“That’s just what Uncle Fergus wanted to avoid.”
“Precisely. But since you’ve decided to stay, it’s a moot point. As your first duty as trustee-in-exile, I should tell you that Riley’s been calling me. Quite frequently. He has issues with his company’s stock.”
“Great. I’m already having second thoughts. What are the issues this time?”
“He wants to own the stock, or at the very least control the stock, so that it may be pledged to secure a loan.”
“The court has already rejected his request. Judge McNulty upheld my decision.”
“She did. But since you left, he has been lobbying the other beneficiaries. He reasons that if he can get consent from the others—Conor, Robert, Deirdre and Janie—the judge will go along with him. Especially since you aren’t here to object. Apparently Conor will agree. Riley is using Conor’s attorney, Mike Cooney.”
“I thought Conor fired Cooney.”
“It certainly seemed that way in court, but Cooney is still of record in the case.”
“Do Robert, Deirdre and Janie go along with Riley?”
“From what I can tell, Deirdre is cloistered. She has round-the-clock police protection and she prefers to stay in her home and shy away from controversy. I don’t think she agrees with Riley, but she will not come to court to object. Janie is living with a very wealthy man and doesn’t seem to care if the stock is taken out of the trust estate. Robert wants the trust to remain as it is until a new trustee is appointed. Since he believes you have resigned and that a successor will be appointed, he prefers to wait and listen to the opinion of the new trustee. Now that you have decided not to resign, I suppose Robert would want to know what your position will be.”
“It hasn’t changed. I don’t think the Global stock should be transferred or encumbered. Judge McNulty ruled on that issue. She said it would violate the terms of the trust. I’m not going to go against the judge. And besides, we’re forgetting something: there is another beneficiary, the Bridget McGregor Trust.”
“Indeed. But Cooney hasn’t forgotten. He asserts that the Bridget McGregor Trust must go along with the others because it is not represented in the court case and won’t formally object.”
“Is he right?”
“No,” O’Neill said sharply. “The Bridget McGregor Trust is represented by Liam Taggart, the duly appointed trustee and Malcolm O’Neill, the attorney of record.”
“But you’re not the attorney if I withdraw, right?”
“You can assume that if Conor becomes the trustee he will not retain my services.”
“So as of now, Riley must get my permission or he won’t have a consensus?”
“Right.”
“Well, he’s not getting it.”
“I will inform Mr. Cooney. I’m glad you’ve decided to stay involved, Liam. It’s what your uncle wanted. You’ve shown yourself to be the person that Fergus Taggart thought you were.”
I hung up with O’Neill and sat there thinking about Deirdre. I worried about her. I could see her sitting by herself in her tufted chair in the dark corner of the living room with a glass of Bushmills. I missed her and I wished I could comfort her. She’d comforted me when I needed it and I still thought of her as my second mother. She had always been a strong woman and a perfect pairing for Uncle Fergus but now she was depressed, alone and frightened for her life. I called her.
“What’s for dinner?” I said.
“Roast and potatoes. I have company tonight.”
“Terrific. Who’s the lucky guest?”
She paused. “Annie. She’s been coming over every few days, checking up on me, keeping me company.”
Annie had been close to Fergus and Deirdre for all these years and now she was looking after Deirdre. I was grateful for that. I wondered how much Annie really knew. How much did Fergus confide in her? Deirdre seemed to think it was quite a bit. “I’m glad she’s not afraid to come over to the house,” I said.
“There’s a police car sitting in my driveway, Liam. Day and night. It’s the safest place in County Antrim.”
“What does Annie think about all this? I know that Uncle Fergus and she talked a lot before he died.”
“Aye, that they did. But Annie and I do not talk about murders or fires or crimes. We talk about movies and art and TV shows and cooking and anything we can think of except what’s going on. If you want to know what Annie knows, you should talk to her directly and not pump me for information. Annie spent a lot of time talking to your uncle. Whatever he knew, whatever he feared, he understood it would frighten me and he spared me from the worry. When he wanted to talk to someone, it was usually Annie.”
I knew that I couldn’t telephone Annie and question her for any number of reasons, not to mention the emotional awkwardness. She had cut me out of her life sixteen years ago and other than the few words exchanged at the funeral, we hadn’t talked since. I doubted she knew who the killer was or she would have gone straight to McLaughlin. Still, she was privy to my uncle’s thinking. It’s likely she would possess bits of information that could be helpful in the investigation. If I was in Antrim, and if I talked to her in person, maybe I could get that information. I didn’t think I was up to discussing it with her on the phone.
I gave Deirdre my love, told her I would call next week and told her to say hello to Annie.
* * *
IT WASN’T VERY LONG afterward that I received the inevitable call from Riley. I was sitting in my office and the phone rang. The caller ID gave me a Northern Ireland area code. Déjà vu. The telephone rings and life’s direction changes. Wasn’t that how the whole damn thing started? I knew I shouldn’t pick it up, but I did. Riley’s tone was anything but friendly.
“Look, Liam, I know that you and I don’t see eye to eye on this, but I’m asking you to give me a couple of minutes of your time to try to reach a compromise on my Global stock. If it weren’t a life-or-death situation, I wouldn’t be calling you. Mr. Cooney says you are still the trustee until he can remove you and that might take a while.”
“Go ahead, Riley.”
“Thank you. I won’t repeat the fact that my company faces foreclosure if we can’t get our financing or that the stock without the financing will be worthless to you and everyone else. Even if you don’t believe that, even if you think the company will survive anyway, you must know that Mr. Penters considers me to be the sole reason that Global can’t get a new loan. I will be fired and that will be the least of my problems. He’s an arrogant, powerful man and he scares the shit out of me. I’d be fired already but for the fact that he needs my father’s shares and he doesn’t want to alienate me. Look, I’ve got kids in school, I’ve got a wife who doesn’t work, I have a mortgage on my house. I have to find a way to make this work.”
“I know all that, Riley, and I do believe you. I’m not unsympathetic. I feel for you and for your situation. As it stands today, the stock is one of the largest assets in the trust. There are other beneficiaries that have rights that I cannot ignore. I can’t take an eighty-thousand-pound asset and give it away or encumber it. You heard the judge: I’d be violating the terms of the trust. But you said you want to talk about a compromise solution. I’m open to that if it works. What do you have in mind?”
“All right, here’s the deal. I will personally sign a six-month promissory note to the trust equal to the value of the stock when my father purchased it, even though today, given the current financial crisis, the stock is worth less. There will be no risk to the trust. The trust won’t lose a shilling.”
“Can I ask you, Riley, do you have the funds to pay the note if it came due today?”
“Not today.”
“I hate to question you like a banker, but I have a duty to act as a careful trustee. What will change in six months so that you will have the funds?”
“Well, a lot of things can happen. First, the killer should be found by then and the trust will be distributed. My share would be more than enough to pay the not
e. Otherwise, I’ll have six months to save up the money.”
I knew there was no way he could get that kind of money together in six months. If the financial regulators have their way, both Riley and his boss will be in trouble. If the trust does not distribute within six months, Riley’s promissory note will be worthless. I also knew that if the regulators took over the company, they would endeavor to preserve the company for the benefit of the stockholders. It wasn’t necessarily true that the stock would be worthless. Likely, but not necessarily.
“Okay,” I said, “here’s what I can do. I’ll discuss your proposal with Mr. O’Neill, the attorney for the trust, and if he says it’s okay, he’ll draw up the note. But if he says it’s too uncertain, then you’ll have to think of something else.”
“What if I had someone guarantee my note? Someone with money, like Conor or Uncle Robert?”
“I think that might make a difference. Have either of them offered to guarantee your loan?”
“Not yet, I haven’t asked them, but what if they would?”
“Again, I’d have to run it by Mr. O’Neill, but I think that might make a big difference. Of course, they’d probably have to put up some security.”
“Right. I get it. Thanks, Liam. Thanks a lot. I mean it. Please talk to Mr. O’Neill and get back to me as soon as possible.”
“I will. Riley, are you being cautious for yourself and your family? You received one of those photos in your mailbox. Look what happened to me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“Thanks, Liam. I appreciate it. I’m being real careful. I have a shotgun in the house and I keep it loaded. The PSNI car goes through my neighborhood several times a day and frequently stops by to check up on us. We’re okay. By the way, Janie got one of those pictures as well. It was left at her house in Antrim. As you know, she spends most of her time in Belfast with Charles, but last weekend she came home and found the envelope in her mailbox. She didn’t know how long it had been there. She gave it to Inspector McLaughlin.”
That sent shivers up my spine. “Is she okay? Is she a nervous wreck?”
“A little. Charles hired a bodyguard at his house but she’s nervous. Not quite her happy-go-lucky self.”
TWENTY-SEVEN
FOUR DAYS AFTER RILEY’S call, while I was sitting in front of the TV with Catherine and Ben, enjoying a deep-dish pizza, my cell phone rang and once again it displayed a Northern Ireland number. I showed it to Catherine and asked, “Should I send this directly to voice mail?”
“Don’t, Liam. It’s two o’clock in the morning there, it must be important.” I nodded and answered the call.
“Liam, it’s Janie. I’m at the hospital.” She was crying. “My father, he’s been shot.”
My heart sank. Uncle Robert, so warm and smiling, that Irish face I loved. I felt so hollow. The killer had struck again and taken another piece of my life.
“When is the funeral?”
“He’s not dead, Liam. They tried to kill him but he survived. He’s alive but in bad shape.”
“What happened?”
“He was alone in his apartment. You know, he lives in the Waterfront Apartments on the sixth floor. And he was being real careful because last week he got a calling card. He was standing by the window and he dropped his book. As he bent down to pick it up, a bullet came through the window, hit him in the shoulder and knocked him backward. Liam, if he hadn’t bent over just at that moment, my father would be dead. As it is, his left shoulder is shattered.”
“But he’s all right now?”
“No, he’s not all right, his shoulder was blown away. He’s in terrible pain. They had to knock him out.”
“Does Inspector McLaughlin know about this?”
“The Belfast police called McLaughlin. He’s here at the hospital. Liam, can you come back? I’m scared.”
“I know, I’m sorry. But the police will protect you. And Riley told me that Charles has hired a bodyguard.”
“The bodyguard doesn’t follow me around, he’s just at the house. When I have to go out, I’m on my own. And you can’t depend on the PSNI. They didn’t protect my father. They can’t protect everyone all the time. There’s a crazy killer out here and he’s trying to kill our whole family. Please come back. You have to find this man.”
“Who else is at the hospital with you?”
“Charles and Conor.”
“Where is Deirdre?”
“She’s at home. She never goes anywhere. She’s scared to death, just like me. I told her I would come out as soon as I could.”
“And Riley, where is he?”
“No one knows. My father said that Riley came by three days ago and they had a terrible argument. Something about guaranteeing a loan. Why can’t you come back until the killer is found? Just for a little while?”
“I wish I could, but I can’t come back to Antrim right now. My family needs me in Chicago. I’m concerned for their safety as well and Catherine is still recovering from her injuries.”
Catherine poked me in the ribs and whispered, “You can go, I’ll be fine. Don’t use me for an excuse.” I shook my head and put my finger on my lips.
“Janie, would you tell Inspector McLaughlin to call me when he gets a chance?”
“He’s standing a few feet away. I’ll hand him the phone.…”
“Hello, Liam.”
“Farrell, what happened? What do you know?”
“Not much. We think the shot came from the Clarendon Dock Area across the channel. Hell of a shot. High-powered rifle with a scope, had to be an M24 with a thirty-aught-six shell. It took a skilled marksman to make that shot. A real pro.”
“As I recall, Robert lived in the center building overlooking the harbor. Someone would have to shoot over the channel and the harbor into a darkened apartment window.”
“Right. A distance of three hundred meters. As I said, it took a hell of a sharpshooter. But the apartment wasn’t dark. Mr. Taggart had not yet retired. He remembers it occurring at eleven this evening. He had just taken his dog for a walk and returned to the apartment. We believe the shot was fired from one of the higher floor units in a building directly across the channel. There are only a few buildings that are tall enough to give him a clear shot. We have officers searching the units right now.”
“None of the people we suspect are skilled enough to pull that off,” I said. “We’re either overlooking a suspect or someone on our list has enough money and contacts to hire a sniper.”
“I agree. No one stands out, Liam. Hell of a shot. There aren’t many PSNI shooters who could pull that off. Dooley could, but I don’t know many others. The M24 has a range of eight hundred meters, but it’s a tough shot and you only get one chance. Your uncle is lucky; he’s going to make it. He’ll need a new shoulder, but he’s going to live. I’m assigning an officer here in the hospital, and Deirdre’s got her patrolman. But add Conor, Riley and Janie to the mix and it’s almost impossible to prevent the next assault. Maybe you’d like to come back and help me?”
“I’m not coming back, Farrell. I can’t leave my family.”
“I understand. Take care, my friend.”
* * *
“I KNOW I ONLY caught half the conversation,” Catherine said, “but I can’t believe what I just heard.”
“This is the toughest case I’ve ever worked. Another one of my family down and I can’t even develop a theory that holds true for more than a week. Initially, I was sure the murders were retaliatory, left over from the Troubles. McLaughlin believed the killer was an heir, a relative. Then, with all the court cases and the vicious arguments, I came around to McLaughlin’s way of thinking: it could very well be somebody in the family. Then, after I spent time with the family, I discarded those thoughts. The killer had to come from the outside. The pictures of Walker’s house and his wake led me to believe it was Walker, but seeing his neighborhood and learning about his circumstances, I came to doubt it. When they attacked you, I was certain that it was Conor or R
iley, because both of them had threatened me, wanted me out of Ireland and had the money to get it done. Now a professional sniper pops up and fires a scoped shot three hundred meters into Uncle Robert’s apartment. Would Conor or Riley hire a sniper to kill their uncle? I don’t know what the hell to think anymore.”
“They want you to come back, don’t they?”
I nodded. “It’s not going to happen. Seriously, what can I add? What can I do that McLaughlin and the PSNI can’t? They have the same information I do, probably much more. Farrell is an experienced investigator. He’s got fifty years with the force. He doesn’t need me.”
“But he wants you.”
“I’m staying here. I’m not leaving you and Ben. Discussion closed.”
“I don’t like it when people tell me ‘discussion closed.’ It’s closed when I have nothing more to say. Farrell may be an experienced investigator, but he wants you to help him. He knows what I know, that Liam Taggart is an extraordinarily gifted man with remarkable instincts. Why don’t you go back for a little while and help him solve the crime?”
“Cat, would you concede that it’s my decision? Whether I leave or stay, whether I perform my services here or abroad, that’s my decision, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“Then please respect my decision. Let’s close the subject.”
* * *
THE SUBJECT WAS CLOSED for less than twenty-four hours. O’Neill called me the next morning.
“Well, we should have known it was coming, Liam.”
“Cooney filed another petition?”
“Good guess. It’s scheduled to be heard the day after tomorrow. I don’t suppose you’d like to appear at the hearing.”
“Not a chance.”
“I surmised so.”
“What does Cooney allege this time?”
“That you have permanently left the jurisdiction and do not intend to pay attention to the details of running the farm and managing the assets. He states, ‘How can the court possibly condone an absentee trustee?’ He also cites your failure to compromise on the sale of the Global stock placing the asset in jeopardy. Then he decries the extraordinary injustice of taking weekly withdrawals from the trust estate for your trustee’s exorbitant salary when you don’t live here and you don’t intend to serve. Finally he asserts that there is a consensus among the beneficiaries to remove you as trustee.”
The Trust Page 24
