Twisted River (25 page)

No, actually she wasn't mistaken at all. She
was
being watched.
By the woman with the flowers.

Kate was being scrutinized. The woman with the flowers was directly behind Kate now. There was something else that jarred about her. Apart from the flowers. She was in a long winter coat, muffled up in her woolly hat and matching scarf. As if she'd come in from outdoors.

There was something odd about her.

Kate turned around and froze. She was face-to-face with her now. How sleek and shiny and perfect her ponytail was.
The woman kept staring at Kate
. She didn't lower her eyes. Not for a second. She looked Kate up and down, slowly, lingering on Kate's hands, her rings. Kate froze.

In a sudden burst of panic, Kate skipped the queue, past the gray-haired ladies and the whining child, colliding with a woman exiting a cubicle. Kate slammed the door loudly and firmly slid the bolt in place. Darts of adrenaline shot through her body.

That was really weird.

Over the rush of blood in her ears, Kate heard the indignation of those outside.

“Disgraceful! Did you see that?”

“No manners, and a little one waiting as well . . .”

Kate was embarrassed. But more than that, she was petrified.

Was it her?

Was that Joanne Collins?

Was she still outside?

Oh God! What should she do now? Kate was trapped.
But would Joanne Collins be stupid enough to come to the airport? When the gardaí were looking for her?
And then it occurred to Kate that the woman probably had no idea the gardaí were looking for her. Joanne Collins thought Mannix
loved
her. In her sick and twisted mind, what she had done was in the name of love. Why would Mannix even go to the gardaí?

As Kate leaned against the door, thinking, thinking, thinking, she knew what she should do. There was one person who would know
if it was Joanne. That was Mannix, and he was outside. Kate frantically unzipped her bag again to get her mobile phone.

“Mum! Mum, are you in here?”

That was Izzy's voice!

Izzy was out there with that woman. She could be in danger! Dropping the mobile in the bag, Kate slid back the bolt and swung the door open.

“There you are,” muttered Izzy. The other faces in the queue were looking strangely at her now. Kate quickly scanned the washroom. But she was gone. The woman with the flowers was gone.

“Mum? Are you all right?” asked Izzy, looking concerned. “Dad sent me, because you were taking so long.”

“I'm fine, Izzy,” Kate said, trying to still her beating heart. She would really have to get this under control. She couldn't transmit her anxieties to Izzy or Fergus. The woman was gone now. All she'd done was stare at Kate, and Kate had gone into a tailspin.

“Come on, Dad's going mad.”

Kate's days of pandering to Mannix were done. She took her time washing her hands and splashed cold water on her face. She wiped a moistened paper towel over the back of neck.

“Mum, come on,” said Izzy, as warm jets of air from the hand dryer ran over Kate's hands.

“Ready,” Kate said as the machine clicked off. Kate suddenly felt a shiver run down her back. There was something there in the wastebasket at her side. She looked closely. A cello-wrapped bouquet of flowers. Freesias, lilies, and carnations. Discarded, dumped, headfirst into the waste bin.

“Let's go,” Kate said, linking Izzy's arm to steady herself.

What kind of woman discarded a fresh bouquet of flowers?

 • • • 

“Mum, you're hurting me . . .”

Kate squeezed Izzy's arm as they walked back out on the concourse. She felt afraid again. Mannix, Spike, and Fergus were only feet away.

“You doing okay?” asked Spike gently. She let him give her a hug. After the unsettling incident in the washroom it was a relief to see a familiar face. He looked genuinely concerned.

“I've been better,” she replied.

“You were a long time in there,” remarked Mannix.

“Yeah?” replied Kate with complete disinterest.

“Mum isn't talking to Dad, Uncle Spike. She says she is, but she's not,” piped up Fergus.

Spike looked from Kate to Mannix and back again.

“Your mum is tired and she's had a shock, Ferg,” said Spike.

Kate just wanted to get out of the openness of this airport. She was frazzled. Everyone was looking at her, staring at her. Even now, someone else was headed in her direction. Another woman, headed straight for her, making a beeline for her. A serious woman. The woman was picking up her step. Kate reached out to grab Spike's arm. She felt a scream forming in her throat. But the woman was upon her . . .

“Mrs. O'Brien? Kate O'Brien?” the woman was asking.

Kate breathed out.

There were two other people with her. Two men.

“I'm Mannix O'Brien.” Mannix held out his hand to the woman. “Special Branch, is it?”

“That's right, sir,” said the serious woman, directing attention away from Kate, who remained mute, the blood drained from her face. Feeling stupid.

“I'm Detective Maria Nagle. And this is Detective James O'Rourke and Detective Shane Dwyer. Let's get you all home first, guys. And then we can have a little chat.”

“Do you have the squad cars outside? Is the Armed Response Unit there?” asked Fergus excitedly.

“My son, Fergus,” Mannix said, smiling at the detective.

“Let's get you home, young man. I'm afraid we just have unmarked cars today,” she said officiously.

Ten minutes later, all the O'Briens were in one car, Spike driving.
The unmarked garda car with plainclothes detectives followed. Fergus was disappointed but he still held out hope that the Armed Response Unit would greet them at Curragower Falls.

 • • • 

There was a funereal feel to the convoy journey back to the house.

“The driveway to the house is still taped off but I'm sure we can use it now,” said Spike, closely following the car in front as advised. “The forensics guys were there for ages. They must have everything they need by now.”

“Are we going to be on television?” asked Fergus.

“I don't think so, Ferg. The TV crew moved out a few hours ago.”

“Really?” said Ferg, sounding disappointed again.

“Where are the Harveys now?” asked Izzy.

God, that poor family. Kate didn't want to think about the pain they must have been going through. Those poor children. That poor man. Kate tried to block it out. She had so much pain of her own.

“I helped them move up to the Strand Hotel late last night,” said a somber Spike.

“How are the Harveys doing?” asked Mannix. He sat next to Spike in the passenger seat.

How the hell did Mannix expect they were doing?
They were in hell. He had swung a wrecking ball through all their lives.

“Yeah, in shock, you know,” said Spike. “The kids are very quiet. Some relative arrived over from the States to look after them. Not in great shape, to be honest . . .” His voice drifted off.

Mannix said nothing.

“Are my Man U bedclothes washed?” asked Fergus into a long silence.

“It doesn't matter, Fergus,” said Kate. “I'll wash them later or tomorrow. We can put another clean set on before you go to bed.”

“Okay.”

She hoped Fergus wasn't going to fret.

Pulling up outside the terrace house, Kate's stomach lurched as she
saw all the police tape at the side of the house. Two uniformed gardaí stood at the gate. Detective James O'Rourke got out of the car in front and exchanged a few words with them. Moments later the tape was taken away and they were ushered into the driveway. One of the unmarked cars stayed out front on the main road and the other drove away.

“Can you see any blood?” she heard Fergus whisper to Izzy as they dragged their suitcases over the loose gravel.

“I'm not looking,” replied Izzy seriously. Kate was not looking either. She was not going to let herself think about what had happened here.

“Here, let me take that,” said Spike, taking her suitcase as Mannix turned the key in the front door. Exhausted, and happy to let him help, she glanced down at the welcome mat on the small step outside. They had been so full of excitement and joy leaving this house less than a week ago. How the world had changed in such a short space of time.

 • • • 

“So where is Joanne Collins?” Kate demanded after the detectives went outside. “Where the hell is this woman?”

The kids were unpacking. Out of earshot.

“I don't know, Kate,” Mannix said. “Really, I don't. Don't you think I'd say if I knew? There haven't been any more texts.” He looked at her with his newfound hangdog expression. “You heard Detective O'Rourke. She's cleared her flat in Pery Square. They don't know yet. Give them a chance. I'm sure they'll find her.”

“Mannix is right, Kate,” added Spike. “They'll find her. Don't worry.”

Kate walked to the window and looked out over the falls. She looked at the water coursing over the rocks and boulders. She loved this view. But there was no way she could ever feel safe here until Joanne Collins was caught. The woman had cleared her flat and had vanished. No sign of her. No sign of her child. She wasn't answering her mobile phone and it wasn't even registering on any mobile location registers.
But she was out there somewhere.

“It shouldn't be too long, Kate,” said Spike, joining her at the window. Mannix was propped up against the breakfast counter staring into
space. “I was talking to one of the lads earlier,” Spike continued. “You'll be confined to the house for a day or two, just until they find her. And then you can go back to normal.”

“Back to normal.” Kate looked at him.

“No . . . no . . . not back to normal . . . obviously . . .” Spike stumbled. “But you know what I mean . . .” he trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

Was Spike trying to act as peacemaker here? Be the honest broker? She'd never figured him as that. Kate was grateful for the support, but if he wanted to offer practical support, there was one thing he could do for her. It had come to her in the car on the way from Shannon. It was the obvious solution. Better to tackle this sooner rather than later. A long drawn-out parting would be worse. For Fergus especially. Better to do it now. One clean cut.

“You really want to help?” she asked Spike.

Mannix listened as well.

“Sure.” Spike nodded.

“Okay, so here's what's going to happen . . .”

Kate outlined how Mannix was going to leave. She would not have him in the house. He was going to Spike's. As far as Izzy and Fergus were concerned, their dad was going to help Spike with yet another electrical problem in his flat. They'd tell them that it shouldn't take long to fix and that if they wanted to, they could call around to the flat. But it would probably be better to wait until the mentally ill lady was found.

“Kate, please . . .” said Mannix, coming toward her now. “Please don't do this.”

“But, Kate, are you sure?” said Spike evenly. “Are you sure you want to be the only adult in the house—now?”

“I won't be the only adult here, Spike.”

Both Mannix and Spike raised their eyebrows.

“No?” said Spike.

“My mother is coming to stay, just as soon as I ring her.”

Mannix sat on the arm of the sofa.

“Don't do this, Kate.”

There were tears in his eyes. And for one split second, she felt herself waver. She saw his hurt. And confusion. Like he really didn't understand what he had done. It would be so easy to give in now. To cave in again. She wasn't used to seeing Mannix like this.

“Please don't do this to us.”

A flare of anger suddenly welled up deep inside her. Her sympathy evaporated instantly. How could he think any of this was
her
doing? Spike interrupted before she could vent that anger.

“Manny, leave it for now. Maybe it's for the best, bro. Just for a couple of days. Come on, buddy. Throw a few things in a bag. Kate needs a bit of time to herself.”

A short half hour later, they were gone. There was a lump in her throat and her heart felt like it had been ripped in two by a jackhammer. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done in her life.

 • • • 

“Granny's here!” said Fergus, looking out the window. He was still waiting hopefully for the Armed Response Unit to arrive. Two gardaí flanked the pillars to the driveway and the plainclothes detective sat in the car outside. Again, Fergus had surprised her. She'd thought he'd be more upset at his father's leaving, but Mannix's explanation had sat quite well with him. Of course his dad had to help out his uncle Spike.

Izzy knew that something more was afoot, but Kate would tackle that later. Much later. Dealing with Izzy was going to be a whole other project and she still hadn't decided how she was going discipline her daughter over Frankie Flynn. One step at a time, she told herself. Just one step at a time.

Over the course of the next three days, the outside world became suspended. “How much longer are we going to have to stay in the house?” asked Izzy. She had enjoyed baking scones and making cupcakes with her granny but Kate could see she was feeling cooped up and anxious to see her friend Fiona. Kate's patience too was wearing thin.
But there was still no news of Joanne Collins.
She had simply disappeared.

Alice Kennedy did her best to distract them all, and indeed, for
the first few days it had the desired effect. She baked. She played cards with Izzy and Fergus, and Fergus in particular discovered that he was good at them. He remembered cards that were played. He remembered the shapes and numbers. More often than not it was her mother who would call a halt to the games, needing respite enough to boil the kettle for her endless cups of tea.