by Val Collins
She led the way to two sun loungers in the centre of the garden. Bronagh perched on one edge and Aoife sat opposite.
‘Heavens, it’s hot.’ Pulling at her skintight orange top, Bronagh said, ‘I hope you don’t think it’s insensitive of me to take over running the book club, Aoife. What happened to Ruth was awful, but I’m sure she would want the book club to continue. It meant a great deal to her, and she would be appalled by the suggestions that we should disband it. I know she’d approve of my plans to make it something really special.’
‘That would be great. I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas but right now I need to ask you about a book club meeting that took place a few weeks before the Grogans were murdered.’
‘Oh! I’d rather concentrate on the future, but if you must.’
‘Thank you. The meeting I’m interested in is the one where you discussed Gone with the Wind. In the middle of the discussion, Shane got a phone call. I understand he seemed quite angry, and I’ve been told you were sitting beside him when he took the call. Do you know who he was speaking to?’
‘Somebody from work. He called him Keith.’
‘You heard the conversation?’
‘Not at first. I heard a man on the other end of the phone, shouting. Shane went out to the kitchen, and later I passed him on my way to the bathroom. That’s when I heard him call the man Keith.’
‘Did you hear anything else?’
Bronagh nodded. ‘Shane said, “They were waiting for me in the car park, Keith. We have the same surname. We work for the same company.”’
‘That was all you heard?’
‘Those are the only full sentences. Then Shane said “What?” but a car drove by, so I missed most of it. All I caught was “come to my house”.’
*
Aoife almost ran back to her car she was so anxious to speak to Orla.
‘“What if they come to my house? Or “What if they had come to my house?” It has to be one or the other, Orla. What else could it be?’
‘You think it might have been an organised crime murder after all? They were coming for Keith because he owed money, but they got the wrong Grogan?’
‘I don’t know. It was weeks before the murder. Presumably Shane explained that they had the wrong person. Why would they make the same mistake again?’
‘Maybe they had already given out the incorrect address and they forgot to change it, or the change of address was never communicated to the right person. Or maybe Keith owed money to more than one criminal.
FORTY-ONE
It had not been a very productive day. Aoife was running out of time. Who knew when the murderer would come looking for her again? She needed to talk to somebody who knew both Natasha and Ruth. The only person she could think of was Ruth’s sister, Susan.
*
It took Aoife a while to find Susan on Instagram. A quick glance through her photos and there wasn’t much she didn’t learn about Susan’s life, including the fact that, like many people who worked in the area, she regularly ate her lunch in the gardens of Dublin Castle.
The following day, Aoife was in the park at twelve-thirty. It had rained earlier, so it was unlikely Susan would be sitting on the grass. A quick search of the few benches and Aoife found her.
Susan looked up from her book when Aoife joined her.
‘What do you want?’
‘I was sorry to hear about Ruth. I could tell you two were very close.’
‘I’m not giving you an interview if that’s what you’re after.’
‘The only thing I’m interested in is finding Shane and Ruth’s murderer.’
‘And how do you intend to do that?’
‘With your help.’
‘If I knew anything, I would have told the police.’
‘How well do you know Natasha?’
Susan closed her book and turned to face Aoife. ‘You get around, don’t you? Who told you about that little tramp?’
‘I take it you’re not a fan.’
Susan shrugged. ‘I told Ruth it was madness hiring that girl. Have you seen her?’
Aoife shook her head.
‘She’s like a blonde Barbara Palvin. I’m not saying she wasn’t good with the kids. She was excellent, actually, but she was a magnet for men of all ages. It was bound to cause trouble.’
‘She had men in the house?’
‘Natasha didn’t live in Ruth’s house. But Ruth often attended functions and she didn’t get home until the early hours of the morning. Once the kids were in bed, Natasha got bored. She usually found someone to entertain her.’
‘What did Ruth think of that?’
‘So long as the kids didn’t see it, Ruth was prepared to put up with it, until she went too far.’
‘Too far?’
‘One day Martin came by to see the kids. He stayed around until the kids were in bed and ended up on the sofa with Natasha.’
‘Ruth walked in on them?’
‘No. She never did tell me how she found out. I think one of the kids must have seen them.’
‘What happened?’
‘Ruth fired Natasha. Natasha got her revenge by telling Ruth that Martin and Triona were living together.’
‘How did she know?’
‘She said she heard him on the phone asking Triona if she had paid the rent. Ruth was livid. Not only was Martin living with her sister but he had found another member of the family to support him.’
‘What did Ruth do?’
‘She threatened to tell Triona about Natasha. It always drove Ruth crazy that Triona believed she was Martin’s one true love. She was pretty sure Martin would have to find another woman to live off once Triona learned the truth.’
‘How did Martin react?’
‘He said if Ruth spoke to Triona it would be the last thing she ever did.’
FORTY-TWO
Amy was tired of hotel life. She wanted her own bedroom, her toys, her friends at kindergarten, Conor and Blaine.
When Aoife was putting her to bed that night, she said, ‘Is Blainey with his mummy now?’
‘Yes, he is.’
‘Is he in England?’
‘Yes.’
‘I want him to live in Ireland.’
‘He has to live with his mummy.’
‘I want Moaney to live in Ireland too.’
‘Conor lives in Ireland, Amy. You know that.’
‘Daddy says Moaney’s going to live with Blainey and his mummy now.’
‘When did Daddy say that?’
‘Lots of times. Blainey said it too.’
‘Blaine told you Conor and his mummy were going to live together?’
‘No, he told Daddy. Or Daddy told Blainey. I don’t remember.’
Oh God! What was Jason up to now?
Aoife knelt on the floor so she was eye level with Amy.
‘Sweetie, what did Daddy say to Blaine?’
‘He said—I don’t remember. Lots of things. I want a story.’
‘Okay, sweetie. Let’s get out your book. What story do you want tonight?’
*
There was no point in trying to get any more information from Amy. She would have to speak to Blaine. She phoned the hotel reception, explained she couldn’t leave her daughter alone and asked if somebody would go to the supermarket and buy her a cheap phone as she had left hers at home. She wanted a number Blaine wouldn’t recognise. Aoife made sure Amy was fast asleep, then she called him.
‘Hi.’
‘Hi, Blaine.’
‘Aoife?’
‘Yes, it’s me.’
‘What do you want?’
‘I want to talk to you.’
‘I can’t talk now. I’m busy.’
‘Blaine, if you hang up, I’m going to phone your mum.’
She was bluffing, of course. She didn’t even know Katie’s number, and asking Conor for it would lead to questions she wasn’t yet in a position to answer.
‘Why do you want to speak to Mum?’
/>
‘I don’t really. I’d much rather speak to you.’
‘Why?’
‘I want to talk about the conversations you’ve been having with Jason.’
‘What conversations?’
‘Amy told me about them.’
‘Amy was listening?’
‘Kids always listen. You know that. You listen to Conor talking to your mum. Don’t you?’
‘Fu—sorry. I mean, I didn’t know Amy was listening.’
‘I was pretty shocked when she told me.’
‘Are you going to tell Dad?’
‘What do you think?’
When he didn’t reply, she said, ‘Blaine?’
‘Huh?’
‘Tell me about your conversations with Jason.’
‘I shouldn’t have listened to him.’
‘Is that why you went home to your mum?’
‘Everything was getting out of control and then I got scared when you saw the photo. I’d deleted it from my phone but I’d forgotten it would have downloaded automatically to the iPad.’
‘Why did you delete it?’
‘I didn’t want to have anything more to do with Jason.’
‘Jason gave you the photo?’
‘Yes.’
‘Did Jason tell you to hide my stuff?’
‘Yes.’
‘When did he say that?’
‘The afternoon he spent in the house.’
‘What did he say?’
‘He said he had no dad when he was my age but he would have been furious if his mum had taken up with another man. He asked if it bothered me that you and Dad were together. I said I hated it and now Dad wanted to marry you and if you said yes, Dad and I would never go on holidays again.’
So, Jason had known that Conor planned to marry her. Aoife felt her stomach lurch.
‘What did Jason say?’
‘He said you didn’t really love my dad. You were just bored and wanted something new to amuse you. He said he loved you and Amy, that you were a family and you belonged together.’
What the hell was the matter with Jason?
‘Go on.’
‘He said Dad wouldn’t believe that because he loved you. He said my dad would be very hurt when you dumped him, but the sooner you broke up the easier it would be for him. Jason asked if I wanted you to break up.’
‘And you said yes?’
‘Uh-huh, and Jason said he’d help me. He said you would be mad if your stuff went missing and Dad would be mad if you blamed me.’
‘Did he tell you to do anything else?’
‘I was supposed to say that Mum and Dad were always on the phone and laughing together and that it made my step-dad mad.’
‘But you didn’t say that.’
‘I couldn’t. I wasn’t talking to you.’
‘What else did Jason tell you to do?’
‘I was supposed to leave the photo of Lisa somewhere you’d find it.’
‘You knew Lisa was dead, right?’
‘Yes. Jason said if we used a dead person, you would never be able to find out it wasn’t true.’
‘When were you going to leave the photo for me to find?’
‘I was supposed to do it before Mum arrived, but when Jason heard she was coming to Dublin he said to wait until she went home.’
‘Why did he want you to wait?’
‘I was supposed to tell you that Mum and Dad shared a bed while she was here. Jason said you would be so mad you wouldn’t believe anything Dad said about the photo.’
‘But you didn’t say that.’
‘I didn’t get a chance. You weren’t in the house when we got back from the airport and then that man attacked you.’
‘You didn’t want to upset me when I was hurt?’
‘No. Well, yes, but that wasn’t why. When that man attacked you, Jason ran away and left you. Dad would never have done that. Even Amy tried to help. When I realised Jason didn’t love you, I knew he lied to me, so I deleted the photo from my phone. If I had remembered to delete it from the iPad, nobody would ever have known.’
‘Where did Jason get the photo of you and Conor on the beach?’
‘I sent it to him.’
‘And the photo of Lisa?’
‘It was on her Facebook page.’
‘Lisa was on Facebook? I searched under her name and didn’t find anything. What’s her profile?’
‘I don’t know. Jason didn’t tell me. He said he had someone hack into the account and then delete it. He didn’t want anyone guessing where the photo came from.’
‘How often did you and Jason meet?’
‘Most times Dad and I came to your house. Amy would tell him we would be there and he’d always show up.’
‘I love your dad, Blaine.’
‘I know. I’m sorry.’
‘It’s not your fault. I used to believe everything Jason said, and I was a few years older than you at the time. If Jason talks to you again, Blaine, tell me. If you don’t want to tell me, tell your mum or Conor.’
‘I’m never speaking to him again, Aoife.’
*
‘Oh my God! Aoife! What are you going to do?’
‘Nothing.’
‘Are you crazy? You have to do something?’
‘Like what?’
‘Tell him he’s a complete bastard. Say he’s never to come near your house again and if you even see him in the distance, you’re calling the police.’
‘What good would that do, Orla? He’s Amy’s father. I can’t keep him away from her.’
‘She’d be far better off without him.’
‘If he wasn’t her father, certainly. I’d never let her anywhere near him, but he is her dad and she loves him.’
‘Only because she has no idea what he’s really like.’
‘And I hope she never finds out, because however much any of us dislike the fact, Jason is Amy’s father and nothing can ever change that.’
‘You’re not going to say anything at all?’
‘Not one word.’
‘Well, at least you know Conor wasn’t two-timing you.’
‘I never really believed he was, but I was beginning to doubt myself.’
‘He’s not in the clear yet, Aoife. The phone list was still deleted off your computer.’
‘That was the murderer. Not Conor.’
‘There’s also the fact that Lisa phoned Conor. Hours later she was dead.’
*
Aoife quickly forgot Orla’s warning. She was more convinced than ever that Conor was the man she had always believed him to be. So what if Lisa had phoned him? Yesterday it had seemed like Conor had been in a relationship with Lisa, but that had been a lie. There would be a reasonable explanation for the phone call also. Although it was strange Conor still hadn’t been in touch. Even if he was preoccupied with work, shouldn’t he have phoned her by now? Amy was demanding to know when she would see him again, and Aoife had no idea what to tell her.
When she returned to her car, Aoife checked her phone again. Two missed calls from Conor. Damn! She mustn’t have heard him over the traffic. She texted him. ‘Sorry I missed you and I’m sorry we argued. I’ve sorted everything out with Blaine. You were right; he hadn’t been in my house, although he admitted he hid my stuff. It wasn’t his fault. Jason put him up to it. Ring me when you get a chance.’
FORTY-THREE
Aoife watched Amy sleep. What kind of a life was she going to have with Jason as a father? If he could manipulate a fifteen-year-old who didn’t even know him, what would he do to a three-year-old who loved him? Her mind flashed to a news story of a twelve-year-old who had murdered her mother and stepfather because her dad had talked her into it. Okay, that was enough. Aoife got up and went in search of her laptop. She needed something to distract her. Normal twelve-year-olds didn’t murder people. It was time to stop being so dramatic.
Aoife was rereading her interview notes when a thought struck her. No matter how bad things were between
them, Conor was not the type of man to walk away without another word. Even if he wanted a permanent break up, he would sit down with Aoife and talk about it. If Blaine’s involvement had remained a secret, could they have had that discussion without Aoife mentioning the doctored photo? Conor was a detective. It was in his nature to get to the bottom of things. He would have asked questions and it would all have come out. Wouldn’t it? Jason must know that was at least a possibility. And, knowing Jason, she was certain he had a plan B. What other use could he make of the photo? Oh my God! Did Jason intend to leak the photo to the media? Was that his next step? Imagine what the tabloid press would make of it. Within days, the entire country would believe Conor was a murderer. And how could he convince anyone of Jason’s deception without involving Blaine? Conor would never do that. Nothing could be proved, of course, but the damage to his career would be catastrophic. How could their relationship survive that? Aoife leaned back against the headboard and took deep breaths to calm herself. Was everybody in her life going to have to pay for the mistake she’d made in marrying Jason?
This was getting her nowhere. The only thing she needed to worry about right now was the fact that a cold-blooded murderer had come to her house to kill her and possibly Amy. All her energy needed to go into finding the murderer and keeping them safe. Everything else could wait.
Aoife took out a notebook and jotted down her conclusions. Keith had the strongest motive to kill the Grogans, and he fitted the profile of an out-of-control lunatic. Martin had the strongest motive to kill Ruth. Neither had any reason to kill Lisa, so the logical assumption was she had discovered something that made her a threat. And that something must be linked to Natasha. First thing tomorrow, Aoife would find Natasha and interview her.
*
Aoife was beginning to wonder what she would do without Instagram. Natasha’s account was even more informative than Susan’s. She posted three or four times a day, changed boyfriends almost as often as she changed hairstyles and spent a minimum of four nights a week clubbing. It was unlikely she was a morning person. Aoife decided to wait until lunch and then hang out around her house and see if she appeared.