by Vi Carter
“You’re going to regret that,” he tells me.
“The only thing I regret is setting eyes on you. You make me sick.” Pushing me back against the bar, my back erupts in pain. Everything seems to happen so fast, I glimpse Patrick behind him, a heavy crystal ashtray in his hand it comes down on Brian’s head. His eyes widen, and he stares at me in confusion before releasing me as he falls to the floor.
“Go, Ava. You need to leave now.” I’m struggling to breathe, but I’m nodding, picking up my bag that must have fallen in the struggle.
I’m out the door. The fresh air makes me question whether that just happened. Tears burn my eyes as I run down the street while glancing back over my shoulder. My eyes scan the few people, but none of them are Brian. Deep breaths, I tell myself, while trying to calm my erratic heartbeat. My face burns, and with shaky hands I touch it, but he didn’t break the skin this time.
Patrick won’t just walk away from hitting Brian over the head, I slow my pace and stop in a doorway. The step is cold under me, my legs are unable to carry me any further. My hand trembles as I push hair behind my ear. A couple walks past me and eye me suspiciously. I wonder if I ask them for help, would they stop. I’m scrolling through my phone trying to calm myself as I search for Connor’s number. Reality is he will try to pick a fight with Brian and end up hurt too. I wanted to scream with frustration.
“Ava.” The roar of my name has me frozen on the step. Brian was always possessive, but this was psychotic. Should I run to the Gardaí station? They might not let me press charges, but they couldn’t let him beat me? I’m up now and running around by the credit union. When he shouts my name again, I know he sees me. It’s all uphill now, and he’s gaining on me. Blood soaks his top but I can’t see where from. It must be the back of his head. A part of me wants to stop running and plead with him not to do this, but I don’t think he could be reasoned with in this state.
“Ava, I just want to talk.” His words are meant to calm me, but they drive a panic through my system that makes me run faster. I’m weaving between traffic, my panic escalating. A black Mercedes stops in front of me, and I recognize the taxi man. I’m in the passenger seat looking over my shoulder. “Headfort Demesne. Please. Quickly.” The taxi man doesn’t ask questions, and I watch Brian grow smaller in the mirror.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CONNOR
My ear is still bleeding, and I wipe blood away using my sleeve. I’m in the hall when Mary opens the door. Two detectives are in the doorway showing Mary their badges. She turns to me and so do the two men.
“Liam,” I call over my shoulder. He appears beside me. “You got visitors,” I tell him. He fixes his tie and walks towards Mary. His confidence is something to be admired. I don’t go into my room. My ear is killing me. I move closer to make sure I don’t miss a beat. The one on the right with a shaky beard eyes me, and I give him a nod. His attention returns to Liam.
“What can I do for you gentlemen.” Liam places a hand on Mary’s shoulder dismissing her, and she scurries past me and into the kitchen. A grin spreads across my face at her large inhale. Shane must be still in the kitchen, his face a bloody mess.
A piece of paper is passed to Liam. He accepts but doesn’t look at it. “What is this?” he asks.
“A warrant to search land that’s registered in Michael O’Reagan’s name.”
Liam hands them back their warrant, and they glance at one another. “I trust you. Let us know when you’re done. Anything else I can help you gentlemen with today?” They look as confused as I feel.
The one with the beard takes the warrant and places it in the pocket of his jacket. “That’s all today.” Once Liam has the door closed, something changes in his posture, and he moves quickly back towards the kitchen. So everything wasn’t okay. I follow him into the kitchen.
“Mary the rest of the day is yours.” Mary doesn’t miss a beat as she moves past us, grabbing her jacket and going out the back door. Shane stands taller when I walk into the kitchen.
“Now’s not the time. We just had two detectives at the door. They have a warrant to search the bog.”
Liam’s words have Shane’s anger towards me deflating. “I’ve moved all the bodies,” he tells Liam while getting ice out of the fridge; wrapping ice cubes in a towel, he holds it to his face. My ear is on fire. I do the same, wrapping some ice cubes in a towel and holding it to my ear.
“All the bodies? I thought it was just the old woman.”
“So you found the girl?” Liam says to Shane. No one answers me, but now that makes two.
“You lied to me. You told me you rang it in,” Shane speaks back through gritted teeth.
“How long have you known?” Liam sounds almost impressed.
“I found the body a while later.” Shane looks away.
“And dare I ask what you were doing up there?” Liam questions, and the answer is clear. Burying a body that made three.
“Where are they all now?” I ask, and finally Shane looks at me.
“Lough Leigh Mountains.” On our back door, but they would be well hidden, and we owned land at the base of it.
“You did that all yourself?” Liam questions.
“Yes, Liam.” Shane’s anger is under the surface ready to break through. I don’t understand what Liam is saying that is riling him up so much. But the mention of the girl’s body had the tension building in the room.
“So we have nothing to worry about?” Liam is like a dog with a bone. I remove the cloth from my ear, blood soaks the towel, and I want to punch Shane again.
“I made sure everything was removed. Unless you buried more people and forgot to mention it?”
“No, you seem to have found them all. I’ll inform Darragh and Finn.” Liam leaves the room, and I’m alone with Shane.
“I think you busted my ear drum,” I tell him and he glares at me.
“Good.” He moves past me but pauses at my shoulder. “Get ready. We better all go down to the bog and intimidate the fuckers.”
“You think that’s wise?” I ask his retreating back.
“Yes, Connor, I do.”
I change my top and hang out in the garage as I wait for the others. My phone is in my pocket on silent, but I check it before Finn arrives into the garage. Nothing from Ava, sliding it into my pocket I get into the car, and Finn jumps into the passenger seat.
“This is so fucked up. This is beside were Siobhan lives.” He scratches his brow as he stares out the window.
“I was the one that convinced her to sell us the land.” Now he faces me. “I wish I never had.” I get what he is saying. I wish I had never approached Ava under the pretence, because now I have no idea how all this ends.
“Yeah, it seems a mess,” I tell him as Darragh comes out into the garage. His eyes meet mine, and he rubs his hands together.
“You better wipe that smile off your face,” Finn barks at Darragh as he climbs into the back. He’s like a child ready to go on a road trip. Darragh lights up, and I let him smoke. I reverse out as Shane and Liam get into separate vehicles.
“I think it’s dumb us going down there.” Darragh blows smoke in between the seats.
“I think it’s dumb that you killed Siobhan’s aunt.” Finn swings around in the seat and faces Darragh.
“Yeah, I’m sorry man.” I can’t see Darragh, but I can picture him shrugging.
“What about the girl?” I ask and move the rear-view mirror so I can see him. Guilt is there across his face.
“She was a pro.” He shrugs now like I pictured he had before.
“You killed someone else?” I tap Finn on the shoulder to try to get him to calm down and sit back down. He turns around in his seat.
“Jesus, I was banging her, and she was dead. I think a junkie. So yeah, she’s there too.”
“Anyone else?” Finn asks, but he’s growing paler by the second.
“I don’t know.” We grow silent as we pull up beside the land. Shane and Liam’s vehicles p
ull up across the road beside the detective’s cars and a forensic van. Liam nor Shane get out of their vehicles, so we sit in mine as Darragh lights up another cigarette. Finn rolls down his window, and I glance at Darragh in the mirror. He grins as he blows smoke out of the side of his mouth and towards Finn.
The moment Shane steps out of his car, I grin. He has cleaned all the blood away, but his face is red, bruised and swollen. I feel satisfied.
“You sure did a number on him,” Darragh says, blowing smoke too close to my face.
“I’ll do a number on you if you don’t blow that smoke somewhere else.” That somewhere else becomes Finn, who swings around and faces Darragh.
“Come on. Lets go,” I tell them, getting out before they kill each other. I didn’t remember them fighting so much.
Liam steps out wearing a full length trench coat. He fits the criminal mastermind bill to a T. I want to tell him to tone it down, but it’s Liam.
“What I don’t understand is how they know we had land here and why they decided to check? You said all charges were dropped against Darragh.” I reach Shane as he questions Liam.
“Finding out we own the land wouldn’t be hard, and with Darragh’s connection to the aunt and Finn to Siobhan, they would piece it together. Why they are searching is the part I want to know.” Liam moves forward, and we all find ourselves falling into place beside him.
No one stops us as we move across the land to where a digger is tearing up the ground.
“They are digging in the right place,” Shane tells Liam. Someone squealed. The two detectives that were at the door turn to see us coming, and the one with the beard approaches us.
“You can’t be here right now.” His eyes flicker across us all, but he addresses Liam.
“You got your men and equipment here very fast,” Liam counteracts.
“They were on standby. You need to leave, Mr.O’Reagan.”
Darragh snorts, but the detective holds Liam’s stare.
“David, isn’t it?”
The detective stands a little straighter. “David O Hara?” Liam says his name slowly, and David’s jaw tightens.
“My name is no concern to you.” He doesn’t sound so sure now.
The digger stops digging. “We got something.” The man on the digger jumps down and fixes a cap on his head before going over to the hole he has dug.
David smirks at us like we are all going down. The forensics all in white suits move in. I want to see what’s in the hole. One of them glances at David.
“Detective,” he calls, and David gives us all a warning look. “None of you move.” He turns and goes over the men.
“What could be there?” Liam asks, and when I glance to Shane, he’s grinning.
“I buried livestock around the place.”
I’m grinning now as they pull out the carcass of a cow.
“Finn.” We all turn as a female voice comes from behind us. It’s Siobhan, her red puffy eyes and folded arms have us all feeling a bit sorry for Finn.
“What are you doing here?” He’s beside her, shaking his head.
“I heard they are digging here looking for a body. Is that true?” Her voice rises, and Shane clenches his hands.
“It’s all a mistake, Siobhan.” He doesn’t sound convincing. Siobhan glances up at me, and I nod but she refocuses on Finn.
“You never told me that Darragh was brought in for questioning about my aunt.”
Oh, Christ. I didn’t pity him for one moment.
“He needs to get rid of her,” Liam tells Shane who turns to do that, and I step in his way. “Leave him alone. Just give him a minute.” We stare at each other. I don’t want to fight, but they would make everything worse for Finn.
“The charges were dropped, Siobhan. Darragh is an asshole. Darragh snorts at that. “Everyone loves calling me names,” he mumbles under his breath.
“But he is no killer.” This time, I believe Finn.
David is making his way back, and Liam is right. Siobhan shouldn’t be here for this.
“Hi.” I approach them with hands in my pockets. “They are nearly finished, but they want everyone off the land.” I give an apologetic shrug. “Maybe you should bring Siobhan home,” I suggest.
“Yeah, you’re right.” Finn wraps an arm around Siobhan, and she leans into him.
“I’ll catch you later.” Finn leaves.
“See, you don’t have to be a dick to get the job done,” I tell Shane.
“Okay, you all need to leave now.” David doesn’t meet anyone’s eye now, embarrassed that he didn’t find a body.
“Tell your wife I said hi,” Darragh says while blowing smoke towards David. Sometimes, I don’t get him. Why does he antagonize the Gardai.
“Get off this land now.” His shoulders tense as he approaches Darragh.
Darragh flicks his cigarette on the ground. “I was leaving anyway.”
“We can use that as evidence.” David points to the cigarette butt, and Darragh laughs.
“If you had my sperm inside a woman, you dumb cunts still couldn’t solve the case.”
That is how you get yourself arrested.
Liam shakes his head as Darragh is put in cuffs and escorted off the land by a female Gardai who he gives abuse to.
“Now I suggest you all leave before I arrest you all,” David’s final warning has me turning. I reach my car as the one Gardai pulls off with Darragh in the backseat, grinning like he’s off to a party.
Shane waves me over as he climbs into Liam’s jeep. The jeep is still warm as I climb into the back.
“Someone reported us. They are digging in the exact same spot where the bodies were.” Liam glances at me in the rear-view mirror.
“I’ve never stood on that land, so don’t look at me.”
“I’m not, Connor. I just want you to question Darragh and find out if he did.”
“Ask him yourself.” I reach for the handle ready to get out, but the door won’t open.
“A child lock. You think that will keep me in?” I ask Liam.
“We are having a civilized conversation. Everything doesn’t have to resort to violence.”
I flick the door handle roughly a few times to get a reaction out of Liam, but I don’t succeed.
“Finn?” Liam questions, looking at Shane.
“No he’s too loyal, and he wouldn’t drop himself in the middle of a murder investigation. Especially now with Siobhan.” Shane’s logic is correct. If I put my money on anyone, it would be Darragh.
“That leaves us with Darragh.” Liam looks at me again in the review mirror.
“Why don’t I go and bail him out and ask him.” The locks pop, and I open my door.
“They took him to Nobber Gardai station.” I don’t ask Liam how he knows, but I run across the road and get into my car. The smell of smoke has me rolling down the window as I head for Nobber.
***
“I’m here to bail out Darragh O’Reagan.” The female Gardai stares at me, her eyes dead as she focuses on her screen and types away. They have one holding cell here. I know because I sat in it many times. Mostly for fighting.
I glance around at the small reception area as my phone vibrates I’m reaching it my thoughts going to Ava.
Mark McGuiness is home alone now.
The message is from Neill, and the name is one of the guys that had beaten him up. “I knew you would come and rescue me.” I turn as Darragh is brought out by the Bangharda. He’s winking at her as she removes the cuffs.
“Maybe when you’re off duty, we could get a drink?” She has a face that would sour milk as she pushes Darragh towards the door.
I grin, and he holds his hands over his heart. “Shot down again,” he tells me as we leave the station.
“You need to control your mouth,” I inform him, and he lights up a cigarette as he climbs in the car.
“I’m only having a laugh. Everyone is so uptight.”
No traffic is coming, and I pull out onto the
road. “So I’ve been tasked with asking you if you told anyone where the bodies were buried?”
“They are dumb fucks,” Darragh says, and I flicker a quick glance at him.
“Why would I tell anyone. I don’t think this face would fare well in prison? I would be a piece of meat.”
I’m grinning at him. “Yeah, I thought as much, but I had to ask.”
“I don’t mind that everyone thinks I’m that much of a fuck up.” His words are said with a smile, but something darker lingers in them.
“How about we blow off some steam?” He’s sitting up in the car now, his head bobbling.
“What you got in mind. Womenn, drinks?” He’s working himself up.
“More like hurting someone,” I say.
“I’m down with that.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CONNOR
I have everything in the boot of the car so we don’t need to swing by home. My phone starts to ring. It’s Liam, but I hit silent. Darragh smirks. “You will pay for that later.”
“What can he do?” I ask Darragh. Their fear of Liam is nearly unjustified. I never remember him putting his hand on any of us. He never raises his voice. I know I’ve always felt an element of respect towards him but not fear. Yet, even Shane wouldn’t disobey Liam.
“Whatever he wants.” I quickly glance at Darragh, his tone is low.
“Like what?” Darragh faces the window.
“I don’t know, man. Whatever, he’s just scary.” His lie is delivered with a smirk.
I want to dig further, but we are coming up on Mark’s house. His house is only three miles outside Kells. I pull into an opening a few houses down. Cattle roam the fields. It’s drizzling so I hope that keeps any walkers inside.
“We’ll leave the car here,” I tell Darragh and get everything we need from the boot of the car. Handing him the balaclava and his bat, he strokes her.
“Now you got to follow my lead,” I tell Darragh while closing the trunk.
“No killing animals at all.”
He closes his eyes slightly. “Fine.”
It’s always a mistake to bring Darragh on a job. But he’s easy to work with. We hop the side wall. Electric gates rise high into the air, but the walls either side are low, defeating the purpose. We both move quietly along the side of the house. My eyes move quickly checking the corner of the house for camera’s, but apart from the gates, the house is easy to get into.
