Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
O’Brien visited the flat complex and talked with the neighbors. There was always a nosy neighbor — usually a widow with little to do. That widow was Mrs. Hallion.
“Come in, Chief Superintendent.” She opened the door for him. “Please, have a seat,” she gestured toward a chair near the window of her tiny flat.
“Thank you, Mrs….”
“Hallion, Chief Superintendent. Grace Hallion.”
“Mrs. Hallion.”
“May I offer you tea, Chief Superintendent?”
“Tea would be wonderful, Mrs. Hallion. Thank you.”
“I won’t be a second. Make yourself at home.”
O’Brien looked around the tiny apartment, packed with trinkets and memorabilia, evidence of a full life. He assumed the photos of younger families were Mrs. Hallion’s children and grandchildren.
“You have a nice family,” O’Brien said.
“Thank you, Chief Superintendent. I’m quite proud.”
“The older gentleman. Is he your husband?”
“Yes. Conor died in 1985 of a heart condition. I finished raising my two boys, and they now have their own families. You can see my grandchildren in those photos.”
“You must be extremely proud, Mrs. Hallion.”
She brought a tray and set it on the small table. “White or black?”
“White, two,” O’Brien said.
Mrs. Hallion placed two sugar cubes in a porcelain cup, added cream, and poured the hot tea. She added a small spoon to the saucer and handed it to O’Brien.
“Thank you.” The cup rattled slightly as he took it from her.
“What did you want to see me about, Chief Superintendent?” She picked up her tea and settled into a chair opposite him.
“One of your neighbors, Fergus Rafferty, was found dead in his flat.”
“Oh my,” she looked distraught. “He was such a nice young man. He often ran errands for me. I’m unable to get around as well as I used to.”
“It happened last night, Mrs. Hallion. I wondered if you saw anything unusual.”
“Now that you mention it, I could swear I saw someone pass my window.” She motioned toward the window behind O’Brien. “It was night, so I wasn’t sure. But perhaps I saw movement in the dim light of the passageway; at least I thought there was movement.”
O’Brien set his tea down and retrieved a small notebook from his pocket. He made a notation about the possible visitor. “What time would this have been, Mrs. Hallion?”
“Oh…about eight o’clock, I’d say. My program was coming on the telly, and I glanced out the window and thought I saw a figure pass by.”
“Can you describe this figure, Mrs. Hallion?”
“Oh my. I’m afraid not, Chief Superintendent. My vision is not what it used to be.”
“How much of the window did this figure take up, Mrs. Hallion?”
“Oh…if I were to guess, I’d say about two-thirds of the way up.”
“And did the figure appear to be fat or thin?”
“It’s hard to say, but if I were to guess, I would say thin.”
“Did the figure move by the window quickly or slowly?”
“If I saw what I think I saw, it was more of a sneak…like the figure did not want anyone to notice him or her.”
“Anything else, Mrs. Hallion?”
“Yes…about five minutes later, I heard what I thought was a shout. It only lasted a short time, but was a mournful cry.”
“And did this come from outside?”
“No…it sounded more like it came from back that way,” she pointed to the back corner of her flat. Her bathroom was at the right rear of the flat. According to the crime scene notes, that would place it opposite Rafferty’s bathroom.
O’Brien scribbled in his little notebook. “Anything else, Mrs. Hallion?”
“One more thing, Chief Superintendent. I thought I saw a figure dash by my window shortly after that noise. Again, I couldn’t be sure. It was night, and so was the figure. But movement caught my eye.”
O’Brien noted everything and placed the notebook and pencil in his overcoat pocket. He picked up his tea, drained it, and set it down.
“Mrs. Hallion, thank you for the tea and for spending a few minutes talking with me this afternoon.”
“My pleasure, Chief Superintendent. I don’t get many visitors, so I quite enjoyed our little chat.”
O’Brien rose to leave, and Mrs. Hallion showed him to the door.
“May I come back and visit with you again if needed?” He asked as she opened the door.
“Certainly, Chief Superintendent. You are welcome any time.”
O’Brien stepped outside, put on his hat, and touched the brim as a goodbye gesture.
* * *
“That was messy, Declan,” Ailbe raised his voice.
“What kind of assholes are doing your dirty work? Come on, a hair dryer in the bathtub?” Ailbe was clearly agitated.
They had both come directly home from work, and Ailbe attacked as soon as Declan entered.
This kind of thing jeopardized his plan, and he was not happy.
“How did you find out about the hair dryer?” Declan raised his voice.
“It’s all over the feckin’ news!”
“Hey…you said take care of it…I made a call.” Declan raised his voice. “That’s the extent of my involvement.” He was now shouting. “If you want it done so feckin’ perfectly, make the feckin’ call yourself!”
“If this project fails, it will be on your feckin’ head, Declan Knowlan,” Ailbe shouted back, “and it better not goddam fail!”
“I thought you had control of this thing!”
“So did I until this happened.” The shouting match continued. “Can’t you do a goddam thing right? I can’t believe I trusted you.”
“And if this is the thanks I get, you can count me out for any more help,” Declan reached for his coat and rushed out the front door, slamming it in the process.
Shit, thought Ailbe, I need to get him back. He could really make trouble if he’s pissed enough. He ran for the front door and jerked it open.
“Dec…please,” he pleaded. “Don’t leave. I didn’t mean to shout at you.” Ailbe was still angry about how Rafferty died, but he needed Declan on his side, and he knew it.
Declan stood at the open door to his car. “You sure sounded like you meant it,” he said, speaking normally. He didn’t want the neighbors snooping.
Ailbe approached Declan. “Come back inside. Let’s talk about how we’ll handle the Gardaí. They’re bound to come around asking questions.”
“You must realize I have no control over how my connections handle your issues. I make a call and pay them off.”
“Pay them off?”
“Sure. You think this kind of service is free?”
“I suppose I never gave it much thought. How much?”
“€5,000 for this type of thing. More if we get specific. That is one reason I let them handle the details.”
“And you paid that for Moynihan, too?”
“Yes.”
“Where did you get the money?”
“I saved up in case you dumped me.”
“Dumped you? Why would I do that?”
“Come on, Ailbe. Our relationship is last year’s news, and we both know it.”
Ailbe studied the ground. He realized their partnership had lost its excitement months ago, but he didn’t know Declan thought so, too. He had this project to pull off, and Declan could derail it if given the chance.
“What, because we have cross words, you think we’re through?” Ailbe hoped Declan didn’t see through the lie.
“We go through the motions of being a couple, but you don’t really love me anymore.”
“I can’t believe you said that.” Ailbe had to keep the charade going, at least until his big day. “What makes you think I don’t love you?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying you’re wrong,” he lied.
“You sure have a funny way of showing your love.”
“Let’s go inside,” Ailbe gently took Declan by the arm. “We’ll have a drink and talk this through.”
Declan closed his car door as Ailbe led him toward their front door.
* * *
“Thanks for meeting me, Mr. Burke.”
Glenn Cross and Garrett Burke talked that night as they strolled along the walkway beside the River Corrib.
“No problem, sir.” Garrett shivered, partly from the chill of the night air and partly from nerves. He stuffed his hands in his jeans pockets.
Glenn observed the shiver. “Relax. I’m not with Gardaí, and you’re not in trouble. I want to ask a few questions about Fergus Rafferty.”
“So, are you a private investigator or something?”
“Something like that,” Glenn said. “I’m trying to figure out why Mr. Rafferty was killed.”
Garrett stopped and turned to Glenn. “And you need me to help?”
“Yes.” Glenn faced Garrett. “Did you know him well?”
“We were friends. Close enough that I had a key to his apartment. We were partners on the project for Dr. MacGowan’s course.”
“Were you and Mr. Rafferty more than friends, Mr. Burke?”
Garrett paused for a long while, swallowing his choked emotions and studying his shoes.
He opened his mouth to speak, but words would not come.
Finally, he raised his head, eyes filled.
“We became quite close,” he choked on the words.
“We were not partners or anything, but…,” Garrett paused again, fighting back the tears, “…we liked each other a lot.”
“Can I call you Garrett?”
“Yes.”
“Garrett, I’m Glenn. I have a partner. We’ve been together for a long time. I know what you’re going through.”
“A partner like another investigator who works with you?”
“No, a partner like a husband. A partner who has been a constant presence in my life. A partner I love.”
Garrett paused. “Oh.”
“If you’re struggling with your true feelings for Fergus, I understand.”
“I’m not really struggling. It’s just that we’ve been careful about who knows.”
“You were wise. Keeping your relationship private probably saved your life.”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you have any reason to believe this was purely an accident?”
“No. Fergus kept the hair dryer on the toilet tank lid, but he was always careful to keep it away from the edge. It would not have fallen into the tub on its own, nor would he have pulled it in accidentally.”
“How did you know about the hair dryer?” Glenn asked.
“It’s all over the news,” Garrett said.
“I see,” Glenn said. “Was he comfortable with your relationship, as far as you know?”
“Definitely. We talked about making things permanent someday.”
“Did Fergus have any enemies that you know about?”
“Fergus? No way. He was like Keenan, everybody’s friend. He was one of the most popular lads in school.”
“Did he ever see anyone else outside of school?”
“Not that I know, and I think I would have known. We talked about everything, especially after we became close.” Garrett sighed, his breathing jerky.
“Was he ever involved with drugs or anything?”
“Fergus? No way. He’s the kind of guy who washes fruit before he eats it. He was quite particular.”
“Did you ever notice anyone following you two?”
“No. We didn’t go out often, but I would have noticed if someone had watched us. Why?”
“What I said before about saving your life, if someone had known you were in a relationship with Fergus, you’d be on their radar.”
“Oh.” Garret’s face showed the realization that had dawned on him.
“Is there anything you can think of we have not discussed…anything that you found odd or unusual?”
“No. Just get the fekkers who did this to Fergus.” Garrett’s anger showed through his emotion, but tears followed.
Glenn put his arm around Garrett and pulled him into a hug. “It’s all right, son. Let it out. You need to grieve for your partner.”
Garrett clung to Glenn and wailed over the loss of his friend.