Tell Nobody: Absolutely gripping crime fiction with unputdownable mystery and suspense

by Patricia Gibney

He shrugged.

  ‘Any of your clients know?’

  He uncoiled his body slowly and leaned across the table. His eyebrows were knitted together and she could smell an acrid staleness coming from his breath.

  ‘What are you talking about?’

  ‘Max. Please cut me some slack here. I’m trying to find your brother.’

  He seemed to consider this; leaned back in the chair, ran a hand over his eyes, squeezing the bridge of his nose.

  Eventually he said, ‘Wes Finnegan knew about it.’

  ‘He was here in the station most of yesterday, until he was released late last night. He couldn’t have taken Toby.’ She already knew Toby had been injured at the clubhouse and brought away by Paul Duffy. But Max didn’t know that.

  ‘Are you sure he was taken?’ he said.

  ‘The only thing we know at the moment is that we can’t find him. Who else went to the depot?’

  Max ran his hand under his nose, like a child. The man he was trying to be had all but disappeared.

  ‘Duffy.’ His voice was so low, Gilly wasn’t sure she’d heard correctly. She glanced at Lynch, who appeared to be half asleep.

  ‘Paul Duffy? The doctor?’

  ‘Yeah, and Rory Butler.’

  ‘The guy who coached the soccer team?’ Lynch said, wide awake now.

  ‘Duffy was all flash with his cash. And Butler appeared one day looking for him.’

  ‘So you’re saying Paul Duffy could have abused the boys?’

  ‘Maybe.’

  ‘And Rory Butler?’ Lynch asked incredulously

  ‘Butler? I don’t know about him.’

  Seventy-Eight

  Boyd radioed for backup as Lottie sped from Duffy’s house over to her mother’s.

  ‘That’s Paul Duffy’s car,’ she said, parking up behind it. ‘Radio the backup crews to approach without sirens. We need to assess the situation first.’ She couldn’t understand how she was so calm. Her whole family could be in danger, but her professionalism was overriding her fear. Good. ‘Are you ready?’

  ‘Ready for what? Jesus, Lottie, we need to wait,’ Boyd said. ‘You can’t go in there all guns blazing. You might be putting your family at risk.’

  She twisted round to face him. ‘You saw what was done to Rory Butler. Either Paul or Barry or both of them did that, and you know what was done to the two boys. Let me tell you this, you can sit out here and wait if you like, but I’m going in.’

  ‘Okay, okay. I’m coming.’

  Outside the car she said, ‘I’m sorry, Boyd. I’m wired. I’m terrified …’

  ‘You’re not wired. You’re too calm. That’s what I’m afraid of.’ He tightened the Velcro on his stab vest. ‘What’s the plan?’

  Lottie made sure her holster clip was unlocked, and nodded at him to do the same.

  ‘We’re going to wing it. Play it as if I believed the text was from Rose. Let’s see what the good doctor has to say then.’

  At the door, she took a deep breath and turned her key. Time for the final act.

  ‘Hi, Mother. Got your text. Glad Sean is …’

  The remaining words died in her throat. Barry Duffy was sitting on a chair with her grandson in his arms and a knife in his hand.

  He looked at her with bloodshot eyes. ‘Stay where you are.’

  ‘Barry? What’s going on? Are you okay?’ She tried to put on her mothering voice.

  ‘Oh, I’m fine, Mrs Parker. Sean’s granny, over there, I think she needs a doctor. Though I would strongly advise against phoning my bastard of a father.’

  From the corner of her eye, Lottie saw Boyd drop to his knees next to Rose, who was lying in a heap on the ground. Shit, now Boyd was no use to her.

  ‘Where’s Sean?’ She had to keep the boy talking.

  ‘Here.’ Barry kicked at something by his feet. Sean was sitting on the floor, his back to the table, his hands cable-tied to a chair leg, a cut on his forehead. The baby squirmed in Barry’s arms.

  ‘Can I take Louis?’ Lottie tried.

  Barry snorted. ‘He’s happy enough here. Not a squeak out of him.’

  True, Lottie thought. She had never seen Louis so quiet. She hoped he hadn’t been drugged. She had to act quickly.

  ‘Can we have a chat, Barry? Tell me what this is all about and how I can help you.’

  ‘No one can help me now.’

  She kept her eye on the baby. She needed to get him to safety. She was glad Katie wasn’t here. The girl would be hysterical. And Chloe. Where were they? A terrible thought crushed like a boulder down on her brain. Surely he hadn’t hurt her girls? She stifled the terror-streaked gasp before it left her lips. One thing at a time.

  ‘Barry, talk to me. I can help you.’

  ‘I want you to arrest my father. He’s ruined my life, and my mum’s.’

  ‘I need to know what he’s done before I can arrest him. Tell me, Barry, what did he do to you?’ She edged in closer. One step at a time. One breath at a time. But she knew she wasn’t fooling him. She only hoped the backup team didn’t storm the house. The first one to die would be Louis. She had to separate them. Her heart was beating so hard, she was sure he could hear it. ‘What did he do, Barry? Did he abuse you?’

  ‘Not me. But the boys. Mikey, Kevin and Toby. He abused them. All three of them. I tried to warn them off. But they were more afraid of me than of my father. Funny that, when you think of it.’

  Lottie knew they had Barry’s DNA on the football shorts. Would that turn out to be innocent transference from when he sold them on, or was he involved with his father?

  ‘Why didn’t you report this before now?’

  ‘Because I’ve had enough of his rules and regulations. The fuss he created last night when Sean arrived at the house. It was something else. Isn’t that right, Sean?’

  Sean nodded his head frantically. ‘That’s right. He even—’

  ‘Shut up!’ Barry stopped him. He turned back to Lottie. ‘Are you going to arrest my father now?’

  ‘We have no evidence to connect him to the deaths. But Barry, can you tell me how we found your DNA on the waistband of the football shorts the victims were wearing?’

  Barry paled, and the hand gripping the knife trembled. ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘I think you do. You took soccer kit from Bertie Harris with the intention of selling it on. He told us, so there’s no point in denying it.’

  ‘That old fart would shop his granny if he thought it would get him out of trouble. No offence, Rosie,’ he said with a smirk towards the floor, where Rose was now sitting up, breathing regularly.

  Lottie watched him carefully. She had to get Louis away from him. She couldn’t understand how her grandson wasn’t screaming the house down. But no, he was fast asleep, his head resting on Barry’s shoulder. From the corner of her eye, she could see Boyd slowly moving away from Rose. But he was still in Barry’s line of vision.

  ‘Are you saying that you didn’t abuse or kill the boys?’

  ‘Isn’t that what I’ve been trying to tell you? You’re supposed to be a detective. Why didn’t you work it out? It was my dad.’

  ‘Where is your father, Barry?’

  She took another step forward. He inched the knife closer to the baby. The sound of the blood reverberating in her ears threatened to deafen her. Keep calm.

  Barry was staring at a point above her head. As if he was in deep thought before he conjured up an answer.

  ‘Is he dead?’ she asked.

  ‘No. Death would be too easy for him. He’s in the boot of his car.’

  ‘How … I don’t understand.’

  ‘That jerk Rory Butler arrived at our house last night. Raving and shouting accusations. The next thing I knew, Dad was fighting him out in the garden. Thumping each other good and hard. I went to investigate. Sean here can testify to that, can’t you, Seanie?’

  Sean said, ‘Yeah.’

  Lottie focused on Barry. She didn’t dare drop her eyes to look at her s
on. ‘How did you overpower him? Your father’s a big man.’

  ‘And I’m stronger than him. He was bruised and battered. Easy for me.’

  Noticing a shadow cross the glass of the back door, Lottie knew she had to get the knife away from Barry before the house was stormed. Louis stirred in the boy’s arms. Opened his eyes and howled. Barry jerked, startled. Lottie raced forward. The back door opened.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Chloe stood there with Katie beside her. Katie screamed.

  Wrestling the baby from Barry, Lottie handed him to her daughter – she didn’t know which one – and slammed her arm across Barry’s throat. She knocked the chair flying and both of them crashed to the floor.

  ‘It’s okay, Lottie. I have him.’

  Boyd wrenched Barry from her grasp and pulled him out from under her. Only then did she realise she had been about to smash her fist into the boy’s face.

  Seventy-Nine

  ‘Thanks for coming out to Swift House with me,’ Gilly said. ‘I can’t locate Kirby. Everyone else is either out looking for the Duffys or over at the boss’s house. Some drama going on there. I think they might have found Sean. It’s a long shot but I thought if Rory Butler was involved in all this, maybe Toby could be here.’

  Lynch wiped perspiration from the back of her neck. How did Kirby put up with Gilly O’Donoghue? The girl never shut her mouth.

  They stood at the boot of the car and Lynch pulled on a vest. It was way too small.

  ‘Bit tight for you?’ Gilly said.

  ‘It’ll be grand.’ Lynch fastened the straps loosely, knowing it wouldn’t be much good if it came to a tussle with an enemy. But then again, she didn’t think they were marching into trouble. The house looked deserted.

  ‘Bulky old yokes, aren’t they?’

  Lynch nodded, and the baby kicked hard against her ribs. Dear God, she prayed, don’t let me be putting my child in danger.

  All around was quiet. No car. They approached the front door.

  ‘How do you want to do this?’ Gilly said.

  ‘Carefully.’

  Gilly knocked. ‘No answer. Will we try around the back?’

  ‘Sure.’

  As she followed O’Donoghue around the side of the house, Lynch tried to block out the constant chatter. Unsuccessfully.

  ‘I’d love to have loads of kids,’ Gilly said, stepping onto the patio. ‘This is your third, isn’t that right? I’d like two. A boy and a girl. Don’t know about Kirby, though. We haven’t discussed it. We’re in the early stages still, you know. But I do love him. Haven’t said as much yet. Waiting for him to declare his undying love for me first.’ She laughed.

  Lynch smiled to herself. She could never imagine Kirby as a dad. Then again, it just might suit him.

  Gilly knocked on the back door. ‘This is some set-up. Rory Butler must be loaded. I find it hard to imagine he’d kill Mikey, his own kid. How could someone do that? And the poor baby found in the canal. Do you think he was murdered by his mother? Do you want me to fetch the enforcer to break down this door?’

  ‘Garda O’Donoghue … Gilly. Stop chattering for a minute. We have no warrant. And no evidence that Rory Butler was involved in anything. Max Collins is in such a state that he’d say anything to give him a chance of keeping out of jail. Let me think for a minute. In silence.’

  She sat down on one of the garden chairs to take the weight off her feet and to put distance between herself and the chatterbox.

  ‘I’d love a house like this. My flat is so poky.’ Gilly was peering through the windows. ‘Here, look. I think something’s happened in here.’

  Lynch stood up and glanced over Gilly’s shoulder. The reflection of the sun was making it hard to see. She went back to the door and tried the handle. It was open.

  ‘Oh, sorry, I never checked. I thought we needed a warrant to enter the premises if we’re not invited in,’ Gilly said.

  ‘You’ve seen broken crockery and upturned chairs through the window. We have reason to believe a life may be in danger. Let’s do this.’

  ‘You’re the boss,’ Gilly said.

  ‘I wish.’

  Kirby knew Gilly was impulsive, but this was taking the proverbial biscuit. Lynch should have had more sense, though. The state pathologist had just finished her preliminary examination of Rory Butler’s body on site, and the team with the body bag was waiting patiently to take it to the morgue. He checked Gilly’s text again.

  ‘Okay if I leave you with uniforms?’ he said.

  McGlynn glared at him over his face mask. ‘Get out of my sight. And when you see that inspector of yours, tell her if she ever invades a crime scene again, I’m reporting her to the chief superintendent and the commissioner and anyone else who can get rid of her.’

  ‘Right so.’

  Kirby shuffled off quickly. When he reached his car, he lit a cigar and set off to find Gilly and Maria Lynch. This whole case was a major fuck-up. As he drove towards Swift House he listened to the radio dispatch. It sounded like all had been resolved at the boss’s house.

  He tried to call Lottie, but the phone rang out.

  Rose was adamant she was staying put.

  ‘I’m not going in any ambulance to any hospital. I’m staying here in my own home and caring for these children.’

  Lottie rolled her eyes and handed Louis back to a sobbing Katie. ‘He’s fine, pet. Not a mark. He won’t remember a thing.’

  Katie took the baby and rushed to her room. Chloe made to follow her sister. Lottie called her back.

  ‘The night you saw Toby outside Fallon’s, was it Barry Duffy who was in the car following him?’

  Chloe shook her head. ‘I think it was the same car as the one out on the road there. Looks a similar colour, but I’m not sure of the make. And I didn’t see who was in it.’

  Lottie sat down beside her son. ‘Are you able to tell me what went on last night?’

  ‘I shouldn’t have gone there. But I’d been at Toby’s earlier in the day and took screenshots of messages on his PlayStation. I was positive they were from Barry. Threatening or warning him, I’m not sure which. Telling Toby someone was coming for him. Now I think maybe Barry was warning him to be careful.’

  ‘But why didn’t you tell me? Why did you go over to the Duffys’ on your own?’

  ‘I wanted to tell Barry to stay away from Toby. He’d been mean to him the previous day and I didn’t like it. And when Chloe told me about the boy being terrified by the car, I called to Toby’s house to talk with him, but only Max was there. He’s a scary guy and I felt that Barry needed to stay clear of the Collins family; that he had to end the tough act.’

  ‘Okay. Tell me what happened when you got to Barry’s house.’

  ‘Dr Duffy opened the door and I thought he was a bit aggressive, standing up close to me, talking loud like. But he brought me inside. While I was in the hall waiting for Barry to come downstairs, someone began hammering on the door. The doctor opened it and Rory Butler stormed inside. He had some sort of painting in his hand and was shouting about an art studio and someone killing his son. He was mad, like really mad. I couldn’t make out what he was saying most of the time. Dr Duffy tried to calm him down and they went outside to the garden.’

  ‘And then?’

  Sean shrugged. ‘Barry came down the stairs. Told me to wait in the kitchen, then grabbed a knife and ran out.’

  ‘Did you see what went on?’

  ‘I saw nothing until Barry and his dad came back inside. They were both covered in blood. I was terrified. I wanted to leave, but they wouldn’t let me, and then Barry started on at his dad. He hit him and the doctor fell against the corner of the bench. He was knocked out, I think.’

  Lottie squeezed Sean’s hand. ‘You’re doing great, son.’

  ‘Barry made me help him drag his dad outside, and we heaved him into the boot of the car. I think Barry had gone stone mad at that stage. He still had the knife. He locked the car and made me sit in the kitchen until morning,
and then he drove the car over here.’

  ‘And Julia, Barry’s mother. Where was she when all this was going on?’

  ‘I have no idea.’

  ‘Go and lie down for a bit. You’re tired and in shock. I’ll check in on you later.’

  When Sean left the room, Lottie said to Boyd, ‘At least we have Paul Duffy in custody now. If what I’ve heard is correct, he is the abuser, and possibly the killer. Now we just have to find Toby.’

  Boyd said, ‘But we have no idea where he might be.’

  ‘None of this makes sense. I don’t understand what Rory Butler has to do with it. But we need to get to the bottom of it.’ She grabbed an apple out of the fruit bowl, realising she’d eaten nothing so far that day.

  ‘Will we talk to Paul Duffy first?’ Boyd said.

  ‘Where is he now?’

  ‘At the station with his son. In separate rooms.’

  ‘Okay. Let’s see what the bastard has to say for himself.’ Lottie turned to Rose. ‘I’ve posted uniforms at the door and detectives out on the road. You sure you’re okay here?’

  ‘Finish your work. And … bring a takeaway for dinner when you’re on your way back.’

  Lottie smiled. Rose never did takeaway.

  ‘This is some house,’ Gilly said, leading the way up the stairs, careful not to touch anything.

  ‘Shh,’ Lynch said. ‘Be quiet.’

  ‘It doesn’t look like there’s anyone home and Rory is dead.’

  ‘Will you ever shut up?’

  ‘Okay so.’ Why was Lynch such a moaner? If that was what pregnancy did to you, Gilly wasn’t sure she wanted a baby after all.

  All the doors on the landing were closed. She leaned against the first one. Put her ear to the white timber.

  ‘I can hear something,’ she whispered. ‘Sounds like crying.’

  ‘Open it,’ Lynch said, ‘and then stand back. I’ll go in first.’

  ‘No, I will.’

  ‘I’m the detective, Garda O’Donoghue, and you will follow my orders. Agreed?’

  ‘Agreed,’ Gilly sighed. But she wasn’t about to let a pregnant detective take a hit if there was someone dangerous inside. She turned the silver doorknob, then moved quickly into the room and stopped.