Taking the Town

by Ford Murphy

  “I don’t know. Should you? Have you done something wrong?”

  Finn shook his head with a smile. “Not that I’m aware of.”

  “Right then, nothing to be worried about so. Now, can I come in or are we going to stand in the doorway all night?”

  Finn stepped aside to let McGill in. “I just made tea. Would you like a cup?”

  “Tea?” McGill shook his head. “Tea? No, my boyoh, no tea tonight.” He produced a bottle from his overcoat pocket. “This here is thirty-year-old Red Breast. The finest whiskey ever distilled. I was given this bottle many years ago and I thought to myself that I’d put it away for a very special occasion and share it with a very special someone. That’s tonight and you.”

  Finn was genuinely taken aback. “Wow, I’m very flattered. What are we celebrating?”

  “Well, if you’d get us some glasses, I’ll tell you. By the way, where’s Julia?”

  “In the bath. She just got in about a minute before you got here so it will be at least an hour before she remerges. Ice?”

  “Jesus Christ and all the saints, are you soft in the head or what? You can’t put ice into this unadulterated nectar. Honestly, young people today. Idiots, the whole lot of them.”

  He was still muttering when Finn went to get glasses. He was curious about what they were celebrating but he knew McGill well enough now to know that all would be revealed.

  “There you go, Chief Superintendent.” Finn handed him a glass. “I broke the out the good Waterford for this auspicious occasion. Actually, it’s Julia’s Waterford so don’t drop it or there’ll be hell to pay.”

  McGill poured them each a very healthy measure of whiskey, raised his glass and looked Finn in the eye. “Sláinte.”

  “Sláinte,” Finn repeated as he took a sip. It was indeed excellent. “Very nice. I’m glad you brought it my way. By the way, technically this is your jurisdiction, but are you driving?”

  “Well spotted, but no, I’m not. There’s a young officer parked by the side of the road who’ll wait until I’m ready and who’ll drive me home.”

  “Doesn’t he want to come in?”

  McGill shook his head. “No, he does not. He’s delighted to have the opportunity to drive me, especially when I’m meeting you. For some strange reason, you’re a hero to all these guys.”

  Finn smiled and shrugged.

  “Anyways,” McGill continued, “we have a few things to celebrate. First, the case against you has been completely and irrevocably dismissed. Done and dusted. I’ll drink to that.” He raised his glass.

  Finn did likewise. He was very relieved. Even though he knew it was unlikely that he would be prosecuted there had always been a risk as long as it was classified as an active investigation. Joe Delany had been totally discredited when his links to Lissadown’s criminal gang were unearthed. He was now undergoing investigation himself and it did not look good for him. His replacement had shown no appetite to go after Finn and was not going to take the risk of turning the whole country upside down trying to prosecute whoever had taken down one of the worst criminal gangs in the country.

  Finn also knew that Julia would be delighted when she heard this news. She was constantly on edge worrying that Finn could be re-arrested at any moment and potentially locked away for a very long time.

  “Another toast. I’ve finally handed my papers in. I’m retiring. Sláinte.” McGill took a deep drink out of his glass.

  Finn smiled. “Well, congratulations. Sláinte.”

  “I think we need another one,” McGill opined and refilled their glasses. “It’s well past time I was gone anyway. I wanted to retire a few years ago but I was persuaded to stay and try to keep things from getting worse. A piss poor job I did of that. Now, thanks to you—” He raised his glass to Finn. “—I can at least leave with some pride intact and be comforted that those bad days are well behind the town. You’ve taken the town back. Sad that one single man was able to achieve what a whole police force failed to do.”

  “I think you’re overestimating my role and downplaying your own. Either way, I think you’re making the right decision. I’ll drink to that. Sláinte.”

  “I most definitely am making the right decision. Timing couldn’t be better. By the way, I went to see Delany.”

  “Oh yeah?” Finn couldn’t keep from laughing. “You went to gloat, right?”

  “I did not.” McGill looked mildly affronted for a moment before his face split in a broad smile. “Actually, yes, I did. I wanted to look the bastard in the eye and make sure he fully understood that he lost and the good folks won.”

  “I’m surprised he agreed to see you.”

  “Hah. He had no frigging say in the matter. I’m still Chief Superintendent and I went there in an official capacity. He’s done for. We’ve found a long trail of financial links between him and those criminals. He’ll go away for a long, long time, and he’ll serve hard time. There won’t be anyone in jail who’ll look out for him. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. I’ll drink to that.”

  “Me too.” Finn raised his glass. “Sláinte.”

  “Here’s another reason to celebrate. Sarah and little Jane are coming home from London for good next weekend. They’re going to live with us. I was speaking to the little one on the phone last week and she told me that she was so excited that she’s going to get her own room all to herself. They only have a single bedroom flat in London so this will be a big change for her. I asked her what color did she want her wall painted and you know what she said to me?”

  Finn shook his head, smiling. He knew how much McGill doted on his granddaughter and he could see that he was already getting emotional telling this story.

  McGill took another deep slug. “She said, ‘Granda, how many walls are in my room?’ ‘Four, sweetheart,’ I told her. She said, ‘Four walls? So can I have one red, one blue, one green and one pink?’ Her mother took the phone off her and said not to pay attention to her and that I should just pick one color myself and leave it at that. I just asked her to put me back on to my granddaughter because we had important things to discuss and I told her that she absolutely could have her room painted those colors. And you know what? I just finished painting yesterday. She has one red wall, one blue wall, one green wall and one pink wall.”

  Finn arched a brow at him.

  McGill laughed. “It’s actually not as bad as it sounds, honestly. If she doesn’t like it, I’ll paint it again. It’s that simple. Sláinte.”

  Finn was beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol now but he was determined to keep pace with McGill, who clearly was an established whiskey drinker.

  McGill continued. “Funny thing happened last night. I was passing by Jane’s bedroom and I saw the wife standing there just looking around. It’s all fully furnished and we got her the ‘big girl’s bed’ that she had asked for. Anyway, I asked the wife if she was all right and she just smiled the biggest smile ever and said that she couldn’t wait for them to come home and for us to a be a proper family all over again. Then she said she had something to show me and she hoped I wasn’t going to get too angry with her. She led to the closet in the other spare bedroom. It was filled with all sorts of toys, books and games that she had been buying for the past few weeks hoping this day would come. As we stood there, I could see she was kind of worried that I might get upset with her.” McGill chuckled. “Instead, I took her by the hand and led her out to the shed where I had stashed all of books, toys and games that I had been buying these past few weeks. We just stood there, held each other and laughed for the longest time. Big, happy laughs. It’s been a long time since we felt that good. Magic.”

  McGill took another drink, sat back in his armchair. “That’s enough about me. What are your plans?”

  “I’ll tell you what his plans are,” said Julia as she entered the room. “Hello Chief.” She gave McGill a big hug and a kiss. “He’s going to settle here in Lissadown, that’s what. And,” she continued with a mischievous grin on her fa
ce, “he’s going to ask me to marry him.”

  Finn stared at Julia, then at McGill then back at Julia. McGill clapped his hands in glee. Before Finn could respond, Julia spoke again. “But he had better do it soon otherwise I won’t be able to fit into my dress.”

  This last statement threw both men for a complete loop for a moment.

  Finn jumped to his feet, completely shocked. Could she be?

  Julia laughed. “There he goes again. He’s doing his fish out of water impression. I’ve told him before it’s not an attractive look.”

  Finn finally found his voice. “Jules, is it true? Are you really pregnant?”

  “Yes dear. I’m really pregnant. I know they thought I might not be able to, after what happened, but I am. Ten weeks. So you’d better get a move on. I’m not waddling down the aisle like a heifer in a white dress.”

  She turned to McGill who was sitting there grinning like a Cheshire cat. “So Chief, after I say yes to the lucky bastard, I was wondering if you’d do me the honor of giving me away.”

  McGill appeared completely overwhelmed by this. He got to his feet and with tears streaming down his cheeks he wrapped his arms around Julia. “I’d be absolutely honored, my dear. Absolutely honored.” Finally he let go and stepped back, a little unsteadily. “Now, it’s time for me to leave. I’m an old man. My heart can’t take this much excitement in one evening. Anyway, I’m sure you young folks have lots to talk about. We’ll bring you over for dinner, when the kids are settled back and start making wedding plans. I came here to celebrate a special night with Finn, little did I know how big a night it was going to turn into. I’m so happy for you both.”

  They walked him to the door and when Julia shut it she turned around to Finn. “I hope I didn’t spoil—”

  She got no further. Finn had dropped to one knee and held an open box with a ring inside it. “Julia Davis, will you please do me the honor of becoming my wife and spending the rest of your life with me?”

  “How…but…how?”

  “I’ve been waiting these past few weeks for the right opportunity to ask you and I think tonight will be hard to beat.”

  “Yes, oh yes, yes, yes,” she said, slipping the ring on her finger. “Thank you so much. It’s absolutely gorgeous. I had no idea you had done this. You’re very devious.”

  “I’m glad I kept it as a surprise. But Jules, a baby. I can’t believe it. I had fully reconciled myself to the fact that it couldn’t happen and I was perfectly fine with that. But this is amazing. When did you find out?”

  “I’ve known for a few weeks but I was so scared to tell you in case something went wrong. I didn’t want to get your hopes up. Finally I decided I was going to tell you tonight. I ran the bath but I just sat there on the toilet seat thinking. I’m hoping it’s not too soon for us. It turns out that you got me pregnant that very first time. Can you believe that? Now take me to bed.”

  Chapter Forty

  December, 1986

  Two Months Later

  The past two months had flown by in a whirlwind of frenzied activity and suddenly it was here, their wedding day.

  Finn and Julia had scrambled to get everything finished in time. Invitations were printed and sent out. Initially, they thought that they would hold just a simple, quiet ceremony but those thoughts were quickly dashed given the intense media and public interest in their wedding.

  Six weeks before the wedding, Julia went shopping with Mike McGill’s daughter and wife for a dress. She fretted that by the time the wedding came it wouldn’t fit her. She needn’t have worried. The dress fit perfectly on her wedding day and there were no visible signs yet that she was pregnant.

  They had quickly agreed on their honeymoon. They both loved France so they decided they would just tour around the countryside with no fixed itinerary and stop wherever took their fancy. Finn teased Julia that she was going to be doing a lot of driving since he planned to sample lots of the local wine. For Julia, not being able to drink was a miniscule sacrifice to make and one she was more than happy with.

  In spite of the mad scramble, Finn and Julia had remained in remarkably good humor throughout this crazy period. In fact, they had had only one disagreement and it was about Margo Kirk. Finn was adamant that she should not be invited to the wedding but Julia took the opposite view. Finn had asked David to be his best man and he wanted Mrs. Kirk to come also. Julia had reasoned that they couldn’t then exclude Margo.

  “We can’t do that, Finn. It will be a direct slap in the face. Furthermore, Dave and his mom will wonder why. What are we going to say then?”

  They had never told David about the incident with Margo and although they had spent a fair amount of time these past six months with David and his fiancé, the subject had never come up.

  “She’s toxic, Jules. I just don’t want her there. I certainly don’t want to give her the opportunity of getting a few drinks into her and creating a scene at the reception. You know she is more than capable of doing that.”

  “Look, let’s let bygones be bygones. She tried to destroy us as a couple. It very nearly worked but it didn’t. Here we are a few short weeks away from getting married and just months away from having a baby that we thought wasn’t even remotely possible. Come on, we’re happy and we’re lucky. Let’s appreciate that and be more forgiving of others.”

  Finn had reluctantly conceded. “I’m not happy about this, but okay. However, I intend to talk to her about her behavior.”

  “You do that.” Julia kissed him. “You hide it well, but you’re a good man.”

  Now, as Finn stood in the courtyard of the cathedral in Lissadown amidst the throngs of people, both guests and curious onlookers, not to mention the large numbers of reporters and cameramen, he spotted Margo Kirk heading his way. She was wearing an extremely short, tightfitting red dress that emphasized her long legs and the shapeliness of her figure. She looked stunning and heads turned to look as she passed by.

  Finn felt a sense of growing trepidation as she approached though he had to admit that she looked very calm and composed and seemed to be a far different Margo than the one who had nearly destroyed his relationship with Julia.

  “Hi Finn. Look, I’m really, really sorry for the trouble I caused you and Julia. That was horrible and I feel so bad. I don’t know what came over me. I’m so glad you invited me. I was sure you wouldn’t and I would have fully understood if you hadn’t.”

  Finn didn’t know what to think. She did appear contrite but then you never knew with Margo. What you thought you saw was seldom what you got. “Hi Margo. Glad you could come. We both wanted you here today.”

  “Thanks Finn. I’ll thank Julia later myself. I want to be sure I get a chance to do so. Look, I know you’re probably worried that I’ll have a few drinks and create a ruckus at the reception. I swear to you, that won’t happen. Put that worry out of your head, please. There won’t be any incidents from me at the reception.”

  She said this with such conviction that Finn almost began to relax. “To tell you the truth, it had crossed my mind, Margo, but I’m glad to hear your reassurance.”

  “Go enjoy your wedding.” She leaned in and hugged him.

  Finn thought that it might have been a tad too tight or lasted a beat or two too long but it was so hard to tell that he put it out of his mind.

  Finn glanced around the churchyard to see if he could spot Laura and her mysterious boyfriend. He and Julia had tried multiple times over the last few months to get together with Laura and Cam, but it never seemed to work out. Finn was really curious about the guy and wanted to meet him before things got crazy. He finally spotted her but she was alone.

  He walked over to her.

  “Okay, please tell me he’s here and I’m going to get to meet California Cam today.”

  “Hello to you too. Thanks for the compliment. I know I look very nice.”

  Finn smiled apologetically. “Sorry. That was very rude of me. You do look beautiful.”

  “I was
only messing with ya. And no, he’s not here. At least, not yet. He promised me faithfully that he would be here but he’s trying to get something finished at work that’s very urgent. He’ll be along later. He wouldn’t miss it, a real Irish wedding and all. Besides,” she gave Finn a sly look, “he’s very in to me.”

  Finn rolled his eyes. “So I hear. Give it a rest. I was hoping to meet him before the ceremony but I’ll see you both afterwards. I need to go into the church. The bride will hopefully be here soon.”

  The church was a peaceful reprieve from the media circus outside. Finn agreed they could take what pictures or videos they wanted outside but the ceremony itself was off limits. There was a bit of grumbling at this but it was clear that Finn was not going to yield so everyone agreed.

  Julia had gone to stay at the McGills’ last night and would be brought to the church from there with Mike.

  Finn and David sat in the front pew and the guests arrived. They reminisced about the old days and planned for the future. The casual conversation kept Finn from getting too nervous. He had to make a note of this, David was getting married in three months and he had asked Finn to be his best man. He might need the same treatment.

  Then, only five minutes late, the music started up and everyone turned to the back of the church. Julia had entered arm in arm with Mike McGill and stood there waiting to walk up the aisle to greet her husband to be. Finn was mesmerized. She looked absolutely stunning.

  David elbowed him in the side. “Stand up.”

  Finn continued to just stare down the church at Julia.

  David elbowed him again, harder.

  Finn turned to him in confusion. “What?”

  “Stand up. You have to stand up, you gobshite.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He stood.

  David just shook his head. “I’ll be like that in a few months myself.”

  When Julia and Mike reached the top of the church, Finn stepped out of the pew. Mike shook his hand, then grabbed Finn in a bear hug saying, “You look after her now, you hear.”