THE DISCOVERY OF CAROLINE DEVINE’S PHOTOGRAPH at Meadow View was conclusive evidence as far as O’Connor was concerned. He had no doubt that the blood and hair samples taken from the Lodge would link William Cronly to Caroline’s murder, and ultimately to that of Amelia Spain. Coupled with the knowledge that he had taken a flight to Italy the week Antonio Peri died, and had in his possession a photograph of Ellie’s daughter, O’Connor was certain that the man who had taken Kate and Charlie was the same man who had committed all four murders.
In five minutes he would be at the beach front. O’Connor again went over in his mind everything Kate had told him about the killer. The high level of intimacy he perceived with his victims, a risk-taker within controlled parameters, leaned towards the familiar, repeat behaviour, watched his victims before making contact and believed he was developing a relationship with them. O’Connor cursed under his breath. All this time they had been looking for the killer, the killer had been watching Kate.
He thought back to earlier that afternoon, when he had dropped Kate off at her apartment. He had been the one who had left her there. He was the one who had driven away, when the man he most wanted to have by the throat was lying in wait for her. O’Connor struggled to stay focused on the road opening up in front of him, knowing that if everything Kate had said about the killer was true, he had taken her somewhere he felt safe, a place that had to be so close now. It took everything in O’Connor’s power to stay focused. He phoned Donoghue.
‘Donoghue, is everything in place?’
‘DIs are there, all armed.’
‘And they know to hold out until I get there?’
‘They’re on the ready, waiting for you. Nolan’s been informed. We have dog teams there too. They’ve a woollen hat belonging to the boy and a scarf belonging to Kate. Helicopters on standby for wide sweep of the area should we need them.’
‘I don’t want to spook him.’
‘I know that, O’Connor. The DIs have called in a Carina with matching plates parked at the back of the amusement arcade. It was found empty.’
‘I can see it now, Donoghue. I’m pulling in.’
‘Take it easy, O’Connor.’
‘I will.’
The tyres of his car screeched to a stop on the gravel. He turned to his back-seat passengers and said as calmly as he could, ‘Okay, Ellie, it’s time.’
The Hideout
KATE CARRIED CHARLIE IN HER ARMS, REASSURING HIM, constantly whispering in his ear as she walked the dirt track, the back of the sand dunes on her right. It was bitterly cold now and almost dark. The breeze coming in from the sea was biting and without mercy. William Cronly followed closely behind her, like a shadow. Her old fears ever present, only this time her fears were not for herself but for the little boy frightened and crying in her arms.
Charlie wanted to pull the duct tape off his mouth, but she told him to leave it. She couldn’t risk him screaming and upsetting their abductor. She remembered her response to O’Connor’s question about what would happen if his next victim didn’t play ball: ‘He will lose it, his temper will flare up again, only next time, his disappointment will be greater because next time, he has nowhere else to turn. It will be everyone else’s fault except his own. He won’t internalise blame, he isn’t capable of that. The victim, whoever she is, will suffer, as will anyone else unlucky enough to be with her.’
Farther down the track, to their left, the land opened up to harvested fields, while the dirt track continued to skirt the back of the sand dunes. When the track narrowed, she saw the trees up ahead. They were elderberry trees, just as Ellie Brady had written in her copybook. He was taking them to his ‘hideout’. This meant that, in his eyes, she was still within his trust. She knew she must not do anything to risk breaking that trust. Right now, his fragile sense of connection was all that was keeping them alive.
Declan would have tried to phone her after five o’clock, as promised. Would he keep trying to call, or wait for her to call him back? Would he go to the apartment? At what point would someone raise the alarm about Sophie? She had no way of knowing if anyone would miss either of them. She felt so alone, with Charlie in her arms and William Cronly at her back. It was all down to her. She knew her son’s life was in her hands, and she wasn’t altogether sure she was equal to the task of protecting him.
At the end of the path, they met a steep incline and, beyond it, she could see the woods. Dark twigs and fallen leaves from the last few weeks felt slippery and wet underfoot. When she lost her footing, Cronly touched her right arm.