”
“I do that, but you know perfectly well you’re not going ta beat up an auld man.”
They chuckled. “He is that, isn’t he?” Liam said.
“And we’d have other means of taking him out if we wanted to.”
I forced a smile and a laugh as I asked, “And what might those be?”
Again a roll of the eyes from their sister.
“We’d do something a lot more subtle than punching him out, I’ll tell you that. Although there is some appeal to placing this fist up the auld man’s nose.” Liam clenched one hand and rubbed it menacingly with the other. “We could spike one of his beers, we could.”
“With?” I asked.
“Ex-Lax,” Dougal said laughing until he fell onto the grass where he rolled around as his brother joined him for a wrestling match. Now I was rolling my eyes right along with Aileen.
* * *
“They’re always itching for a fight, Charlie,” I said into my cell. “But I do believe their bark is worse than their bite. Clearly they didn’t know about the damage done to Sharkey’s car or they never would have joked about him the way they did.”
“I tend to agree with that.”
“Any luck with the ex Mrs. Sharkey Two?”
“She’s on the schedule for tomorrow. I want you along for that one, but there are other things I need to discuss with you.”
“What’s that?”
“Meet me at the pub? I’ve just arrive
d at Moira’s Boutique. From here, I’m heading there. The band’s playing tonight.”
“Sounds good,” I said, ending the call just before my phone died. I climbed into the front seat of my Range Rover and searched for my phone charger but it wasn’t it the car. When had I become so distracted that I would forget my car charger? As if I didn’t know.
I drove back around the campus to my office where I met with two students before heading over to the pub. Charlie was there ahead of me. He was sitting at a table in the back eating a shepherd’s pie and drinking a British lemonade. I joined him, ordering the same meal but with a Belhaven.
“So, how did it go with Moira? Did she threaten to model one of those negligees for you?” I asked.
Charlie laughed. “Almost, but she was actually more interested in hearing about you.”
I sputtered the sip of my beer before I could swallow it. “She just likes to flirt with men.”
“Aye, but she asked after you three times.”
I set down my pint and stared at him. “You’re not considering using me for bait again, are you?”
“We need to do something with those good looks and charm of yours.”
“Right, after the Aileen incident you told me that as adorable as I am, she only really became interested in me after you mentioned my financial status. Or do you have a selective memory suddenly?”
Charlie chuckled. “Och, no, I remember it well. And no, for my daughter’s sake, I will not try to convince you to sacrifice yourself.”
“So, obviously you think Moira is a possibility.”
“I’m not so certain but she does seem to have a great deal of animosity toward our man Eddie. My other purpose for speaking with her was to find out if our friend could possibly be up to something illegal.”
“Did she give you any reason to believe that?”
“None. And I gave her several opportunities.”
I had to admit I did find some relief in that news.
Saving Sharkey Page 21