The Doll's House

‘Will do.’


‘I’m going to set up checkpoints, using the triangle of the McKay, Hamilton and old Hamilton houses. I expect to hear back from the recon crew at the strand shortly. Shit, I have a call coming in from Robinson. I’ll phone you back.’

‘Okay.’

‘Lynch, before you go, I want nothing left unturned in the McKay house.’ He hung up to take Robinson’s call.

‘I hope you and your guys doing the house-to-house haven’t been spending your time sightseeing on the strand.’

‘We have something for you.’

‘What?’

‘One of the elderly neighbours said she noticed lights going on and off in the old house at odd hours of the night and morning. Her husband spoke to Dominic Hamilton about it.’

‘And what did he say?’

‘Not a lot. He told the neighbour not to worry about it, but that’s not all.’

‘What else?’

‘A few others saw a Volvo recently in the vicinity. One of them reckons it belonged to the McKays.’

‘I’ve just had Lynch on the phone. The car is connected all right, enough blood deposits to keep them plenty busy. Hanley’s working on it now. Listen, Robinson, good work. By the way, I’ve sent a recon down there.’

‘We’ve already crossed paths.’

‘Hopefully we can piece together enough to get a warrant issued on the house. Will you fill Matthews in on what we have?’

‘Sure.’

‘I’ve got to go. I have a call coming in from Kate Pearson. Talk later.’

He took Kate’s call. ‘Talk fast, unless that guy’s crystal ball has worked.’

‘I’ll talk as fast as I can.’ Kate hated O’Connor giving her short shrift, but this wasn’t the time for side issues. ‘Clodagh McKay has done a number of regression sessions. She seems to have memory gaps from childhood, most probably related to some form of trauma. It ties in with her father’s death, but I think there’s something else.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘It was more in what Gerard Hayden didn’t say than what he did. The regression sessions were difficult. Sometimes these things can recover memory in a very disjointed way. If you throw in possible psychotic behaviour on the part of her brother, there’s a troubled family history, nothing surer.’

‘Anything else?’

‘It struck me when I was talking to Gerard Hayden that he might be the only person Clodagh McKay has openly talked to lately. She spoke about being afraid the last time she visited the old family home in Sandymount. When I asked Gerard where he thought she might be, the old house on the strand came up again. The house is some form of common denominator.’

‘You must have used that fella’s crystal ball. I have reconnissance in place at seventy-four Strand Road. Depending on what the guys get in, I’m hoping for a warrant on the house. It looks like we have the car, by the way. Lynch rang in from the McKays’ house a couple of minutes ago. Did that fortune-teller tell you anything else?’

‘He’s a hypnotist, O’Connor.’

‘Whatever.’

‘He didn’t give a lot away, but it looks like neither of the siblings is handling the mother’s death well. And, according to Valerie Hamilton, Clodagh’s relationship with her mother was strained.’

‘So both siblings were under a lot of stress?’

‘Yes, but according to Gerard Hayden, although Clodagh experienced a high level of emotional turmoil during the regression, she is mentally quite strong.’

‘Right. Kate, I don’t mean to rush you but I have to go.’

‘Okay. Let me know how it goes with the house on the strand. The roots of most adult problems begin in childhood. The old house as a tie-in could be exactly the place to look.’

‘Talk soon.’

‘Take it easy, O’Connor.’

‘Will do.’





Clodagh


‘What do you mean payback time?’ The wall behind me creaks. I look up at the old dartboard with the rusty darts still in situ. I think about getting them without Becon seeing me.

‘Jimmy Gahan – you do remember him, Clodagh?’

‘Yes. What about him?’

‘Like Jenkins, he knew too much. Jimmy was always one to have some scheme or another on the go. Unfortunately, Clodagh, the friends you make in younger life tend to hang around for a long time. If either Gahan or Jenkins had started to open their big mouths under pressure, with questions about me and my success, especially my connection with Hamilton Holdings, they wouldn’t have been questions I would have wanted answered. That couldn’t be allowed to happen. I’ve worked hard to keep my reputation clean. I wasn’t going to risk it now, not because of some sloppy business deals done by bloody Keith Jenkins.’