by Val Collins
FOUR
Lisa
When they left, Lisa put her arms around her mother. ‘Ignore them. They can’t force us to do anything.’
Her mother’s hands shook as she reached for a tissue. ‘They’ve been through enough. If this will help them cope, I’ll have to agree.’
‘You don’t have to agree to anything, Mum. Shane is with his family, where he belongs. They have no right to even suggest such a horrific thing. What about us? Aren’t we allowed to have any feelings?’
‘Maybe you are. I’m not. They think this is all my fault.’
The pain in her eyes was so stark, Lisa had to turn away. She took a deep breath and forced herself to meet her mother’s gaze.
‘That’s ridiculous, Mum. How could any of this be your fault?’
‘I raised him.’
‘You raised a kind, thoughtful, loving man. Whatever anyone else might say, you and I know the truth. Don’t listen to them. Don’t listen to anyone.’
‘Fiona was their daughter, and those beautiful babies…’ She brought the tissue to her eyes to hide her tears.
Lisa kissed the top of her mother’s head. ‘This has got to stop. We’ve all been hurt enough. They have no right to make things worse. We are not going to allow them to separate Shane from his family.’
Her mother pushed back her chair and stood up. ‘I’ll allow it. It’s the very least I can do.’
‘Mum!’
Her mother shuffled towards the door. ‘I’m going to lie down for a bit. Please don’t mention the subject again, Lisa. I’ve made up my mind. If this is what they need to heal, this is how it’s going to be.’
Lisa sat on the sofa. She bit her lip, tears spilling onto her cheeks. Her tears turned to sobs and within a few minutes she had to bury her head in a cushion to drown out the howls of anguish.
FIVE
It had been a hell of a day in the office. Aoife’s computer had crashed and she’d lost hours of work. Normally she finished at noon on Wednesdays, but she had to stay in the office until 2 p.m. to redo the work she’d lost. As if that wasn’t bad enough, a crash on the motorway meant her normally fifteen-minute commute took almost an hour. The only music to hand was children’s nursery rhymes, so Aoife switched on the radio. For a full twenty minutes she channel-hopped between the most boring programmes ever broadcast, finally settling on an interview with a well-known politician. His views were so contrary to her own that she screamed at the radio in protest. When Aoife finally pulled into her driveway, exhausted and irritated, her humour was not improved by the sight of Jason’s car in her driveway. That was all she needed! What was he doing here? He saw Amy every second weekend. Never once had he suggested seeing her during the week.
Aoife let herself into the house. Somewhere in the distance she could hear a kids’ movie. Jason and Blaine were sitting at the kitchen table deep in conversation, an empty pizza box on the table between them.
‘Hi, Aoife.’
‘Jason, what are you doing here? Where’s Conor?’
‘He was called into work urgently. He rang Mum to see if she could take Amy, but I was there, so I came around.’
‘Why didn’t you bring Amy back to your own place or to Maura’s?’
‘Mum’s having the entire house repainted. She spent last night with me because the fumes were so bad. It’s better now but I don’t know if it would be safe for Amy. In any case, Amy didn’t want to leave Blaine, and he wasn’t too keen on meeting his father’s girlfriend’s ex-mother-in-law-to-be.’ He glanced at Blaine and they both laughed. Aoife felt her anger soar.
‘Right, where’s Amy?’
‘She got bored hanging out with us adults. She went upstairs to watch some movie.’
So rather than spend time with his daughter, he was letting Disney do the babysitting again. And why had he put a slight emphasis on ‘adults’? Was he trying to flatter Blaine?
‘Jason, I would prefer if you did not allow Amy to watch TV during the day.’
‘Relax, Aoife. A little TV won’t do her any harm.’ Again, he glanced at Blaine. Blaine’s lips twitched.
Aoife marched out to the corridor. ‘Amy! Come say goodbye to your dad.’
Amy came running down the stairs.
‘Bye, Daddy.’ She gave him a hug.
Jason stood. ‘I guess I’m leaving. It was nice meeting you, Blaine. I hope you enjoy your holiday.’
As soon as the car was out of the driveway, Amy ran upstairs to her movie. Aoife followed her. ‘Give me the iPad, Amy, please. You are not allowed to watch TV during the day.’
‘Daddy said I could.’
‘You do what Daddy says in Daddy’s house. You do what I say in this house.’
Amy scowled. She gripped the iPad with both hands and held it against her tiny body. ‘You’re a very mean mummy.’
‘Amy!’
‘Amy, would you like me to push you on the swing?’ Aoife hadn’t heard Blaine coming up the stairs.
‘Yes, please.’ Her temper tantrum forgotten, Amy flung the iPad on the bed and ran down the stairs. A few minutes later, Aoife heard the squeak of the swing and intermittent peals of laughter. She switched off the iPad, sat on Amy’s bed and buried her head in her hands.
*
‘I’m sorry. I thought he was coming around to collect Amy. I didn’t realise he was going to spend the entire afternoon in the house.’
‘I was so furious. And it made me even madder that he and Blaine seem to have become great friends.’
‘I know.’ Conor came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck. ‘They don’t often call me in when I’m on holidays, but if it happens again, I’ll bring her to Maura’s myself or I’ll drop her into your office.’
‘Dad, when are we leaving? I told Mum I’d phone her tonight.’
Conor kept an arm around Aoife’s waist as he turned to face his son. ‘We’re having dinner here, Blaine. I thought you knew that.’
‘Again!’
‘Blaine!’
‘Sorry, it’s just that I wanted to talk to Mum.’
‘If you need privacy, phone her from the car.’
‘Amy will follow me.’
Aoife pulled away from Conor. ‘I’ll make sure she doesn’t bother you, Blaine. Dinner will be in twenty minutes.’
*
Running down the stairs, Aoife realised she couldn’t smell the chicken. She felt the oven door. Cold. The chicken inside was warm. ‘Damn!’
‘What’s wrong, honey?’ Conor and Blaine had followed her downstairs.
‘Dinner is ruined. Amy, did you turn off the oven?’
Amy was sitting at the kitchen table, colouring.
‘No,’ she said, her tongue hanging out as she concentrated on her task.
Aoife could tell she wasn’t lying. ‘How did it get turned off? The chicken is warm, so the oven must have been hot when I put it in.’
‘Maybe you turned it off by accident?’
‘Why would I do that, Conor? Well, we can’t eat it now. We could all get food poisoning. How do you feel about omelettes?’
‘Great. I’ll make the salad. You love omelettes, don’t you, Blaine?’
‘I don’t mind.’
Aoife looked at him. Had she imagined the note of triumph in his voice? She glanced at Conor, but he didn’t appear to have noticed.
*
Aoife and Amy were waving goodbye as Conor and Blaine drove away. Amy always ran to the gate, waving frantically, but this time she followed them out to the road. Aoife’s house was on the edge of the Curragh. A narrow road separated it from miles and miles of flat planes which were occupied mostly by sheep, their lambs and the occasional horse. When she and Jason had moved in, the road had been an uneven path with enormous potholes and very little traffic. Last year it had been properly surfaced. It still didn’t get much traffic, but the few cars that used the road tended to drive at ridiculous speeds. Aoife called her back, but Amy ignored her. Aoife listened. No traffic.
She hurried inside, grabbed her house keys and ran after Amy. From the gate, she could see Amy a little way in the distance talking to a woman. It was quite common for locals to walk through the fields, but they rarely walked on the road.
‘Amy!’
Amy ran towards her and the woman followed. ‘This is my mummy.’
Aoife picked Amy up. The woman held out her hand. ‘Hi, I’m Lisa.’
Aoife recognised her immediately.
‘Hi.’
‘Do you remember me?’
‘You were in Fallon & Byrne.’
‘Yes. I was going to speak to you, but your friend arrived before I had a chance. That was the second time we met. I also saw you in the restaurant with Detective Moloney.’
‘That was you?’ Aoife looked at her warily. Amy was wriggling in her arms. Aoife put her on the ground, and she ran towards a group of young lambs who appeared to be trying to climb a tree. They fled in terror and she raced across the field after them. ‘Stay where I can see you, Amy,’ Aoife called. She turned to the woman.
‘How do you know where I live?’
‘I’ve been following Detective Moloney.’
Aoife took a step backwards and glanced towards Amy.
‘I’m not a stalker. I’m Shane Grogan’s sister.’
‘Shane? Fiona’s husband?’
‘You knew Fiona?’
‘No. We never actually met, but she was in my book club. My friend Jenny knew her.’
‘Oh yeah, I remember Fiona mentioning something about them joining a book club. It’s hard to believe there was a time when finding a book club that would take her was one of her biggest problems.’
‘I’m so sorry about what happened. I can’t even imagine what you’re going through.’
‘Most of the time I’m not too sure myself. It’s been four months already and I still can’t really believe it happened.’
‘Did you want to discuss the murder with Conor?’
‘I wish I could. I’ve been trying to talk to him for months. You know he’s the lead detective in the investigation?’
Aoife shook her head. ‘Conor doesn’t discuss his work with me.’
Lisa snorted. ‘He doesn’t discuss it with me either, and Shane was my family. That night in the restaurant he had me thrown out. I thought you would be more likely to listen to me.’
‘I think Conor was upset you approached him outside the office. His son is visiting, so he’s taken a few weeks off work, but I’m sure the office can let you know who’s taken over his cases.’
‘I’ve spoken to his replacement. He’s worse than Detective Moloney. No matter what I say, the answer I get is “I understand”. I don’t want his understanding, I want him to find the killer. You have to help me. I’m desperate.’
‘Lisa, I truly am sorry for your loss, but I don’t see what I can do to help.’
‘I need—I’m sorry, I don’t know your name.’
‘Aoife.’
‘Aoife, I need you to convince Detective Moloney that my brother is not a murderer.’
‘How can I do that? I never even met Shane.’
‘My brother wasn’t capable of murdering anyone, let alone his own family. His youngest was a little younger than your daughter. What kind of a monster would murder a two-year-old? There’s a lunatic out there who butchered five innocent people and nobody is looking for him. Please, you have to convince Detective Moloney to listen to me.’
Aoife nodded towards Amy, who was now halfway across the field. ‘I have to get her.’
She walked away, but Lisa followed. ‘Think how you would feel if you were me. Fiona’s family say they were in shock when they agreed to have Shane buried with his wife and kids. They want his grave dug up and his remains moved to another cemetery. My mother is seventy-two. She’s barely survived the last four months. This will kill her. Please help me.’
‘We have to go home now, Amy.’ Aoife reached for her hand and Amy skipped along beside her. Lisa followed them back to the house.
‘You’re my only hope,’ Lisa said. ‘There’s nobody else I can turn to.’
‘Why is that lady crying, Mummy?’
Aoife opened the front door and Amy ran inside. ‘I’m sorry, I have to go.’
‘But you’ll talk to Detective Moloney? Just get him to sit down with me. That’s all I’m asking.’
‘I’ll think about it.’
SIX
Lisa
Lisa turned the key in the ignition but made no attempt to move. Had she been convincing enough? If Aoife didn’t help her, what would she do? Her heart was thumping in her chest, she was finding it difficult to catch her breath, and her vision blurred. She checked her pulse. It was racing so fast she couldn’t get a count. Did women in their thirties have heart attacks? She needed to get a bit of perspective. If Aoife wouldn’t help them, it wasn’t the end of the world. So Shane would be separated from his family, it wasn’t like any of them would know what was going on, was it? But that wasn’t the way her mother would see it. Lisa knew the thought of Shane’s body being dug up was draining what remained of her mother’s once-indomitable spirit. It was killing her that the entire country assumed her son was a monster. And not just any monster, a monster who could cut the throats of his own children. Knowing that other suspects were being considered would give her mother some relief. Lisa leaned back against the headrest and shut her eyes. She concentrated on controlling her breathing. Her pulse slowed, then returned to normal, but Lisa kept her eyes shut and tried to appreciate the solitude. She was so tired. If only she could go home to a place of her own, lock the door and not speak to another person for at least a year, she might be able to cope. Not happy with that image, she pictured herself breaking the speed limit the entire way to the airport and hopping on a last-minute flight to Australia or New Zealand. She would find a house overlooking the beach and forget she’d ever lived any other life. She let her mind wander to images of herself lying on the sand with the burning sun beating down on her. All the muscles in her body relaxed, and her lips formed into a tiny smile. Then the scene changed abruptly to one of her mother sitting alone in a dark room with nobody to comfort her. Lisa took a deep breath, fastened her seat belt and drove home.
SEVEN
‘You spoke to Shane Grogan’s sister? When? Where?’
‘She followed you to my house. When you left, Amy ran after the car. By the time I caught up with her, she was talking to Lisa.’
Conor reached for his phone. ‘That’s it. Phoning me two, three times a day, I can cope with, but first the restaurant and now this? I’ve tried to be patient with her, but she’s gone too far.’
Aoife put her hand on his arm. ‘Conor, please don’t.’
‘I can’t have her following us. The woman is unhinged. I know that’s probably not her fault. I’d be unhinged if I found my family butchered, but—’
‘She’s not unhinged. She’s just upset. Who wouldn’t be in the circumstances? She says the police won’t talk to her. All she wants is for you to sit down and listen to what she has to say.’
‘I know what she has to say. I must have listened to it ten thousand times by now. She doesn’t believe her brother murdered his family. But all the evidence says he did.’
‘What evidence?’
‘I don’t want to talk about it, Aoife. I won’t bring my work home to you and Amy.’
‘Well, certainly not to Amy, but I’d like you to speak to me about your work. It’s a big part of your life and I want to be involved.’
Conor shook his head. ‘You really don’t. I wish I’d never heard of the damn case. I don’t even like to think about it when I’m not on duty and I certainly don’t want to be responsible for you thinking about it. I’ll never forget that crime scene. Those poor little kids! The one person they should have been able to trust and he butchered them. Do you know the eldest tried to protect his little sister? He was only nine.’
Aoife wrapped her arms around Conor’s waist and res
ted her head against his back. When his body began to relax, she pulled away to look at him. ‘Lisa says her brother wasn’t capable of hurting anyone.’
‘I know. She’s told me that at least once a day for the last four months.’
‘But you believe he’s a murderer?’
Conor sighed. ‘You read about the note in the papers. “Don’t come in. Call the police. I’m sorry.” What other explanation could there be for pinning that note to the front door?’
‘Isn’t that the same note that O’Leary guy left on his front door after he killed his family?’
‘Almost word for word.’
‘Could it be a copycat thing? Somebody wanted to murder the family, so they copied the O’Leary case?’
‘It was Shane Grogan’s handwriting. I had it analysed. Of course, Lisa won’t accept it. I can understand it’s difficult for her. Everyone who knew the family was shocked. Grogan appeared to be a pleasant, kind man. Everyone says he and his wife seemed happy and the kids were well adjusted, but some people just snap without any warning. When Grogan realised what he’d done, he put that note on the door and killed himself. It’s happened before all over the world. It’s happened here twice in the past three years. Shane Grogan was the third.’
‘You’re absolutely sure nobody else was involved?’
‘We’ve gone over all the evidence, Aoife. We’ve taken fingerprints and DNA samples. There’s no reason to suspect any outside involvement.’
‘You could account for all the DNA and every single fingerprint?’