Death in the Burren

by John Kinsella

  It was certainly a possibility, but the problem was to get near enough. He would need a very large slice of luck to approach O’Lochlen without making a sound in the almost total silence of the cave.

  In fact, where he stood, around the gentle curve of the wall, he was almost afraid to breathe.

  Then another thought struck him. If he could find a loose rock or large stone perhaps he could throw it beyond O’Lochlen, the noise would divert his attention in the other direction and then McAllister could make his rush.

  As he was looking around for a suitable projectile he heard another sound, as if someone else was approaching from the far

  side of the bridge.

  Perhaps it was Considine, but no….

  “Who is that?” O’Lochlen’s voice bellowed, and there was an undeniable note of hysteria in it.

  McAllister peeped out and saw that O’Lochlen had jerked forward with the gun pointed over the bridge.

  There was no response.

  “Who is that, I said?” O’Lochlen screamed angrily. “Whoever you are show yourself or I’ll blow this woman’s brains out.”

  “It’s alright. Take it easy. We won’t harm you.” An unseen voice called from down the cave.

  “We. Who is we?” O’Lochlen screamed again, there was definite fear in his voice now.

  Again there was silence.

  “Did you hear me. Show yourself or I’ll kill her.” O’Lochlen had only one trump card in this situation and that was his hostage, Patsy.

  “I’m going to count to three……..”

  “It’s alright,” the voice said again, “this is Sergeant Casey from Lisdoonvarna. There’s no need for you to do anything like that, now. Just be careful with that gun.”

  The voice was very calm, reassuring almost, and McAllister gave Sergeant Casey full marks for his approach.

  “Casey, so it’s you. I might have known you would have shown up sooner or later. In fact I was hoping you, or some of your pals would.” O’Lochlen seemed to have relaxed a little.

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I want to get out of here fast, and you can organise it for me.”

  “Sure, that will be no problem provided you don’t do any harm to Mrs. McBride there. I presume she’s alright………”

  “Are you alright Mrs. McBride?” Casey called.

  “I never felt better, Sergeant.” Patsy answered.

  McAllister was pleased that Patsy had retained her sense of humour, but her voice had lost it’s usual commanding quality.

  “Now, that’s enough of that.” O’Lochlen interrupted. “I want to get out of here as fast as possible and you’d better get the skids under you Casey, or so help me.”

  There was a short pause and then, “Well, what do you want me to do?”

  “I want you to clear out this place, and the whole hillside below. Then you can fly me in a helicopter onto the car park. I’ll take Mrs. McBride on a little trip and then let her go when it suits me.”

  There was a longer pause.

  “That’s a bit of a tall order, Andy.” Sergeant Casey tried to keep his voice as conversational and friendly as possible.

  “Don’t mess with me, Casey,” O’Lochlen snapped. “Do it and do it fast or I’ll make this woman suffer in a way you could never imagine.”

  “Now, now, Andy, there’s no need for that.”

  “Casey, will you shut up! I don’t want any of your bullshit. Just shut your mouth and do as I told you.” O’Lochlen’s anger was rising.

  “Alright, alright, I’ll see to it, but you’ll have to give me a little time. Helicopters don’t grow on trees you know.”

  “In the meantime you can send one of those kids up from the coffee shop with something for me.”

  “Certainly, Andy. We’ll do that for you, straight away.”

  “One of the kids, mind you, and no one else. Don’t try any cheap tricks.”

  “Leave it to me, Andy. That will be no problem.”

  McAllister could hear a quiet conversation, and then retreating footsteps, from down the cave.

  Quietness descended again and McAllister wondered what he should do. Perhaps he would get a chance to make a run at O’Lochlen when he was distracted with the food.

  “Are you still there Casey?” O’Lochlen called out.

  A short pause and then, “Yes, Andy I’m still here if you need me. What can I do for you now?”

  “I just wanted to remind you not to try any smartalick tricks trying to come at me from behind. I know there is another way in here, but Considine has that barred and bolted now. So don’t try to force the issue that way or she’ll get it, as I told you.”

  “Oh yes, we know all about that, Andy. Your friend has done a very good job on the exit door. Very thorough I would say. There’s no question of us doing anything in that direction. You have my word of honour on that.”

  “That’s fine then, I didn’t think you would be that stupid.”

  McAllister was seized with panic. “This is a right mess,” he thought, “now I’m caught both ways. If I don’t do something Considine will make his way around here and there is nowhere I can hide. Literally nowhere! That’s it then, I’ll have to get the gun from him before Considine comes up behind me!”

  He hoped and prayed that the food would arrive soon and that he would make his break. There was nothing else for it!

  He could feel himself breaking into a cold sweat and listened, as he had never listened before, for the sound of Considine’s possible approach. He trembled all over and wondered if he, or his luck, would hold out.

  “Good God, please make something happen. Please hurry them up. I can’t stand this much longer.” McAllister willed the food to arrive, as he had never willed anything so strongly in his life.

  His head was beginning to burst with tension when he heard a faint footstep. Relief flooded over him when he suddenly asked himself, “Is the sound coming from over the bridge or is this Considine?”

  It was difficult to tell.

  McAllister stiffened and looked back, and then he heard the voice.

  “Here we are now, Andy. We have some sandwiches and coffee for you. Where do you want the young girl to leave them?”

  It was the ever soothing voice of Sergeant Casey.

  CHAPTER 23

  “TELL HER TO COME TO THE BRIDGE, then get down on her hands and knees. She can push the food towards me as she crawls over I don’t want anybody sneaking up on me behind her.”

  “That’s no problem, Andy. She’ll do that for you alright. When do you want her to go over?”

  “Now! Come on, send her now.”

  McAllister peeped out cautiously and saw a young girl with a food tray appear from a turn in the cave some distance beyond the bridge. She was dressed in jeans and a sweater, and approached very slowly.

  When she reached the bridge she did as O’Lochlen had said and got down on her hands and knees. Then, placing the tray in front of her, she pushed it towards O’Lochlen as she crossed over. It must have been very uncomfortable, as the bridge had a metal grid surface, which ground into her hands and knees.

  When the girl had come within a few feet of O’Lochlen’s side, he instructed her to push the tray as far as possible towards him, and then make her way back as she had come, on her hands and knees.

  She turned back, and O’Lochlen reached out for the tray.

  McAllister knew he would never get a better chance than this!

  He moved boldly, and as quietly as he could, towards the preoccupied O’Lochlen, keeping close in to the wall.

  It looked good, just a few more metres and he would make his rush. O’Lochlen loomed larger, and was still totally engrossed in pulling the tray towards him, while pointing the gun in the direction of the retreating girl.

  “This is it!” McAllister thought, and braced himself for the final spring.

  He lunged at his quarry, putting every remaining ounce of his energy into the effort, but O’Lochlen’s s
ixth sense was very acute. As he ran at his opponent, McAllister was dismayed to see him turn sharply around.

  “You bastard!” O’Lochlen’s voice rang out, as the gun went off.

  A sudden pain cut into McAllister’s leg and it buckled under him.

  He fell to the ground just inches short of O’Lochlen.

  “Where the hell did you come from, you bloody swine.”

  McAllister could only gasp in pain, with the barrel of the gun pointing straight into his face.

  “What are you doing, Andy?” Sergeant Casey’s voice was urgent.

  O’Lochlen pushed the gun against McAllister’s cheek bone and glanced back towards the voice.

  “Is this one of your tricks, Casey?”

  “Tricks, what do you mean. Why did you fire the gun?”

  “This bastard McAllister tried to rush me from behind and you set me up. Didn’t you?”

  “No, I swear I didn’t. Which McAllister is that? Did you hurt him?”

  “I told you not to bullshit me, Casey. You know McAllister, the one who has been following me and messing me up ever since he came down here. But now I’ve finally got him, and your little scheme has blown up in your face. Hasn’t it?”

  “I swear to God I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Casey lied.

  He must have known, from the young man who had guided McAllister in, that he was in the cave system, somewhere.

  “He didn’t have anything to do with me being here,” McAllister gasped at O’Lochlen.

  “You just shut your mouth and get over there beside her. I’ll deal with you later.” Then he shouted, “Hurry up with that helicopter, Casey. I’m running out of patience.”

  “It’s coming. It’s coming. Is Mr. McAllister alright?”

  “Oh, he’s alright - for the moment. I just winged him.”

  McAllister crawled over beside Patsy and they exchanged reassuring glances. Having had a chance to look at his leg he could see that O’Lochlen was correct. Despite the pain it appeared to be only a surface wound, and he could move it around.

  “You okay?” he whispered to Patsy.

  “Yep, could be better, but I’m fine,” she whispered back.

  O’Lochlen swung the gun at them. “No talking. Nothing. Do you hear me?”

  Then he added, “Where did you come from, if Casey didn’t put you up to it?”

  McAllister was about to reply when Considine suddenly appeared.

  “What’s going on?” he asked. Then taking in the whole picture, he saw McAllister on the ground beside Patsy.

  “Where did he spring from?”

  “I don’t know how he got here, but he nearly nailed me and I had to put a bullet into him.”

  “I see, so what’s the position?”

  “The Gardaí are down the passage there. Sergeant Casey from Lisdoonvarna is with them and I’ve told him to get a helicopter, fast. He said they’re getting one.”

  “Where did you get that tray?”

  “They sent it over to me.”

  Considine took some sandwiches and wolfed them down.

  They both ate in silence for a while. McAllister and Patsy could only look on with envy.

  “I think it would be better if you went back down the cave a bit and found a suitable spot to keep a lookout in case they try anything on. I don’t want another fright like that.” O’Lochlen beckoned at McAllister.

  “I suppose so.” Considine agreed.

  “Not too far away. Keep within shouting distance. I’ll let you know when Casey has the helicopter.”

  “Okay.” And with that Considine loped off, back towards the “Waterfall”.

  O’Lochlen continued to eat, and a silence settled over the situation. McAllister and Patsy exchanged reassuring smiles. It was a comfort to him to have her there. Somehow, he felt, that with Patsy around everything would turn out for the best. He could never imagine her being on the losing side.

  McAllister’s knee had bled a little, but that seemed to have stopped now, and he reckoned he had been very lucky.

  That part of the Aillwee cave where they were positioned had a feature of impressive natural beauty. It was called the “Cascade”.

  The bridge, with it’s metal guard rail, guided visitors close to one wall, and from there they could get a superb view across the cave, of a sheet coating of calcite on the rock opposite. This oozed out from the rock wall at a point just below the level of the cave floor and fell dramatically into a deep pit. The centuries old trickle of water had shaped the calcite deposits in such a way that they now simulated the falling action of the water itself, in this unique frozen cascade. To highlight the scene it was lit by a number of spotlights.

  McAllister rested his painful back muscles against the wall and took stock of the situation. The best he and Patsy could hope for would be a trip in the helicopter, and then being dumped in some remote location, when they were no longer needed as hostages.

  But he also knew that things very rarely worked out that simply and, on the balance of probabilities, something would happen to cause a flare up, and then God knows what O’Lochlen would do.

  He was, after all, like a cornered rat with only his hostages to save him from the Gardaí.

  Patsy still lay spread-eagled and McAllister wondered why O’Lochlen didn’t make him lie like that. He may have assumed the bullet wound had taken care of McAllister’s mobility but, as far as he could now tell, it had been very minor, possibly no more than a graze.

  Casey and his cohorts had made no further attempt to communicate with O’Lochlen, there was no point.

  Had they worked out some way of keeping the scene under observation?

  McAllister wondered if the Gardaí were seriously attempting to get a helicopter. He hoped they were, because O’Lochlen would go berserk if he felt Casey was just stringing him along.

  He felt a gentle nudge at his arm. It was Patsy. She had turned her face towards him and was jerking her head back as best she could. After a while McAllister realised she was indicating towards O’Lochlen.

  McAllister glanced over.

  O’Lochlen was nodding off to sleep!

  He too was sitting in an upright position, against the opposite wall, just like McAllister, but his head was over to one side and his eyes were closed.

  McAllister looked at Patsy, frowned and shook his head, to indicate that it would be premature to assume O’Lochlen was actually asleep.

  He pretended to close his eyes, but kept his captor under very close scrutiny. There was no move whatsoever from O’Lochlen and after some time McAllister was certain that his breathing had become deep and regular. Perhaps the food had lulled him.

  “John, I think this is our chance.” It was Patsy’s whisper.

  McAllister looked at her doubtfully. “Do you really think so?” he whispered back.

  “It looks good to me. There’s nothing would give me more pleasure than to lift that pest up over my head and shake him until he fell apart.”

  McAllister could not resist a smile. Good old Patsy! Now that she saw a chance the indomitable spirit had instantly returned, and she was ready to steamroll the situation. He pictured her shaking O’Lochlen over her head like some female King Kong, but he could also think of less genteel ways of putting an end to Mr. O’Lochlen’s career - whatever it was.

  “Perhaps you’re right,” he continued to whisper.

  “It’s now or never.” Patsy urged him on. “If we lose this chance we could be in for a nasty time, God knows what.”

  McAllister summed up their chances. They had only to get to their feet and then make one almighty rush at O’Lochlen. Together they would easily deal with him before he could use the gun.

  He decided to test if O’Lochlen was really asleep, and coughed.

  No reaction!

  “All set?” Patsy whispered.

  McAllister nodded.

  Carefully, and painfully slowly, they both eased themselves into standing positions, all the while staring,
as if transfixed, at the sleeping O’Lochlen. He never moved!

  Then, steeling themselves, they both prepared to spring, with Patsy just behind McAllister.

  O’Lochlen’s head suddenly hung forward onto his chest as his back muscles became more relaxed. They hesitated momentarily.

  “Let’s do it.” Patsy breathed urgently into McAllister’s ear.

  “Right!” he whispered, leaned forward and partly extended his arms, ready for the leap at O’Lochlen.

  “Everything is going fine, Andy. We’ll have your transport in no time at all, now.” Sergeant Casey’s voice bellowed from around the corner.

  “Oh Christ!” McAllister swore as he saw O’Lochlen jerk back to consciousness, startled by the sudden announcement.

  Nonetheless he was committed and made his charge across the cave.

  But O’Lochlen had been alerted and managed to raise the gun.

  Two events followed simultaneously.

  McAllister connected with O’Lochlen, with all the strength at his command, and the gun went off almost directly in his face. He felt a sickening thud as O’Lochlen’s head cracked into the rock wall and was partly stunned himself by the blast of the gunfire.

  The two men sank to the floor, O’Lochlen unconscious and the shocked McAllister lying across him.

  He quickly realised, however, that the bullet had missed him, this time.

  Relieved and elated, McAllister dragged himself to his feet, away from the stricken body of O’Lochlen and, looking around, saw, on one side, the terrified Considine gaping from down the cave, and, on the other, Casey, and a group of his men, charging towards them.

  “Good old Patsy,” he thought, “she has steered me in the right direction again.” He turned back to put his arms around her and hug her in relief, now that their ordeal was over.

  But she was nowhere to be seen!

  McAllister frowned and called out her name, “Patsy,” as he looked all about.