Monday 26th September – 12 p.m.
Absenting herself from yet another argument, Nell raided her survey rucksack for gloves, sterile sample bottles and wrapped, disposable tweezers. Opting for another set of hair samples, she was soon in the downstairs bathroom, preparing to pluck dark strands from Brandon’s head.
Considering they hadn’t really even introduced themselves, let alone spoken, Nell tried to power through the awkwardness with scientific detachment as she snapped on the latex gloves.
He sat on the closed loo, reddened eyes glaring at her in the mirror. ‘Get on with it.’
Nell paused and drew back to look at him, making him turn to meet her eyes. ‘Oh, you’re very welcome.’
‘Eh?’
‘I presume you meant to say thank you?’
He scowled at her, dressings rustling, then winced. ‘Was I not clear enough? I was telling you to get on with it. I don’t want to muck about all day.’
‘Oh, right.’ An incredulous laugh burst from Nell’s throat. ‘Well, given that we’re doing this at your behest, do you realise that this will cost you all of five minutes – if you can spare that. But then it will take me a day in the lab to do something for free that you’d usually have to pay for, and that you’d usually have to wait a couple of weeks to get the results for.’
‘I’m here under sufferance just as much as you. I don’t want this. But that sister of hers won’t shut up, will she? None of them will just let her rest. So go on. Take what you need, and get on with it. Give ’em what they want.’
Nell dropped her gaze. There was pain under Brandon’s nasal, wheezy voice. For Siobhan, or himself, she couldn’t tell. She plucked six black, wiry hairs, making sure they had good roots, and dropped them into a lidded, sterilised pot, labelled with his name.
‘Are you worried about the results?’ she asked.
He didn’t move, his head hung low.
‘And what else might come out?’
Brandon looked at her. ‘Not anymore. I thought I’d made a fine art of forgetting. But some secrets just can’t stay buried, can they?’
Nell wondered if he’d say anything else, give her any clues in this strange confessional, but he rubbed his face and left.
As she changed her gloves, Sean came in, his smile apologetic. ‘Well, I know you won’t get any matches from me, but I’m happy to be the exclusion test. Shall I …?’ He pointed at the loo, and sat awkwardly. ‘What do you … oh, right.’ He bowed his head, diffident. His leg twitched.
‘What do you have to be nervous about?’ Nell put an approachable smile on her face and in her voice, standing back to take in Sean’s jitters.
‘Nothing …’ He forced a laugh to cover the snap of his reply. ‘Well. It’s not a normal day, is it? But it hasn’t been a normal couple of decades, if we’re honest. How could it be?’
‘Today must have brought a lot of memories back.’ Nell hoped he’d confide in her.
‘Yeah. I’m straight back at that day, you know. That awful feeling setting in like decay, when everyone was saying it was nothing to worry about, but the worry was just growing anyway.’
‘Who said not to worry?’
‘The Garda. Brandon. Her parents, even.’
‘Seriously?’
‘Yeah.’ His face scrunched. ‘Trying to stay calm, I think. And, well. She’d … she’d done it before, hadn’t she?’
‘Done what before?’ Nell lowered the disposable tweezers, staring at him.
‘Tried to leave.’ Sean leaned towards the sink, bracing himself, like he might be sick. ‘At least, that’s what Maeve reckons. Siobhan went off for a weekend, six months after she and Brandon were first married. That was in 2001.’
‘How long had they been married when Siobhan went missing the second time?’
‘They were coming up to their second anniversary – it would have been on the 20th of June – when she disappeared for good on the 11th of June. Maeve had always thought that was why Siobhan had planned to leave. Maybe Siobhan couldn’t bear to celebrate, and it pushed her into making a decision. They’d had the little one three months before Siobhan … died.’
‘Does anyone know where Siobhan went, the first time she left, for that weekend?’
‘She made light of it when she came back, said she just needed some space and took herself off to a B&B. It was just before Christmas. But it had been a strange year. She and Bran had married and moved in together. There was just me and Finn at home. Gearing up for festivities felt a bit, I don’t know, hollow. Looking back, I suppose, you could sense things weren’t right. But we were young, we didn’t know back then what we know now.’
‘So you think their marriage was unhappy right from the start?’
‘Oh yeah. Doomed, I’d say. But that’s with hindsight, isn’t it? Although I’d never have guessed she was after Brandon. Finn was the charmer, and he certainly made his interest known. I’d even imagined Conor was in with a chance, but back then it was … well, it still is, hard to know what he’s thinking. About anything or anyone.’
Nell stayed silent, hoping for more.
‘Maybe it was just because Brandon was the oldest, already getting himself set up. And once she was married, it would have been harder to leave.’ He winced, shaking his head. ‘If she really did confide in Finn, and he didn’t help her, then honestly, I could kill him.’
Nell held her breath. But Sean bowed his head. He stayed silent as she tugged brown strands from his scalp, his hairline glistening with sweat under the bright bathroom light.
Finn’s swagger was expected, even through his bandages. It looked like caffeine was beating his painkillers for the moment as he flashed a smile and sat, while Nell tweezed.
‘Ouch! You’re gonna have to distract me from all the pain or be gentle with me.’
Nell forced a smile. ‘This must be painful enough. Especially if Siobhan trusted you.’
‘Well, you know. She could open up to me. I’m very trustworthy.’ He held her gaze for a second longer than was comfortable and Nell clicked her tweezers to take another sample. He took the hint and lowered his head.
Tugging the hair from his crown, she couldn’t help the twinge of a smile at his yelp. Placing the strand in the labelled, sterilised pot, she asked, ‘What did she tell you?’
‘Things too tragic for your pretty ears.’
Nell yanked another few hairs out, making him recoil, clutching his head.
He glared at her. ‘Maybe you’re more of a sadist than you look, eh?’
‘Maybe. What did she tell you?’ Nell had a feeling Finn would tell her if she held out.
‘Want me to trust you, now, do you?’ He leaned forward, a slow grin spreading.
She screwed the lid on the pot and held it up. ‘Looks like you already do.’
Finn held her gaze for a moment, then nodded. ‘Things with Brandon were bad … really bad. I knew she would run, I just didn’t know when. And you know what they say …’
‘What’s that?’
‘That when a woman tries to leave – really tries – that’s when it’s most dangerous.’
As Nell kept eye contact with Finn he didn’t blink, until she said, ‘That’s when she needs her friends, her family, the most, then isn’t it? How did you help her?’
He let out a long breath. ‘I’d’ve given her anything she needed. Anything she wanted. She could’ve asked me for the world.’ His red eyes blinked. ‘I only wish she had.’
Nell waited, in case he said any more, but he stood, clearing his throat. ‘Too late for all that, now, isn’t it? Too bloody late.’ He shot her a hollow smile, and left the bathroom.
As Nell checked the samples’ lids and labels, she heard a soft knock on the door. ‘Conor?’
‘Looks like it’s my turn.’ He shot her an awkward smile.
He’d been there for her when the police had found something Nell would rather have forgotten, from her youth. She wanted Conor to know he could trust her discretion now.
‘There’s a chance you’ll find that I’m Aoife’s father.’ Conor managed to sound matter-of-fact, but he swallowed. Taking a short breath he looked Nell square in the eye. ‘Siobhan was always sure her daughter was Brandon’s, and I never questioned it. Not then. But now? ’ He shook his head. ‘I should have asked her. I should have … done so many things differently. I loved the girl. And the reason I knew she hadn’t run off was because we’d planned to leave. Together.’