The detective gazed expressionless at her. Dorothy mistook his gaze for one of interest and continued blithely, ‘I’m sure the government doesn’t pay you enough at all. It must be a terrible job dealing with all those terrorists and so on. I would be happy to offer you something for your trouble. I know you don’t believe I am guilty of anything. But, to save all that paperwork, it would be much easier if we came to an arrangement and I could leave here and you could treat yourself and your wife or girlfriend to a nice holiday…’
The detective cleared his throat. ‘Ms Crane, I think it would be in your best interest to avail yourself of the services of a solicitor. In addition to a charge of aggravated assault, you have now added another charge – attempting to bribe a member of the Garda Síochána. A charge I must warn you, that is taken most seriously by the courts. Interview terminated 3.48pm.’
He busied himself with removing the cassette from the camcorder, wrote something on a label and summoned the uniformed Garda at the desk. ‘Please accompany Ms Crane back to her cell.’
The gravity of her situation had rendered Dorothy temporarily speechless so she meekly followed the young Garda down the corridor.
‘Do you want us to call a solicitor for you or will I put you on the list for a State solicitor?’ he asked.
‘I…don’t know any solicitors here. Do you mean an attorney? I have an attorney back in the States but I don’t know anyone here…’ her voice trailed off.
The Garda waited at the door of the cell. ‘When can I go? Dorothy asked.
The Garda looked at her as if she was senile. ‘You’ve been arrested. The next thing that will happen is that you will be formally charged at a sitting of the District Court. Then the case will be put on a list for hearing. If you have a solicitor at that stage, he or she will most likely apply for bail for you. And if the judge doesn’t see you as a flight risk, he or she might grant it. It’s hard to know. They’re usually inclined to remand foreign nationals in custody. Almost certainly the judge will confiscate your passport and notify your embassy.’
Dorothy felt weak. This situation was so horrific it caused the haughty air that usually enveloped her to evaporate completely. She barely recognised her own voice as handed a piece of paper to the Garda. ‘Could you call this number for me please? The man’s name is Conor O’Shea. He might be able to help me. Can I have a visitor?’
The guard looked down and saw that the piece of paper contained an Irish mobile number. ‘I must warn you Ms Crane you may not contact friends or associates. The only person you will be allowed to see is a solicitor. And the sooner you get yourself one of those the better, I’d say.’
Regaining some of her composure, Dorothy replied: ‘This man I am asking you to contact is a bus driver. He is not now, nor has he ever been, an associate of mine. I hold a doctorate from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University and I am currently here on vacation. This man, Conor O’Shea, is responsible for the group with whom I am travelling. I want you to contact him so that he can secure the services of an attorney for me. If you will not permit me to speak to him personally, perhaps you could relay my request?’
Suppressing a smile at her stuck-up notions, the guard took the number and agreed to phone Conor.
Conor was sitting on the bed reading his emails on his laptop, having recently returned with Bert from Inchigeela.
Dear Conor,
Great to hear from you. We arrive in on Friday at 8am. We can’t wait to see you. It will be just like old times.
Lots of love, Sinead
It had been a very long day and he was exhausted. Taking Ellen to the house she was born in was something he would remember until the day he died. But God he wished there wasn’t so much else going on as well at the same time. His mobile rang. Glancing at the screen, he saw it was Anastasia.
How’s my favourite communist?’
‘Hi Conor. I am fine thank you and you?’ ‘Ah fine. Tired, you know yourself.’
‘You don’t sound so happy. Are you OK?’
‘Ah no I’m grand. I just have a lot on at the moment.’ ‘Oh OK. Did you hear more email from the woman in
America?’
‘As a matter of fact I’m reading an email from her now as we speak. She’ll be in Shannon at the weekend. I suppose we’ll meet up then.’
‘Oh. Yes, if she had coming all of this long way to see you. What do you think will happen?’
‘Who knows Anastasia, who knows. Anyway, how about you? Did you sort out your love life?’
‘What?’
‘Remember? The other night you were saying about your heart and your head and all that. I assumed it was over some fella. Well, it’s none of my business, but you tell him from me he’d be a madman not to grab you with both hands and never let you go.’
‘Oh yes. Him. He is bit difficult I think. I dunno.’
‘Well if he can’t see what a fabulous girl you are then he’s not worth bothering about.’
‘Oh he is worth it but, well, it’s complicated.’
‘Sure isn’t everything complicated? Maybe things will turn out grand for the two of us soon eh? The girl I loved twenty years ago is coming back and all you have to do is sort out this complicated fella of yours and we’re both sorted!’
‘Yes, I suppose. I better go, bye Conor.’
Conor was surprised how abruptly she ended the call; she didn’t even wait for him so say goodbye. She must be really cut up about this fella. He has to be a right eejit to pass up on Anastasia. He was just about to order something to eat from Room Service when his mobile rang again.
‘Hello. Could I speak to Conor O’Shea please?’ ‘Speaking.’
‘Hello, this is Garda Paul Healy, Killarney Garda Station. I’ve been trying to reach you all afternoon.’ Conor felt sudden panic. What the hell was after happening now? He lived in fear of his groups as they navigated the Irish streets. No matter how often he reminded them, there was always someone who forgot that cars drive on the left hand side of the road in Ireland. More than once he had had to haul one of this group back onto the pavement as a truck came whizzing by.
‘I’m sorry. I was in West Cork and my mobile was out of coverage for most of the afternoon. What’s happened?’ Conor asked.
‘We have here in custody a Ms Dorothy Crane. She has been arrested and is currently being held under Section 4 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act 1997. I understand you are responsible for her.’
Conor almost laughed out loud. ‘I’m sorry Guard, but I’d say you have the wrong woman there. She is travelling with me on a tour and we are staying here in the Hotel Killarney but I don’t think you have the right lady. She is some kind of a college professor and …’
‘That is a matter for the court to decide,’ the Garda interrupted, ‘but in the meantime, she asked that you organise a solicitor for her. Is that something you are willing to do?’
Conor was totally taken aback. ‘Er, well yes. I suppose I can do that. Will I come down there?’
The Garda sighed, ‘Mr O’Shea, as I have already said, the suspect is under arrest awaiting hearing. She cannot have visitors but she does need a solicitor. Can I tell her you will organise one, or will I notify the Chief State Solicitor’s Office and ask them to appoint someone?’
‘I’ll sort it. Tell her I’m on it. Thanks Guard.’
As he hung up, all thoughts of Sinéad and Anastasia disappeared. Dorothy Crane assaulted someone? That was the craziest thing he had ever heard in his life. A cantankerous old wagon who was never done moaning for certain, but physical violence? Surely not. There must be some mistake. Conor thought back to his remarks to the group that morning about not having enough cash to bail them out of jail. He had heard Dorothy’s muttered comment about his lame jokes and naturally he had chosen to ignore it. And now, here she was, needing a solicitor of all things! Conor left his room in search of Juliet. He was sure Dorothy had sufficient funds to pay a solicitor but he decided he had bett
er check all the same. She was such a skinflint, maybe she would prefer to go for the State solicitor option. On the other hand, given that she had asked him to organise someone, presumably that meant a private one. Conor didn’t know any solicitors in Killarney. On the few occasions when he had required legal services, he had used a big Dublin firm. Maybe Juliet would have some ideas idea about what Dorothy was likely to want him to do. He walked down to Reception to see if anyone there might know what had happened. What this Garda arrest was all about.
‘Conor, at last!’ the hotel manager greeted him.
‘God John, not you too. What the hell has been going on? My phone was out of coverage on and off this afternoon.’ Conor followed the manager into his office. Dumbfounded, he listened to the details of the attack.
‘Sweet Jesus,’ he said when the manager finished ‘And you’re sure Juliet is OK? Just stitches?’
‘Yes, her friend Anna Heller, the one who destroyed Room 106 with a bottle of red wine and then nearly hospitalised the porter when she threw a suitcase from the first floor at her departing ex-husband, assures me she will be fine’
‘Jesus John, I’m so sorry…’ Conor began.
John Maylor interrupted him with a wide grin. ‘In thirty- six years of managing this hotel I’ve never had such an eventful day. Mrs Heller offered to pay all expenses for cleaning the carpets and the bed, and she also asked me to pass on a voucher for Gaby’s restaurant for the porter with her apologies. So that’s all fine. She seems nice despite her volatile nature. Hell hath no fury eh? That other one, the Dorothy Crane person is, it seems, in the Garda station for assaulting Juliet Steele who will be released from hospital tomorrow. It’s hardly your fault Conor, but don’t take any more days off OK?’
Several phone calls later Conor finally managed to make contact with a local solicitor who had come highly recommended by the hotel manager. He assured Conor that Lucinda McAuliffe was both efficient and discreet and when Conor briefed her on the background to the incident, she promised to visit Dorothy later that evening.
Dorothy meanwhile was progressing rapidly from fear to blind panic. She recalled watching a movie some years previously, called Mission Express or Midnight Express or something like that… about a young American who had tried to get through customs in some country like Turkey or Iraq or France or somewhere …with packets of drugs taped to his body. He ended up spending years and years in a horrible jail, never shaving or cutting his hair. Dorothy ran her hands over her short haircut. She hated long hair…She looked up startled as the door opened. A different uniformed officer, a young woman this time, announced: ‘Your solicitor is here. Follow me.’
Dorothy walked down the corridor to Interview Room 1 and, once more, sat into the chair that was bolted to the floor. A woman of about forty sat opposite her. She seemed very efficient and spoke in a clear, concise way.
‘Ms Crane,’ she began, ‘my name is Lucinda McAuliffe and I have been engaged on your behalf by a Mr Conor O’Shea. The Sergeant on duty told me that you were arrested today on a charge of assault causing grievous bodily harm to a Ms Juliet Steele. Is that correct?’
‘Yes,’ Dorothy replied barely audible.
‘OK, can you tell me what happened in your own words? Take your time now and try to be as detailed as possible,’ she smiled kindly at Dorothy.
‘I… I… was in the park. And I was looking for fungi. I collect them you see, and dry them. I have lots of display cases at home with examples of rare fungi from around the world.’
If Lucinda McAuliffe thought this was an unusual pastime, she gave no indication of it.
‘I had had an argument with my roommate earlier this morning. Something silly, so when I was walking in the woods, I decided to go back and make amends. Well, I went back to the hotel to find Juliet…and I saw her go in to Anna’s room – that’s another one of the group. Anyhow, we had words and she fell and banged her head.’
Lucinda looked impassively at her client.
‘OK, Ms Crane,’ she said ‘The thing is, there’s a witness to say you assaulted Mrs Steele and that it was your repeated and forceful pushing, while screaming at her in anger, that caused her to fall backwards and hit her head on the bath, as a result of which she was rendered unconscious. The emergency services were then called and she was taken to hospital, where she is recovering from her injuries, thankfully,’ she added pointedly.
Dorothy stared insolently at her solicitor. ‘Is that what happened Ms Crane?’
‘Well Anna Heller would say that wouldn’t she. She and Juliet are thick as thieves’, Dorothy snapped.
‘I must advise you that to offer a plea of not guilty when there is a consistent and compelling evidence to the contrary will not serve you well in court Ms Crane. Now, do you want me to represent you or not? Because if you do, I suggest you begin by telling me the truth.’
Dorothy felt trapped.
‘Now if you could begin again and tell me in as much detail as you can what happened exactly. Please begin by giving me some background to your relationship with Mrs Steele. I understand she is to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow and therefore may be called to give evidence at the hearing. Generally, a case like this could take some time to get to court, but I think the judge may wish to hear it sooner rather than later, given that you are all on vacation and Mrs Steele and Mrs Heller will want to fly back to the United States, as scheduled.’
‘As indeed will I,’ spluttered Dorothy. ‘Well simply put, what happened was this. Juliet has been behaving irrationally since we left the United States; she is obsessed with her dead husband and talks about him incessantly. She verbally assaulted me this morning for no reason whatsoever; I can only assume she is unhinged. I did not react to her outburst but simply left for the National Park. As I walked, I was becoming increasingly concerned about Juliet in her distressed mental state and so I decided to return to the hotel. To ensure she was alright. There is no telling what that idiotic woman would do. I saw her and Anna Heller in Anna’s room and I approached her. Again she became almost hysterical and as I was trying to calm her down she was walking backwards into the bathroom and she fell and bumped her head slightly against the bath.’
Lucinda held her client’s gaze. ‘Your repatriation is entirely dependent on the outcome of the hearing so what happens next remains to be seen Ms Crane. Assault is taken very seriously in the Irish courts, so it would be foolish to underestimate the severity of the situation. Now I will be in touch as soon as I get a time for court tomorrow.’
Lucinda began to gather her papers and put them in her briefcase.
‘Em, there is one other thing,’ Dorothy began. Lucinda raised her eyebrows.
‘You see, I may, inadvertently, have given the detective the impression, that I em…that I…’
‘That you what?’
‘That I was offering him a bribe,’ Lucinda sat down again.
‘How exactly could the detective have got that impression?’ she asked in a measured tone.
‘I may have said something along the lines of an arrangement…for money…and used notes...’
Lucinda’s tone was icy.
‘Ms Crane, tell me honestly. Did you or did you not, offer a financial bribe to a member of the Gardaí?’ ‘I think I did’ Dorothy replied in a small voice.
‘Well then Ms Crane, that certainly puts a different complexion on your situation. Bribing, or attempting to bribe a member of An Garda Siochána brings with it a criminal conviction, often a custodial sentence and a very hefty fine. That was a very foolish move on your part Ms Crane.’
Dorothy did not like the woman’s tone. Furthermore, the pressure of the situation was now beginning to overwhelm her. ‘Well you hear of it don’t you, in countries like this?’ she spat, ‘where the police are corrupt. How was I to know he wouldn’t take it? I mean I thought it was probably common practice here.’
Lucinda prided herself on her professionalism in dealing with even the most unsavoury of characters,
but she was rapidly losing patience with Dorothy Crane.
‘Evidently, your opinions of the Irish people and of our justice system leave quite a bit to be desired. I would, however, caution you to resist the urge to display such attitudes tomorrow, or you may well risk adding contempt of court to your list of problems. In the meantime, I will file a defence and request bail. You will have to surrender your passport to the court if, and it is by no means a guarantee, they grant bail. I must warn you Ms Crane that the judiciary in this country takes a very dim view of those who feel they are above the system, so the best attitude to adopt is one of humble apology. Unfounded and unsupportable assertions that the system is corrupt will do nothing to help your cause. Goodnight.’
Dorothy was left sitting on the bolted-down chair as she watched the retreating back of her one and only hope of rescue from his horrendous situation. The female police officer brought her back to the cell and handed her a single blanket and a sheet. As the door of the cell slammed behind her, the young woman said, ‘I’ll be turning the light out in ten minutes, so better get organised.’
And so, Dorothy Crane PhD arranged the sheet on the bunk which was secured to the wall and lay down to spend her first night in custody.
Chapter 23
Patrick lay on his back contemplating the peeling ceiling, feeling a contentment the likes of which he had never previously experienced. This house sure was in need of some attention, he thought. His apartment in Boston was built in the 1970s and was looked after by a maintenance company, so he rarely got a chance to do much DIY. As a kid he had enjoyed helping neighbours fix things up, but that was in the days when people actually fixed things rather than throw them away and buy new stuff.
The sound of Cynthia stirring brought him back to the present. He looked down at this extraordinary woman nestling on his shoulder. She moved closer to him, sighed and then fell back asleep. She was exhausted because they had stayed awake most of the night discussing their future. OK, he knew things were happening fast, but he had no doubts.
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