The Game Changer

by Louise Phillips

  ‘We’ll need to push him on the tenants of the two properties in Rathmines,’ Adam said, turning to make sure Lee was still listening, as the detective had remained silent for so long. Lee kept looking straight ahead of him. The last thing Adam mentioned was the PIU statements, their possible link to the notes and Amanda Doyle’s letter.

  ‘So,’ Lee said, having waited for Adam to finish, ‘if Madden is part of all this, is Kate saying he’s looking to be the one in control?’

  ‘Possibly.’

  ‘I like Kate’s theory, but the way I see it is that we have a whole load of information but motivation is still thin on the ground.’

  ‘Let’s hope Madden’s in a talkative mood.’

  ‘He’ll talk. We’ll make sure he does.’

  When Malcolm Madden opened the door, Adam didn’t bother with any introductions. He had already given the information about Lee Fisher to the PA, so he wasn’t going to waste time on formalities.

  Malcolm Madden looked composed, as if two detectives coming to his door was the most normal thing in the world. He led them down a long corridor to the back of the house, opening a door to a home office.

  Lee let Adam take the lead. ‘You’ve been less than generous with your information about your property portfolio, Malcolm.’

  ‘I don’t agree, Detective Inspector O’Connor. I think I’ve been extremely transparent.’

  ‘One of the properties is Kate Pearson’s old home.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘Another of the properties is close to it.’

  ‘I’m not following your drift.’

  ‘Let me give you some guidance then.’ Adam sat forward in the chair. ‘I’ve done some recent house-to-house calls and I happened to meet the occupiers of both.’

  ‘I still don’t understand.’

  ‘It was interesting that the two people to spread accusations against Kate’s father, and others associated with that academic grouping, were people renting from Holmes & Co.’

  ‘I can’t be held responsible for what particular tenants say.’

  ‘Not unless you’re feeding them the information.’

  ‘I’m not feeding anyone information, as you call it.’

  ‘Do you know the tenants?’ Lee asked, crossing his long legs, and scratching his forehead.

  ‘I know one of them well, and the other was introduced to me recently, but I don’t think that’s any of your business.’

  ‘Detective Inspector O’Connor here and I don’t agree.’

  ‘Is this a formal interview?’

  ‘Would you prefer to go down to the station?’ Adam asked.

  ‘No. It’s fine here. How’s Kate doing?’

  Adam didn’t like him bringing up Kate. It was as if he was trying to turn this into some kind of social conversation, but he also figured it might be a good way of reeling him in. ‘We hope we can depend on your co-operation in all this.’

  ‘I’m always willing to help.’

  ‘So tell us what you know about the tenants.’ Adam flipped open his notebook. ‘We already have the names, Malcolm, a Jessica Fraser and a Clarence Webb. What we don’t know is how, other than being tenants of Holmes & Co, they’re connected to you.’

  For the first time since their arrival, the man’s polished and calm exterior seemed to slip, his face suddenly tired. ‘If Kate wasn’t part of all this, I wouldn’t be giving you the time of day. I hold my client relationships in high regard. Any information I receive as part of ongoing therapy must be protected.’

  ‘Are you saying one or both of these tenants is a client?’

  ‘Jessica came to me for help, and similarly, like Kate, our connection goes back a long way.’

  Adam thought about Kate’s earlier theory, linking the PIU statements to the anonymous notes. Did Malcolm Madden’s relationship with this woman go back as far as the abuse allegations? Could there be a joint agenda going on here?

  ‘Jessica Fraser?’

  ‘She goes by that name now, yes, but it wasn’t always Fraser. She changed it by deed poll.’

  ‘Why? What was it?’

  ‘It was after her brother died. She wanted a fresh start.’

  ‘You still haven’t told me her original name.’

  ‘Baxter.’

  ‘As in Kevin Baxter, O’Neill’s foster son?’ Adam didn’t attempt to hide his surprise, glancing at Lee Fisher, who was sitting upright in his chair for the first time.

  ‘That’s correct.’

  ‘Jesus Christ! Why didn’t you think to tell us before?’

  ‘Partly because of client privilege, but also because the woman was fragile. It was all very delicate. I hadn’t a problem helping her. I mean …’ He paused, standing up, turning his back on both men.

  ‘You mean what?’ Lee pushed.

  ‘There were high emotions at play.’

  ‘What kind of high emotions?’ Adam asked.

  He kept his back to the two detectives before saying, ‘Decades of guilt.’

  Kate

  THE TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR CHEMIST IN HAROLD’S Cross was on the way to her meeting with Aoife. She rang Charlie before she went inside. It felt good hearing his voice. If her suspicions were right, his life was going to be a whole lot different very soon, with a younger brother or sister in tow.

  It was strange and exciting picking up the pregnancy-test kit. The girl behind the counter looked at her in that knowing way, which made her feel even more positive about the prospective news. That evening, if she was correct, she would tell Adam. Even if it wasn’t something either of them had planned, a new life was a miracle, and that’s precisely what she told herself as she went into the ladies’ toilet at the Trinity Hotel, unwilling to wait any longer to know for certain.

  She watched the kit test area go from white to pink, confirming it was working correctly. In a few seconds, it would either show a plus sign for positive or a minus for negative. When the plus appeared, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. With everything else going on around her, somehow this young life had been created inside her.

  Wrapping the kit in tissue, she put it away in her bag. She would show Adam later, a small but concrete proof of their life changing.

  Walking out on to the street, despite the cold, she was glad she had left the car in the hotel car park. Aoife had wanted to meet outdoors, and both of them knew the secondary school well. It was a handy landmark even if it was down a couple of twists and turns. The walk would do her good, she told herself, and the sooner she got exercising, the better.

  Crossing the road, she headed for the school gates, happier than she had been in days. No one was around. It was too early for the midday break. She visualised Charlie going to the school when he was older, and a smile came to her face as she thought about him having a younger brother or sister with him – a real family, two siblings, not the lone-child existence she lived.

  When a car pulled out from a parked position, the sound of the engine roaring caused her to do a quick double-take.

  It moved too fast for her to get out of the way, but before the bang, she saw the flash of the young man’s face behind the wheel. Then there was nothing.

  Adam

  ADAM STOOD UP, MOVING A FEW STEPS CLOSER TO Malcolm Madden. ‘What do you mean by decades of guilt?’

  Malcolm turned to face him. ‘I had my suspicions about certain things that went on back then. You know about the academic study that was set up?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘It was Valentine’s idea. He always wanted to be the main man.’

  ‘You sound a bit resentful about that.’

  ‘Detective, in every grouping someone wants to be the star. Valentine was full of his own importance, which was why a lot of things happened that he didn’t know about. Arrogance is weakness, not strength.’

  ‘You’re talking about the paedophile allegations?’

  ‘I couldn’t be sure of any of it. At least, that’s what I told myself. Some members of the group had ideas beyond
Valentine’s lofty aspirations. Certain members, like Michael O’Neill and Tom Mason, were weak.’

  ‘By weak, you mean they were interested in more than the children’s educational development?’

  ‘Precisely.’

  ‘And how does this tie into Jessica?’

  ‘Michael abused her brother, Tom Mason abused her – he and another man called Andrew Foster.’

  Lee turned to Adam. ‘Foster was on the list from Emily Burke. He died twenty years ago from a brain tumour.’ He asked Malcolm, ‘When exactly did Jessica come to you?’

  ‘A few months ago – coincidentally, around the same time Kate and I started meeting more frequently. I remembered the brother more than her. I knew something wasn’t right between him and Michael, but …’

  ‘Keep going, Malcolm.’ Adam stepped back to allow him to sit down.

  ‘I didn’t want to push things at the time, or even later.’

  ‘You’re still saying you weren’t part of the group?’

  ‘Valentine thought I looked up to him, and I did for a while, but he treated me like a fool, someone to be around when it suited him to get things done … things he didn’t want to look after himself. He didn’t believe I had enough life experience to be part of the study. It’s ridiculous when I think about it now. All his high and mighty ideals and I knew more about what was going on than he did. Sometimes not being at the core can make people more inclined to let things slip. That and personal observations, even if I hadn’t got the relevant life experience Valentine preferred.’

  ‘You still bear a grudge, don’t you?’ Lee asked.

  ‘On the contrary, I’m beyond that now, which is why it was important for me to help Jessica in any way I could. I should have done more at the time, but I wasn’t the worst.’

  Adam pulled his chair closer to the desk and propped his elbows on it. ‘Emily Burke said the group was brought to an abrupt ending. Was that on Valentine’s instructions?’

  ‘Yes, but not before a lot of damage had been done.’

  ‘How was Jessica abused?’ Adam asked, thinking of the statements from PIU.

  ‘She was taken a number of times. Mason and Foster got a drunk called Stapleton to do their dirty work for them. It was all so easy. The girl was marginalised, and the mother was a disaster. It was because of Kevin that she first drew their attention. At the time of the abuse, she was still with the mother, but she had visited her brother a few times, enough, as I said, to be noticed by the others.’

  Damn it, Adam thought. Fitzsimons had mentioned a sister, but because of the change of name, the connection had slipped through the cracks. ‘She went to PIU about it, didn’t she?’ he asked.

  ‘She did. It took her a while, but she said she had finally made up her mind to go to the police.’

  ‘And she had her suspicions about Michael O’Neill and her brother?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘What about Mason?’ Lee interjected. ‘Did she know he was one of her abusers?’

  ‘Yes. I told her everything as I remembered it.’

  ‘So why did she hold the names back from the police?’ Adam was still perplexed.

  ‘An abuse victim needs time. They were tentative steps for her. It took guts to do what she did after all this time.’

  ‘Why come to you? If what you’re saying is true, and you were indirectly associated with those involved, it doesn’t make any sense.’

  ‘A lot of it doesn’t. All I knew was that I wasn’t going to turn my back on her again.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Despite what you think of me, Detective Inspector O’Connor, I’m not a bad man. I knew a lot about what had happened to her – indeed, far more than I wanted to know – but I did nothing at the time. It’s not often that you get a second chance to help someone.’

  Adam eyed the psychologist up and down, conscious of Lee doing the same. Then Lee said exactly what was on Adam’s mind: ‘She’s used you.’

  ‘I don’t agree.’

  ‘How does Kate fit into all this?’ Adam asked, barely able to stop himself punching the guy.

  ‘She doesn’t. Jessica wanted a fresh start, a helping hand, that’s all.’

  ‘Are you saying you didn’t discuss Kate?’

  ‘She may have come up in conversation, but not in any significant way.’

  ‘Why let her rent Kate’s old house?’

  ‘She didn’t look to stay there, if that’s what you mean.’

  ‘I’ll hold my judgement on that.’ Adam looked at Lee.

  ‘The property had been empty for some time. Thinking about it now, I do see where you’re coming from, but …’ Malcolm paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. ‘I think I’ve said far too much already.’

  ‘I don’t agree.’ Adam was no longer able to keep his anger from his voice. ‘Kate’s been getting harassment notes.’

  ‘She didn’t mention them to me.’

  ‘Let’s just say she had trust issues.’

  Lee glanced at Adam before asking, ‘Malcolm, when you heard about Mason, and then subsequently about O’Neill’s death, did you not think Jessica could be involved?’

  ‘If Michael decided to take his own life, there wasn’t anything any of us could do about it.’

  ‘What about Mason?’

  ‘Jessica wouldn’t have been capable of that.’

  ‘And the other tenant, Clarence Webb?’

  ‘What about him?’

  ‘How was he connected to Jessica?’

  ‘I only met him once. He was waiting for Jessica after one of our meetings. She said he was helping her too, with meditation and finding a more positive outlook on life.’

  ‘You like to play God, Malcolm, don’t you?’ Lee pushed, unwilling to let him off the hook.

  ‘I don’t know what you mean.’

  ‘She used you. She used your elevated sense of importance, along with whatever guilt you’ve been carrying around for the last quarter of a century.’

  ‘I disagree, and again, I want to reiterate, I didn’t know anything about any notes being sent to Kate or anything else.’

  ‘Malcolm,’ Adam said, his voice more controlled now, ‘withholding information is a criminal offence.’

  ‘I realise that, which is why I’ve told you all this.’

  ‘Why are you being so generous now when you didn’t mention any of this before?’

  ‘I haven’t been able to contact Jessica for a few days. She’s not answering her phone. She and Clarence have gone or, at least, there’s no answer at either property. I’m worried about her.’

  ‘Pardon my lack of empathy, Malcolm, but I’m with Lee on this one. She’s conned you.’

  ‘Believe what you like.’

  ‘And what about Kate’s father? What exactly did you tell Jessica about him?’

  When Adam’s mobile phone rang out, he raised his hand, indicating to hold the conversation.

  ‘Are you Adam O’Connor?’ a woman asked at the other end of the line.

  ‘Yes, who is this?’

  ‘I’m phoning from St James’s Hospital. Do you know a Kate Pearson?’

  ‘I do. Is she okay? Is something wrong?’

  Addy

  ADDY SENT DONAL AHEAD OF HIM AS THEY manoeuvred their way along the pipe chambers. The copper pipes feeding the water supply to the commune buildings were housed in a series of cylinder-shaped stone chambers, all of which were interlinked, and there was barely enough room to squeeze past the pipes, making their progress slow. He had turned off his mobile phone to conserve the battery and was glad he had. It took them two hours to reach the exit shaft near the infirmary. On their way there, they saw numerous members huddled in hallways, or outside meeting rooms. It was impossible to hear what they were saying, but their faces were tense and absorbed. Even without knowing what was being talked about, Addy was convinced that something was happening. There was a change in mood, nothing surer.

  The infirmary was off the main corridor, a mod
ern extension in an otherwise elongated rectangular set of buildings, and it was after midday by the time they reached the shaft they were looking for. By then the corridors were a lot quieter.

  ‘It’s weird,’ Donal said, as Addy followed him down from the shaft opening.

  ‘What is?’

  ‘There are usually others here, members with special passes, but it’s deserted.’

  Addy opened the first of four doors. The room and bed were empty. When he opened the second, he saw Sarah. She was asleep with a drip connected to her arm.

  ‘Do you know what’s wrong with her, Donal?’ he whispered.

  ‘I heard one of the doctors talking.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘She took too many pills.’

  ‘An overdose?’

  ‘I guess. They’re doping her now. They did that to my mother too.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘It’s part of how they do things.’

  ‘I don’t get you.’

  ‘To make them think differently. But it’s not working with her.’ He pointed to Sarah. ‘That’s why she’s still on the drip. It gets the drugs into her system faster.’

  Addy thought of their trip over on the boat, how protective she had been with that doll. She had seemed happy, but kind of scared at the same time.

  ‘Are you all right, Addy?’ Donal asked. ‘Yeah.’ He stepped into the room. Donal followed him. Sarah made mumbling noises, as if talking in her sleep.

  ‘How do they get the drugs to the island?’

  ‘By boat.’

  ‘They must buy them online to get that much stuff. They have to have other people ordering the drugs.’

  The boy shrugged his shoulders.

  Addy stood by Sarah’s side, and saw the cot with the doll in it. Someone had smashed the doll’s face, and pulled the legs and arms out of their sockets. Who would do something like that? He turned its face away from Sarah, covering the plastic body with a blanket.

  ‘What did you do that for?’ Donal asked.

  ‘I don’t want her to get upset. I have to wake her.’

  ‘You can’t. You don’t know what she’ll do.’