“That should stitch him up for a few months,” Hays said.
Hays found a new file on his desk when he went into his office. It contained quite extensive details about Eddie Turner, and his life living on the margins in London, as well as details of his known associates in the big city.
Turner lived at a house at Selbourne Drive in Hendon, North London. It was a modest semi-detached residence when Hays looked it up on Google Maps, with an arch over the front door, a tiled pitched roof, pebble dashing to the front of the property, and an overgrown garden full of weeds and very long grass between the front of the house and the street.
Turner’s past was peppered with a variety of infringements. He had a number of charges for burglary, and a few cases of ‘taking without consent’. Buried deep in the text Hays came across a reference to a forgery charge. It hadn’t stuck, but there was a case number and a few scant details showing that Turner had been found in possession of forged labels for high-end perfume products, but the CPS hadn’t pursued the matter as they felt it wasn’t serious enough, and the chances of a conviction were slender.
Hays called Lyons into his office.
“Here’s the file on our bagman, Eddie Turner. I interviewed him yesterday and he was being very shy. He didn’t give me anything. So I got onto a contact in the Met and she’s sent over the file,” he said, pointing to the paperwork on his desk.
“It makes interesting reading. Have a look.”
“Hmm. No sign of anything too serious here, Mick. Seems a bit of a lightweight to me. But it’s good to have the background. Doesn’t look to me as if he’s the brains behind this caper, to be honest. There’s more to it. We need to get him to talk. What do you reckon?” Lyons said.
“We’ll need some form of leverage. I doubt if he’s too bothered about McFadden, though we could bluff him a bit. Tell him McFadden has landed him right in it, that sort of thing. Fancy a good cop, bad cop round or two with him?”
“Yeah, sure. But who’s the bad cop?”
“After yesterday’s performance, I’d say that’s down to you,” Hays said.
“How did I guess”, Lyons said, rolling her eyes to heaven.
* * *
“Now Eddie,” Hays said as they entered the interview room, “this is Inspector Lyons. Inspector Lyons has been spending some time with your accomplice, Lorcan, but don’t worry, his injuries aren’t life threatening, although his manhood will take some time to recover.”
“Fuck you. You can’t keep me here like this. You haven’t even charged me with anything,” Turner growled.
“Patience, Eddie, patience. We have plenty of time for that,” Hays said.
“You can’t keep me in here. I want out. This is illegal,” Turner said.
“Now, Eddie, don’t be like that. Aren’t you enjoying our famous Irish hospitality? I wouldn’t be too keen to get back to Selbourne Drive just yet if I were you. Some of your friends might not be too pleased to see you,” Lyons spoke for the first time.
“And if I have a word upstairs and mention that I think there might be a subversive connection to all this stuff, then, my friend, you will be with us for a very long time indeed,” Hays said.
“So, Eddie, why don’t we have a nice relaxed chat, and you can tell us who exactly is behind the kidnap, and subsequent killing of Jeremy Craigue,” Hays went on.
“Killing! What are you talking about. Nobody killed the lad.”
“Well, I’m afraid that’s not true, Eddie. I can assure you Jeremy Craigue is unfortunately very dead. Why do you think we filled the bag with torn up newspaper? Your threat to kill the boy was an empty one. He was already dead, and you’re a part of that, so you could be facing a murder charge here, that’s not to mention the girl,” Lyons said.
“Girl, what girl?”
“Well as you know, McFadden had a girl to help him kidnap Craigue, and now she’s dead as well. So that’s two deaths you’re involved with, as well as a string of other crimes,” Hays said.
Eddie remained silent for a few moments. He looked very worried, and wriggled restlessly in his seat, rubbing his stubbly chin with his hands.
“Look. I can’t tell you anything about this gig. I just can’t. If I grass on the guys that set this up, I’m dead meat. I’m probably dead anyways by now, but if I stay shtum I might just be OK. So, sorry guys, you’ll get nothing more from me.” He sat back in the chair and folded his arms.
“OK, Eddie. We can play it your way if you like, can’t we, Inspector Lyons?”
“Yes, sure, no problem. Tell you what. Why don’t we release Eddie here – in fact we’ll do better than that – we can give him a police escort back to Hendon, and we’ll let it be known that he’s done a deal with us to give up the brains in exchange for his own freedom,” Lyons said.
“Good idea,” Hays said, “we can ask DCI Russell to give us a hand putting out the good word.”
At the mention of the senior Met officer, Eddie flinched.
“OK, let’s go and make the arrangements upstairs. We should have you out of here by nightfall, Eddie,” Lyons said.
“Wait.” Eddie said.
“What for, Eddie? You’ve said that you’re not going to tell us anything,” Lyons said.
“OK. I’ll give you the information you’re looking for. But you’ll have to protect me. As soon as I open my mouth my life is in danger.”
Over the next hour Eddie led Hays and Lyons a merry dance. He talked endlessly about his previous misdemeanours, and his fractious relationship with the Metropolitan Police over several years. But in all his hollow wanderings he never once mentioned a name or gave any hint of who had masterminded the kidnap of Jeremy Craigue.
Eventually the Gardaí got fed up with the man and brought the interview to an end.
Back in their office, Hays said that all they could do for now, other than start the process of charging the Englishman, was to get back onto DCI Russell and see if she could give them any more assistance. Hays said that he would have to go upstairs to update Superintendent Plunkett, and when he got back he would make the call.
“Is there something I should know about you and the fragrant DCI Russell?” Lyons said.
“What? Oh no. We worked together a few years back on some terrorist cases. She’s always been very helpful, but it’s purely professional – always was.”
Hays was back a few minutes later.
“What did the Super say?” Lyons said.
“He’s not terribly interested to be honest. He wants us to make sure the Craigues are OK, give them any assistance that we can. Oh, and he asked about McFadden. He wanted to make sure he didn’t get bail and we had enough to keep him indoors for a good few years,” Hays said.
“No worries on that score. Now I suppose you want me to drive all the way out to bloody Ballyconneely again?” Lyons said.
“Hmm. I have a better idea. Why don’t we both go out to see them. And let’s bring that list of Eddie’s known associates with us, see if anyone on the list rings a bell with Bernard,” Hays said.
“Not just a pretty face, are you?” she said, smiling.
Chapter Twenty
It was a warm summer’s day as the two senior Gardaí drove out west from Galway city. The weather was holding up unusually well. Once they were beyond Oughterard, the true beauty of the place took over. The boggy heathland, resplendent in the mauve colour of the early heathers, contrasted strikingly with the yellow of the gorse bushes all along the edge of the roadside. In the distance, the mountains created a magnificent backdrop to the picture postcard scene.
“What are we going to do with McFadden? Do you think he has any more to give us?” Lyons said.
“Hard to tell. What do you think? You have a nose for this kind of thing,” Hays replied.
“I don’t think he has to be honest, but I think we could use him all the same. Play him off against Turner. But I’m sure he hasn’t a clue who Turner answers to.”
As they passed Recess, Hays said,
“Can you go in via Roundstone? Do you mind?”
“No problem. What do you want to see?”
“I just want to spend a few minutes at Dog’s Bay, maybe walk the beach. Clear my head a bit.”
“Oh, OK. Not a bad idea. What time did you tell the Craigues we would be out there?” Lyons asked.
“That’s not a problem. They said anytime today, they’re not going anywhere till Jeremy’s body is released. Then they’ll be off back to the UK.”
When they had passed through Roundstone village they drove a further mile or so until they reached the little lane that led down to the beach. They turned in and drove slowly down the bumpy track to the car park just beyond the entrance to the old abandoned caravan site. As Hays parked the car at a ninety-degree angle to the coastline, the brilliant blue of the clear sea with the sun glinting on it and the waves lapping gently on the white sand made a magnificent sight.
They both got out of the car and inhaled deeply. The scent of the grass and the clear sea air was exhilarating, and they strolled over to the little wicket gate that gave them access to the beautiful horseshoe shaped beach. The beach was actually comprised of crushed sea shells that had been ground very finely by the constant ebb and flow of the Atlantic ocean smashing them against the rocks. A few years back, erosion had threatened the area, and Galway County Council had responded by importing marram grass that would root in the sand, and prevent the wind from blowing it away. Their efforts had been very successful, and the beach and the stunning heathland with its picturesque dunes were now preserved for the locals and visitors to enjoy.
As soon as they were on the strand, Hays took Maureen’s hand in his, and they strolled silently out towards the headland, leaving their footsteps in the sand behind them.
“Penny for them,” Lyons said when they had walked half way across towards the promontory.
“I was just thinking about you – us really. I reacted very badly to that nonsense you were caught up in with McFadden. All sorts of images invaded my thoughts, none of them very pleasant. You do know that I love you, Maureen, very much, don’t you?” Hays said.
She turned to face him, and they kissed warmly for a long time, just standing there on the beach in each other’s arms with no one else at all around to see them.
When they parted from the kiss, she snuggled into his chest, and looking up at him, said softly, “And I thought you were going off me a bit. You know. I got the feeling you thought I’d made a mess of things out here on the first day when you were out on your boat. I got the impression you felt you would have done things much better than I did, and you were pissed off with me for being a plonker.”
“Oh God, Maureen. You’re no plonker. I don’t have plonkers in my team, you know that. And look how you dealt with McFadden. If you hadn’t tackled him with your trusty iron bar, he’d have been away to England with ten thousand euro of Irish tax payers’ money up his jumper. And God knows what he would have done to you.”
“Yeah, I know. I was pretty scared to be honest. It’s not nice dealing with violent criminals who have nothing to lose. But once my self-preservation instincts kicked in, his days were numbered. I’m not giving in to the likes of him that easily, that’s for sure,” she said.
They walked further out along the strand, this time with their arms around each other, closer to each other, enjoying the warmth of their love and the sun that was beating down on the landscape.
“Would you fight like that to keep me, if you had to?” Hays said.
“Unfair question, and hopefully a situation that will never arise – but if it does, you’ll find out then just how tough Inspector Maureen Lyons can be. You ain’t seen nothing yet!”
“God help us all! C’mon. Let’s go and see these poor people, see what we can find out,” he replied.
* * *
“Thank you for seeing us, Mr Craigue, I know this is difficult for you,” Hays said as they were shown into the lounge with the magnificent view out over the beach.
“Just to bring you up to date, we now have two men in custody that we believe were involved in your son’s abduction. But we believe there may be some others involved as well. The two we have aren’t able to give us any information about the real motive for the kidnap, other than the money of course, but we believe that there may be another dimension to it. I wonder if I could ask you to look at this list of names and see if any of them are familiar to you?” Lyons said.
She handed Bernard Craigue the sheet of paper that listed Eddie Turner’s known associates which they had received from the Metropolitan Police, and watched carefully as he looked at it.
“No, I can’t say I recognize any of those names. I’m sorry,” he said, handing it back to her.
“I know this is difficult, Mr Craigue, but are you certain?” Hays said.
“Yes, I’m certain. None of them are familiar to me.”
“Well, thanks for looking anyway. May I ask what your immediate plans are?” Hays said.
“As soon as you can release Jeremy’s body…” He stopped for a moment, overcome with emotion, “we’ll be heading back to London. Hannah’s sister is coming over to be with us for the journey. It’s just too sad,” the man said, and broke down again.
“Would you like us to get the police in London to assign a family liaison officer? They can be a great help in these circumstances,” Lyons said.
“I’ll talk to Hannah about it and let you know. Maybe that would be useful. Will we need to come back here at any stage? To be honest, we’ve gone right off the place since this happened. We’ll probably sell up as soon as we get things sorted out.”
“I see. If I could offer some advice, Mr Craigue, don’t do anything too hastily. You might feel differently in a month or two, and you’ll never get a house like this again in these parts,” Hays said.
“We’ll see,” he said, standing up.
“Well thank you for your time, Mr Craigue. We’ll be in touch as soon as Jeremy’s body can be released. It shouldn’t be much longer.”
Back in the car, heading for Clifden so that they could take the quicker road back into Galway, Hays asked Lyons what she thought.
“I can’t be certain, but I think he recognised someone on the list. I was watching him very carefully as he read down through it, and I noticed his eyes flare for an instant when he was near the end. Just a flicker, but I spotted it all the same,” Lyons said.
“Really? Are you sure you didn’t imagine it?”
“Well I definitely saw it, but then I have a suspicious mind in any case,” she said.
* * *
Eddie Turner had been brought back to the interview room for a second round of questioning.
“Well now, Eddie, now that you have had time to reflect on your situation, we just thought we’d have another little chat. Tell us, Eddie, what were your plans for the 100,000 euros? That’s a lot of money for a fella to come into all of a sudden,” Hays said.
“No comment.”
“Now, Eddie, I hope you’re not going to start that again. I’m not sure you realise just how bad your situation is here. Our superintendent wants us to throw the book at you. That means you’ll be our guest here in Ireland for a good few years. You’ll probably end up in Limerick Prison, and I can tell you, Eddie, they’re not too fond of Englishmen down there. Quite a few have come to a sticky end in that dump,” Lyons said.
“Are you threatening me?” Turner said.
“Of course not, Eddie. Just telling you how it is, that’s all. However, if you were to co-operate with us, it could be very different. You’ll still do time, but we could arrange a much more friendly billet for you, and it wouldn’t be that long in any case. But we need you to give us some information.”
“What sort of information?”
“We need to know who is behind this whole caper. Who’s pulling your strings, Eddie? Just a name is all we need. We can do the rest, and we won’t be saying who told us either,” Lyons said.
“I can
’t. They’d kill me quick as wink. I’m saying nothing.” He folded his arms across his chest.
“OK. Well there is another way we could do this, Eddie,” Hays said. “Your friends will be wondering where you’ve got to with the hundred grand. ‘Spose you were to give them a call to tell them that you’d been nicked, and the whole thing went pear-shaped. Tell them the boy is dead too. We could just listen in while you make the call.”
“You think I’m fucking thick! No chance.”
“Tell you what, Eddie. Why don’t you take a bit of time to think about things? We’ll be back later, and if you haven’t decided to help us, then we’ll start putting the wheels in motion to have you charged and brought before a judge. Remind me, Maureen, what charges we have for Eddie here,” Hays said.
“Let’s see. Well there’s kidnap, extortion, conspiracy, assaulting a police officer, oh… and, of course, accessory to murder, and that’s just for starters,” Lyons said
“Murder. I didn’t do no murder. That’s bollocks,” Eddie protested.
“Eddie. Wake up. We have two dead bodies on our hands and we have McFadden in custody. Now someone has to go down for these deaths, and you look like just the man for the job, so think on,” Hays said, getting up to leave.
* * *
Back at his desk, Hays got a message that the superintendent was looking for him. Picking up the phone he dialled Plunkett’s number.
“Ah, Mick. Thanks for getting back to me. I hear you have two in custody for that fiasco out in Roundstone. Good work,” Plunkett said.
“Thanks, sir. Yes, we have a couple of suspects, but that’s not the end of it. There’s a UK connection that we need to flush out to wrap it up.”
The Galway Homicides Box Set Page 38
