“Really?”
He lifted his eyebrows and nodded. “There are some in the business community who might have some answers. I told you, I’d like to be hands-on in the investigation and help find the bastard who killed Janie’s uncles. He’s causing quite a measure of alarm in Janie’s family and disruption in my life.”
Janie looked at him and smiled proudly. “My protector.”
“Like I told you on the golf course,” I said, “I’m not heading up this investigation. I can put you in touch with Inspector McLaughlin. You could work with him and share your many contacts.”
He shook his head. “I need to stay in the background. I don’t want to be seen working with the police. A lot of my business contacts are strong nationalists, ex-IRA guys. I can’t be seen working alongside all these former RUC lads. Hell, McLaughlin himself was an Ulster copper swinging his baton in the Lower Falls. I’d just as soon be doing investigation on the private side, like you. You and I, Liam, we could be a team, share information.”
“I’m not a very good team player, Charles, and I don’t think I will be staying here very much longer. You should really work with Inspector McLaughlin. I’m sure he’d be discreet.”
Charles nodded and tipped his glass in my direction. “Well, it’s all quite disconcerting. We know that Walker is responsible for Fergus and Eamon. Marked for death, they were. And now he’s served his death notice on Riley. We need to find him and bring him in before anyone else is hurt.”
“I don’t think that Inspector McLaughlin shares your certainty. He’s not convinced that it’s Walker.”
“That’s patently derelict. What could be more palpable?” Charles took a sip of his wine. “This arsonist fellow, the one you caught, what’s he been telling the police? Did he confess that Walker paid him to torch Deirdre’s house?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“He might have received his orders over the phone from some untraceable source. That’s how they do those things, you know.”
I shrugged. I wondered how Charles had arrived at that conclusion. I wondered if one of Charles’s many contacts worked for the PSNI. Given the way Charles throws money around, it wouldn’t be unheard of to have a policeman on his payroll.
“Anyway,” Charles said as he emptied the wine bottle, “I’d like to work with you and help you in your investigation, as long as you’re here. You know, study at the feet of the master. It would be most enjoyable and I do have my connections.”
“That’s very kind of you, and I’ll keep it in mind. I will gratefully accept any information you can pass along.”
Tea and chocolates were served and we wrapped up our conversation. Charles phoned Starkman to bring the car around. “He’ll take you back to your hotel. I’ll drive home with Janie. And Liam, don’t worry about the Nassau. I wouldn’t feel right taking your money. The Dunluce eighteen can be pretty rough, especially on first-timers.”
Were I more of a man, I would have insisted that the debt was due and payment was the honorable thing to do. Instead, I said, “Thank you, Charles. Very sporting of you.”
TWENTY-THREE
IT WAS RAINING WHEN I went out for my early morning run, one of those Irish mists they talk about—foggy, little visibility and slippery streets. Still, it felt good to get my heart pumping and prepare me for whatever misadventure was sure to develop later in my day. It didn’t take long. As I was getting out of the shower, I got a call from O’Neill.
“Liam, we’ve just been served with another emergency motion. This one was filed jointly by Conor and Riley.”
“Let me guess. They want to distribute the assets immediately and send me packing to Chicago.”
“How did you know?”
“Riley. He threatened it. When is it scheduled to be heard?”
“This morning at eleven.”
“Does the motion have something to do with the Global Investments stock? Is that the emergency?”
“Partially. They ask the judge to declare that Fergus’s intent—that of preventing a murderer from profiting from his death—has been satisfied. They reason that Thomas Walker is the presumptive suspect, not a relative, and that there is no evidence of any complicity by any trust beneficiary.”
“How is that any different than what they brought up last week when the judge shot them down?”
“Technically, identifying a suspect was not on the judge’s docket last week. It wasn’t a part of the motion. Today’s motion also alleges that you are stalling the investigation and the ultimate distributions in order to collect your weekly stipend of one thousand pounds. Finally, as you anticipated, the motion alleges that the trust assets are endangered by your mismanagement, citing your refusal to pledge the Global stock.”
Collect my stipend? That infuriated me. I had never taken a cent. I didn’t ask for this assignment or the stipend. Half of me hoped the judge would grant the motion and let me go home and back to my wife as soon as possible. The other half wanted the judge to send Riley and Conor, those two whiny children, to bed without any supper. “What is your strategy?” I asked.
“I called Inspector McLaughlin and asked him to come to court this morning to testify that the PSNI does not have a primary suspect and has not eliminated any person. He has agreed to say that it is an open, ongoing investigation.”
“Shall I notify Deirdre, Robert and Janie?”
“You may if you like, but there’s no need at this time. I don’t believe their testimony would be persuasive one way or the other. If they want to appear, that is certainly their right.”
I told O’Neill that I’d meet him in the courtroom and that I’d inform the others. I called Deirdre and Janie, and both of them said they might show up. I couldn’t reach Robert. I wanted to call Catherine and check up on her, but it was the middle of the night in Chicago. I’d call her later.
* * *
“I DIDN’T EXPECT TO see you all back here so soon,” Judge McNulty said with a smile as she took the bench. For an emergency motion set on very short notice, the hearing was well-attended. Conor and Riley were there, of course, each one throwing an evil eye in my direction. Deirdre sat quietly in a back row. Although I wasn’t the one who notified him, Robert was also present. Perhaps he had chosen to side with Conor and Riley. Janie was there in the second row with Charles seated right beside her.
Conor’s lawyer, Michael Cooney, began his oratory by reminding the judge that I was not a resident of Northern Ireland, that I had been estranged from the family for decades, that I was unconcerned with the preservation of the assets, and that I was insensitive to the needs of the beneficiaries, Riley in particular. I was in it for my own monetary gain. “I’m sure everyone will agree,” he said, “that paying a trustee a thousand pounds per week is an outrageous figure, considering the fact that he does nothing.”
Finally, he assured the judge that there was no need to keep this charade going when it was clear that the murder was a revenge killing by Thomas Walker, a member of a Shankill gang.
“Are you prepared to submit proof to this court on each of those premises this morning?” Judge McNulty said.
“Of course,” Cooney answered, “although it’s self-evident that Liam Taggart lives in America and that he had a falling out with his family in 1999. I don’t believe that needs further evidence. Just the other day he refused to pledge or transfer the Global stock, which could save the company and protect Riley Taggart’s job. I don’t think anyone will dispute that. The trust authorizes an obscene stipend. That’s in black-and-white. I believe the trust is picking up his hotel room and I assume all of his meals as well, so he’s living like the Prince of Wales off the trust’s limited assets. To my mind, the only matter requiring any proof at all is the undeniable conclusion that Thomas Walker committed the murders and not any of Fergus Taggart’s loving family members, and we’re prepared to meet that burden.”
I looked to my right and Riley and Conor were vigorously nodding their heads in unison, as tho
ugh they were two bobblehead dolls. When Cooney sat down, Judge McNulty turned her attention to O’Neill. “Do you wish to make an opening statement as well, Solicitor O’Neill?”
O’Neill rose from his chair. “May it please this honorable court, Your Honor. My rejoinder is simple. It’s all poppycock! Pure conjecture! Mr. Cooney could not possibly have evidence that Thomas Walker is the murderer. Pictures of the remains of a house are hardly sufficient to convict a man of murder and Inspector McLaughlin is here to tell you that.” And he sat down. Short and sweet. I liked the way this guy worked.
Judge McNulty looked at us with a kind expression, but she seemed a little annoyed. “I have to tell you,” she said, “I am not concerned that Liam Taggart resides in America. I told you that last time and there isn’t any need to bring that up again. I consider the comments relative to his previous estrangement, his living conditions in Antrim, his hotel room, his meals and his weekly stipend, to be nothing but embittered rhetoric. But I do have a concern about the Global stock and the accusations regarding Mr. Walker and their effect on distribution of the trust assets. I will hear evidence on those issues. You may begin, Solicitor Cooney.”
Cooney called Riley as his first witness. “Your Honor, by rights that stock belongs to me,” Riley said. “My father bought it for me. It’s my company. Recently, Global has faced a need to raise capital. Refinancing of our line of credit is available but only if one hundred percent of the stock is pledged. I told Liam how badly we needed to obtain refinancing.” Riley glared at me angrily. “That’s why we’re here. Without the loan, Global will not survive, it’s as simple as that. And unless Global can secure refinancing, the stock will be worthless to the trust or anyone else. I told Liam that as well and he just doesn’t care. He said his hands are tied.”
Riley was desperate and I suspected it had more to do with his fear of being swept up in a criminal prosecution for financial fraud than his devotion to his company. Nevertheless I felt bad. I always liked Riley. Still, I didn’t see how I could transfer the shares to him without violating the trust agreement. Besides, I was acting on advice from O’Neill.
As expected, I was called as the next witness. Cooney asked me if Riley had requested my approval to pledge the shares and I said yes. And wasn’t it true that I told him that I would not transfer or encumber the shares? Again, I said yes.
“I would have been happy to help Riley if I could,” I said. “But transferring the shares into Riley’s name or pledging them would have been a violation of my fiduciary duty. The trust requires all the assets to be liquidated, reduced to cash and distributed to all the beneficiaries at the appropriate time. I knew that and Riley knew that. He’s had a copy of the trust since the first time we were in court.”
Cooney then turned his attention to evidence that Walker was the presumptive killer. This was tricky for Cooney. He could hardly put one of my relatives on the stand to testify that the Taggart brothers were guilty of firebombing Walker’s house. Cooney called Robert to the stand. He danced around the historical basis for the feud between the Taggarts and the Walkers referring obliquely to events in the early 1970s. “It was well-known that Walker was a member of the notorious Shankill Butchers,” Robert said. “They were archenemies of the Taggarts, then and now. Cooney showed him the picture of Walker’s house. “Have you seen that picture before?”
Robert nodded sharply. “The murderer left that picture in me brother Eamon’s mailbox right before me brother was killed,” he said with a catch in his throat. “And it was found in Fergus’s and Riley’s mailboxes as well.”
“And in yours as well?”
“No.”
“Do you know to your own knowledge whose house is shown in that picture?”
Robert nodded again. “It was Archie Walker’s house.”
“Do you know who was in that house at the time it was set on fire?” Cooney said.
“I wasn’t there. According to the newspaper, the entire Walker family was killed in the fire.”
“And you know all of this because there was a feud between the Taggart family and the Walker family during the Troubles?”
Robert nodded. “Not just the Taggart family. The Walker family was feuding with every Catholic family in the Lower Falls. Since the Taggarts were Catholic, I suppose you’d have to say that.”
“If the entire family was killed in the house fire, who is left to carry on the feud between the Taggarts and the Walkers?”
Robert shrugged. “I hear it’s one of Archie’s brothers.”
“Which one would that be?”
“I hear tell that Thomas was released from prison and is living somewhere, I don’t know exactly where. If I knew, you better believe I’d … well, I don’t know where.”
Then Cooney called Riley to identify the picture he’d found in his mailbox. Of course, Riley couldn’t say for certain who put it there.
“The circumstantial evidence is very compelling in this case,” Cooney said in his wrap-up. “It should be obvious to all that the horrific murders of Fergus and Eamon Taggart were remnants of the Troubles. They were revenge killings by a relative of Archie Walker. They were certainly not committed by any beneficiaries. There is not a shred of evidence that any family member participated in the homicides of either Fergus Taggart or Eamon Taggart. Therefore, Fergus Taggart’s expressed fear of distributing assets to a homicidal relative, as bizarre as that might seem, has been completely eliminated and there should be no further impediment to the immediate distribution of the trust assets to the rightful beneficiaries. We ask that Liam Taggart be relieved of his position as trustee and that the court oversee the immediate distribution of the trust assets.” Cooney nodded to Conor and Riley and sat down.
O’Neill rose. “As our first witness, Your Honor, we respectfully call Inspector Farrell McLaughlin of the Antrim District of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.” McLaughlin stood.
Judge McNulty shook her head. “It’s not necessary. I’m prepared to rule on the motion. You may be seated, Inspector. First, with regard to the Global stock and the request for transfer or encumbrance. The stock sits in the name of the decedent, Fergus Taggart, and it belongs to his trust estate. It does not belong to Riley Taggart or the Global Investment Company. Pledging the stock to secure a loan to the company, based on Riley’s speculation that its value might be adversely affected if the company did not get the loan it was seeking, would have the result of removing the stock from the estate assets. Such a transaction would be in direct conflict with the terms of the trust, which require liquidation and distribution to seven beneficiaries. I find in favor of the trustee’s decision not to transfer or encumber the stock.
“As to the request for immediate distribution of all of the trust assets and removal of the trustee because—how do I phrase this?—the presumptive killer is a member of the family of Archie Walker and not a Taggart family member? I find that to be pure conjecture without any evidentiary support. I deny this emergency motion in all respects. Court is adjourned.”
Conor and Riley were livid. Conor turned to Cooney and shot out a pointed finger. “You are totally useless. You’ve lost two hearings in a row.”
Cooney shook his head and held out his arms. “I did what I could. She ruled against us. I told you the case was weak. You need evidence, more evidence of this Thomas Walker or whoever the hell the killer is. There was nothing more I could have done.”
“You are discharged, fired, relieved of your duties.”
“That suits me fine. You’ll have my bill for services this afternoon.”
Then it was my turn to be the target. Conor and Riley stormed over to me and got right up in my face. “You think you won something this morning, Liam? You won nothing. This ain’t over. We don’t want you here, don’t you get it? If you’re smart, you’ll get out of Antrim this afternoon. Do you understand me, Liam?”
“Go home, Conor. We’re done for today.”
On his way out, Robert looked at me with disa
ppointment in his eyes and shook his head. “This is a family matter, Liam. Since you’ve arrived there’s been quite a bit of dissension. Conor’s right, you should go home. Go home to your family, go home to your life in America.”
It was pretty obvious I didn’t have many friends left in this room, but when I glanced over at Charles, he was nodding to me. I wouldn’t put him in the friend category, but he was clearly contented with the ruling. So were Janie and Deirdre. Me, I felt sad at the way the family was falling apart. So much discord. I only wished for peace and there wasn’t much of that to be found.
Janie and Charles asked me to join them for lunch. I declined. I wanted to take a walk. Alone. I needed a friendly voice. I checked my watch, but it was still too early to call Catherine.
As I was leaving the courthouse, McLaughlin told me he had a line on Thomas Walker. “I put out a bulletin asking if anyone knew Walker’s whereabouts. One of my officers told me he saw him in Belfast recently. He was called upon to quiet a disturbance in a west side pub, and he saw Walker acting loud and obnoxious with his cohorts, singing the old Ulster marching songs, but not breaking any laws. My officer knew him from the seventies and was shocked to learn that he was out of prison and back on the streets.”
That was also disturbing news to me. It was confirmation that a Walker was out on the loose, raising hell and theoretically capable of committing the murders. “Your officer, he didn’t bring him in?”
“For what? Singing while under the influence?”
“Walker must live in the Shankill area.”
McLaughlin nodded. “That’s what I think. I’ll get the name of the bar and give you a call. I’d like to go out there tomorrow and see what I can find out.”
TWENTY-FOUR
I ROSE EARLY AND TOOK a long run around the northern shore of Lough Neagh, along the road to Toome. As I neared the city, the traditional Irish song I sang at Conway’s played out in my mind—young Roddy McCorley, the hemp rope ’round his neck, fated to die on the Bridge of Toome.
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