by Linda Coles
“Well, Tess will certainly know where I am by now, he’ll have informed her of the address, so she’ll be well on her way.”
“It’ll take her some time to get here from Manchester, I’m sure.”
“I doubt she’s been in Manchester for a while. When they’d realised that I was down here in the bottom of Ireland, she probably came over here, could be standing outside now even.” The way Lorcan spoke sounded like he’d given up, almost like someone had pulled the plug out of him and he was winding down like a doll that had lost all power from the mains. Flynn was sitting on the floor, looking up at the two adults occasionally, peaceful and content with building blocks and a cardboard box to put them in. He hadn’t a care in the world, unlike his father. Lorcan was clearly worried, anxious, and upset about how events had taken a turn. Tess turning up was adding to it. What had Chrissy stirred up? Bronagh’s words of warning filled her ears.
“What will you do if she is on her way?” asked Chrissy.
“I can’t go back, but I don’t know if I can go forward either, because even if I take a restraining order out, that doesn’t mean anything, she’ll not abide by it. They’re not likely to throw her in prison when she ignores it, as she almost certainly will.”
“Why would you need a restraining order?”
Lorcan turned and stared straight into Chrissy’s eyes. She couldn’t help but see the sadness mixed with fear that lay there like watery pools. Whatever had gone on in the past, the man sitting in front of her had nowhere near recovered from it. Not even close. She didn’t expect the words he uttered next.
“To stop the violence. To stop her hatred of me. To stop her taking over my life. And to stop the pain she’s caused over the last few months.” It took Chrissy a moment for it to sink in what he was saying. Domestic abuse was relatively common, but you seldom heard the cases where the roles were reversed. Tess had been hurting Lorcan both physically and mentally.
“Did you try conventional methods when you were at home, go to the police?”
“Male victims don’t get taken quite as seriously as a female one, I’m afraid,” he said. “Particularly when it comes to sex. If I was a female and I’d been raped, they’d be all over it like white on rice, but turn the tables and you’re almost laughed at. How can a man possibly be forced to have sex with someone he doesn’t want to?” Chrissy felt herself pale. It was much more than just abusive conversation that Tess had enjoyed. She was beginning to understand why Lorcan had run away. “And to answer your question, yes, I did report it. And do you know what the officer said to me that first time?”
Chrissy waited, shook her head.
“He said, ‘Every man’s dream, isn’t it? To have a woman force herself on him?’ He’d laughed for a moment, but when he realised I was deadly serious, he tried to cover his mistake up. I remember wanting to vomit, but I held it together until I’d left the station and threw my guts up outside. I doubt much was ever done with my paperwork after that. I know I never heard anything back from them, it likely went in the bin. The whole experience was a total joke.”
Chrissy sat quietly, taking in Lorcan’s ordeal, wondering where to start to help him. She thought again of Bronagh’s words, that she wouldn’t understand, lives could be in danger.
Chrissy was finally beginning to see what she was now involved in.
Chapter 73
It registered with Chrissy that a car had pulled up outside. She’d heard a door slam and wondered where the occupant might be heading. There had been so little activity around the street as she’d been sitting watching a peaceful neighbourhood. Now, after what she’d only just learned from Lorcan, her antennae went into overdrive. No sooner had the thought entered her head than a fist banged angrily on the front door. If someone was trying to be make a quiet arrival, they’d failed miserably. Lorcan flicked his eyes up quickly and connected with Chrissy’s. There was no mistaking the fear that glowed there. Tess’s angry shouts broke through the quiet.
“I know you’re in there, you coward, let me in!”
“What have you done?” he said quietly.
She had no answer, not at this point, but assessed the situation quickly before saying, “Take Flynn upstairs right now. Pack a bag to go. I’ll look after this.”
“You can’t,” he said. “You can’t let her in, you don’t know what she’s capable of.”
“I’m not going to let her in. But please get Flynn and take him upstairs,” she urged.
Lorcan seemed frozen to the spot, his eyes looking past her at nothing.
“Now, Lorcan!” she urged. Even through their brief conversation, Chrissy had heard the sound of yet another car door slamming. Somebody else was with her. Could it be the man that she’d spotted earlier, the private investigator? Tess banged again, her words ricocheting around the small estate and Chrissy could only imagine the angry woman’s face. Judging by her chosen vocabulary, she wouldn’t be a pretty sight. She glanced out the window briefly, in time to see a familiar figure walking towards the front door. It was Sergeant Staines. “What the—” she started and then it registered. Bronagh must’ve had called him, had a conversation and explained Chrissy’s plan. She knew full well that she was coming down here and would undoubtedly find Lorcan. The officer was a welcome sight under the circumstances as the angry fist thumped once more.
“Matthew, open up right now, or god help me!” she yelled as her foot made contact with the bottom of the door itself. Maybe the vision of a guard in uniform would ease the situation and stop things getting out of hand. Even though he was well out of his local jurisdiction, that didn’t matter, the woman outside so intent on getting in wouldn’t know that at this point.
“Go!” Chrissy said urgently to Lorcan. “Take Flynn, get your stuff, be ready to leave when I shout you.”
Bang, bang, bang, as Tess hammered again. A woman’s voice screaming, followed by a male one in the distance. Chrissy was grateful of his presence and wondered if the local force were on their way too. She opened the curtains properly to look outside and locked eyes with Staines. He was not surprised to see her, though likely unimpressed at the hornet’s nest she’d stirred up. Now was not the time to tell her she should have kept her nose out since he’d got his hands full with a ferocious angry female.
“I’ll ask you again, madam, to come away from the door,” she heard him say, but Tess ignored his directive and carried on banging and yelling for Matthew to come out. So that was Lorcan’s real name, Matthew. Matthew what? she wondered. Chrissy could see people starting to gather on the small grassy area out front, wondering what was going on in their normally so quiet neighbourhood. The sight of an angry woman banging on a man’s door, a guard trying to rein her back. It was an odd sight. The vitriol that Tess spewed would have made a sailor’s hair curl. Chrissy was aghast at her word choices, the names she conjured up and was calling her still husband. She must have been an animal to live with and Chrissy wondered at what point it all started to go wrong for them, what the trigger had been.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Accompanied by more obscenities, more shouting, more screaming. Chrissy could hear Staines warning her with what would happen if she didn’t calm down, but the woman was on a mission, she was having none of it. When he finally said, “You leave me with no choice,” Chrissy watched as he arrested her, grabbing her hands behind her back and putting them in handcuffs. She heard a siren in the distance, and registered the look of confusion for a moment on Staines’s face before she realised that someone else, an onlooker perhaps, had made the call. That might need some explaining, thought Chrissy to herself, knowing full well that two different Guards forces on the doorstep was going to be confusing to explain. She only hoped Sergeant Staines wouldn’t get in trouble; she doubted he’d informed the locals of his arrival on their patch, never mind his intentions. The extra siren did the trick and the woman moved away from the doorstep, back towards Staines’s car, without too much trouble, though she continued to spew ferocity from her mouth
at the increasing gathering of people. A moment later and a liveried Guards vehicle pulled up alongside Staines’s own and two officers got out. Chrissy wasn’t sure whether to help sort it out or not and opted to stay where she was for the time being. She’d caused enough trouble for one day and could only hope it would have a happy ending. Right at the moment she couldn’t see how that would be possible.
In her experience, restraining orders didn’t work as a deterrent when someone was adamant to get their hands on their prey, and depending on what the Guards charged Tess with, breach of the peace, threatening behaviour, the likelihood of her going to prison was remote. Unless, of course, Lorcan had evidence of the assaults. Maybe he’d finally be taken seriously if he tried to report her actions again and she could be charged successfully. Chrissy watched as Sergeant Staines handed Tess over to the two officers then waited for them to leave. She wondered what he’d told them, likely that he’d drop into the station and give his side of the story before he returned back north. At least Tess had gone.
Chapter 74
It all happened so fast. Chrissy watched as the two local officers drove the hysterical woman away. Tess was clearly not happy with the outcome. She’d come for a fight and had almost got one, though not with the man she’d wanted. He was still upstairs along with Flynn. Chrissy opened the door and locked eyes with Sergeant Staines. He didn’t look best pleased as he stood on the step.
“I told you to leave matters to the Guards,” he growled in a low rumble. “You’ve no idea what you’ve disturbed with your meddling.”
Chrissy’s patience was running out. “Then rather than tell the whole street, why don’t you come on inside and fill me in!” Guards or not, she was angry at his blaming her. “Since I’m not the only one to have figured it out.” She closed the door behind him and, like Lorcan had, bolted it top and bottom.
“There’s no need for that.”
“It’s for Lorcan and Flynn, not you or I,” she said, ignoring his instruction.
Footsteps padded down the stairs and Lorcan reappeared, Flynn in his arms. His face was devoid of all colour, and tiredness filled his eyes. He joined them in the living room and Chrissy took charge, instructing everyone to sit. Flynn stayed in his arms, upset now at sensing the disruption. He had a dummy to suck on, but tears stained his pink blotchy face. There was a certain calmness among the adults, everyone taking a moment to simmer down, before Lorcan finally spoke.
“Our bags are packed. She’ll be back when they’ve done with her.”
Sergeant Staines was ready. “I have somewhere arranged for you, though it’s not properly set up yet. We weren’t expecting a move quite so soon,” he said pointedly and turned his full gaze towards Chrissy. If she was meant to sizzle under his stare, it wasn’t going to work.
She had a better idea. “There’s a spare room back at mine, if it helps. She’d not think you’d return to Doolin, I’m sure. Maybe for tonight, at least.”
“I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Lorcan said, looking at Staines for confirmation. He gave a sideways nod, that it wasn’t a bad suggestion.
“It’s actually likely the best idea,” Chrissy carried on. “Until your new place is sorted. You’ve a little one to think of.” She looked over at young Flynn and reached out a hand, giving him an exaggerated smile, one adults only gave to young children. A light giggle escaped his lips and helped put everyone at ease. Staines sat back a little in his chair and everyone followed suit, the pressure easing on all of them slightly.
“It’s not a bad idea,” Staines added again. “She’ll not think you’ll go back there.” Chrissy was still wondering about Ciara – where was she and where did she fit in all of this?
“Will Ciara be joining us?” she asked, searching their eyes for an answer.
“No, she’s at another location,” Staines offered. That didn’t make any sense, but he wasn’t going to expand on it. She’d find out herself how Ciara fitted in, and soon. “We can’t move her on from there, it’s too early,” Staines added. She nodded, as if she understood.
“Bronagh will be able to help with Flynn, though, if you need anything straightaway,” Chrissy offered. She was slowly dropping in the bits she did know, all the time trying her best to figure out the missing pieces. Let them think she was further along in her deductions than she really was. They might just make a slip up and reveal more.
“Will the local Guards sort things or have you got to go and make the peace? Only I’m thinking we should take off soon.”
“I’ll drop in. Make it work,” said Staines.
“And the investigator that was hanging around? How did he find the address, do you think?”
“Same way as you, I expect,” Staines said curtly. Chrissy wondered about the phone details. How could he possibly have got a copy of what she herself had?
“Somehow, I doubt that very much. Not unless he had access to Bronagh’s phone.”
Staines thought for a moment. “It was smashed, at the crash site. Come to think about it, it looked like someone had put their heel through the screen.”
So he’d already looked and discarded it without anyone the wiser. Was the investigator the cause of the crash, to get at Bronagh’s phone? That raised another question if so, how did they know Bronagh was involved?
“I guess we’ll find out how soon enough, when we talk to him.”
“There is no ‘we’. I think you’ve had enough involvement for now.” It was his way of telling her once again to leave things alone. She checked the wall clock.
“Whatever,” she added, waving him away. “But can I suggest we start the journey back? Perhaps you’ll come around to mine when you arrive home?”
Staines nodded. “Where is this investigator now?”
“I don’t know. The local Guards moved him on earlier. They have his number plate so you can check your cameras. Perhaps he’s scarpered back to where he came from.”
“Let’s hope.” Staines stood. “Safe trip then. Watch your rear-view mirror, eh?”
“I’ll grab your bags, shall I?” she offered to Lorcan, and headed off upstairs, thinking they needed to swap the car seat over before they set out. Staines must have had the same idea because by the time she’d arrived back downstairs, the pair were making the switch, Flynn flopped lazily over his father’s shoulder. He gently lowered the child into the seat, strapped him in and laid a pale blue blanket across his body. It reminded her of the one she’d wrapped him the morning she’d found him. She loaded the bags into the boot and remembered the buggy, which Lorcan grabbed from his own car. He then tossed the keys to Staines. Once all three were safely in Brocc’s old vehicle, he gave a quick nod as they pulled away. Through the rear-view mirror, she watched Staines get into his own vehicle and drive back towards the town centre and the local station. He’d got some explaining to do but that wasn’t her concern.
Lorcan was silent, not wishing to talk nor relive recent events, and Chrissy let him be, even though she still had so many questions that needed answers. The weak sunshine filled the car, casting a warmth over the three individuals inside. By the time they’d reached the main road home, both Flynn and Lorcan had dozed off and were fast asleep. The stress he must have been under had taken its toll and Chrissy watched over them both as she made the three-hour journey back in silence. A few minutes out from the house, she made the call.
It was almost dark when Julie, Adam, and Richard met the three of them at the door and helped take their few belongings inside.
Chapter 75
It felt good, being in someone else’s care for a while. Like a small child might snuggle into the ample bosom of its grandma for comfort, Lorcan, or Matthew, as he had been known previously, felt like he was being wrapped up in the comfort of the very same. Even a grown man needed to feel safe, and when that safety had disintegrated, he’d run, and it had frightened him nonetheless. It wasn’t just children that needed a hug once in a while, or a loving and caring relationship, it was every
one. As Chrissy pulled up at the holiday home, he pretended to stir from his deep slumber, though in reality he’d been awake, lying there thinking, for the best part of the last hour. He was avoiding talking, he knew, but he did owe her an explanation at the very least. Should he tell her the whole story though? Or just the pieces that would satisfy her? Was it his place to put the good work of the group, maybe other lives, in jeopardy? Bronagh would know, but she wasn’t there to advise. She was the bosom that had saved them all.
He stretched as he pretended to come around, glancing at Flynn still fast asleep in the child seat behind him, his perfect little cherub face resting to his right. He hoped the little boy didn’t have a stiff neck from the journey back, he was obviously tired out too. Children picked up on fear, on anger, on worry, and Flynn had been no different. He could have played up more, been a good deal worse than he had been, and Lorcan was thankful for the child’s goodwill in that respect. Perhaps he’d sensed adding any more to Lorcan’s plate would have toppled him. Chrissy’s voice sounded in his ears.
“We’re here,” she said gently. The left side of his own face bore a line where he’d been resting on the seat-belt strap, and it had manifested itself as a deep crease. He sat up awkwardly, a real case of bedhead without having had a full night’s sleep. He forced a smile, rubbing his eyes to awaken himself more. At the sound of voices and the car coming to a halt, Flynn stirred in his own seat, bleary baby eyes greeting them both.
