A
fter Callum left, I took a shower and got ready to receive DI Elliott. Gran made a fresh pot of tea, and Liam and I tidied up.
Gran brought the tea tray into the living room, where Liam and I were sitting on the couch.
“Let’s have a cup of tea before we’re invaded by that imbecile of a detective, shall we?” Gran set the tray on the coffee table and sat down in one of the comfy chairs.
I poured tea into three of the cups and handed one to Gran and one to Liam, then added sugar to mine.
Gran took a sip of hers, then asked, “So, is this where we conspire and make sure we have our stories straight?”
Liam looked at her, his eyebrows raised. “Colleen, you just have to tell the truth, and you’ll be fine.”
She looked at Liam, and then at me.
“Liam, I think she’s wondering, as am I, what we tell the DI when he asks why we went back to the castle.”
Liam set his teacup down, and looked at Gran. “I thought we were checking to make sure everything was closed down properly.”
I looked at Gran, then to Liam. “That sounds good. Let’s go with that.” I took a sip of my tea.
Gran nodded. “Sounds good to me.”
I hadn’t told Liam about my “sixth sense,” or my “witchy senses,” whatever you wanted to call it. I was still trying to process it myself.
Before Liam could respond, the doorbell chimed. Gran popped up from the chair and went to answer the door.
Liam leaned into me and whispered. “Is there something you two need to tell me?”
I leaned in and kissed him. “Later,” then I stood up to meet our guests.
“Inspector Elliott, welcome. Oh, and Callum. Lovely to see you both. Would either of you like a cup of tea? We have a fresh pot here. Let me go get more cups.” I walked to the kitchen before either of them could stop me.
I pulled them down from the cupboard, my elbow hitting something solid.
Liam.
“Molly, you’re putting me in a very precarious position. What’s going on? Did you know Herb was dead when we went in there?
I turned toward him, a cup in each hand.
My stomach plummeted. What do I tell him? Do I lie? Do I tell him the truth? Stall? I took a deep breath and turned around and gazed into those sky-blue eyes. Stall.
“Can we talk about this later?” I whispered as I moved around him and walked back to the living room. I heard him heave a heavy sigh as he followed me in.
Gran had offered our two guests to sit in the chairs facing the couch, with the coffee table in between. I sat the two cups down on the tray and poured them each a cup of tea. I looked longingly at the bar across the room, thinking I might need a little Irish cream before this meeting was over, but didn’t think anyone would approve it being so early in the morning. Callum caught my gaze and smiled. Did I mention we’ve been friends since we were twelve? He knew for sure what I was thinking.
I warmed up Gran and my teacups. Liam declined, sitting next to me on the couch. Gran tried to make small talk while everyone fixed their tea. Except DI Elliott. His tea sat on the coffee table in front of him, his eyes in his little black book, his pen scribbling rapidly. What on earth did he have to write already?
I sipped my tea, looking at him over the rim when his beady eyes moved between the three of us.
“I want to let you know, I didn’t appreciate the three of you leaving the scene of the crime last night.”
He held up his hand as we all opened our mouths to speak. “Quiet please.” His hand moved to his glasses, which he pushed further up his nose.
I closed my mouth, as did Gran and Liam. I clenched my lips to stay quiet.
The DI looked at me and asked, “Is there someplace Sergeant Murphy can use to interview DI Fitzgerald?”
I nodded. “Yes, the dining room. There is a sliding door that covers each entrance.”
Liam got up, as did Callum, and walked into the dining room. A few seconds later the sound of rolling doors reached my ears. I could only see the one entrance from where I was sitting, and it was strange to see the door closed.
“Do you wish to interview me and my granddaughter separately as well, DI Elliott?” Gran asked, sipping her tea.
“That’s all right, Mrs. Kennedy. I think I can ferret the truth out of what the two of you tell me.” He gave what for him passed as a smile, but was more like a grimace.
I clenched my fingers into the cushions and kept my mouth shut.
“So, tell me. What made the two of you go back to the castle after the fireworks?” He looked from me to Gran.
Gran sat up straighter. “I am on the festival committee, young man. I thought it was my duty to make sure everything was as it should be after the festivities.”
The Inspector looked at his notes as he wrote. “Was there no one young-” he stopped and looked at her.
I glanced over and could see Gran sit up even straighter.
I watched as the Inspector’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “I mean, was there no one else available to do so?”
Gran’s voice rose an octave higher, and I bit my lip to not smile. “I am not so old that I cannot walk through a castle, young man. I am the co-chair of the committee and it was my duty to make sure there weren’t any shenanigans going on.”
The Inspector’s eyes were quite wide as he cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean to insinuate you weren’t able to do so, Mrs. Kennedy. I was just wondering if there was any specific reason you did so.”
I looked at Gran, a shiver going down my spine. Did he know about our spooky senses? We haven’t exactly kept it a secret, but we didn’t advertise it either.
I turned to the inspector. “There was nothing other than what Gran said. She wanted to double check everything was as it should be. Liam and I went with her because we didn’t want her to have to walk to her car alone.”
The Inspector looked at me, his eyebrows raised.
“Did you notice anything out of the ordinary?” His pen poised over his notebook.
My eyes went wide. “You mean other than the dead body hanging there?” I looked at Gran. Was he for real?
He ran his hand over the back of his neck. “Did you notice anything out of the ordinary when you walked in?”
Gran went over the details of what we did, room by room. When she finished, he looked at us and asked, “What do you know about Herb Weston?”
I looked at Gran and spoke. “Until recently, Herb owned the one and only taxi cab in town. However, at the beginning of the summer, he purchased a motor coach and has been offering tours out of Ballyquicken.”
He stopped writing and looked up. “Tours? What type of tours?”
I looked at Gran again and shrugged. “I’m not sure, exactly. He brings a busload of people into Dooley once or twice a month. He stops downtown for the people to shop, then he usually continues on to the castle.”
The Inspector asked as he continued to write, “Anyone you know of have any issues with him?”
I thought of the arguments between Herb and Kat, as well as myself, yesterday afternoon. “Half the business owners in downtown Dooley.” I picked up my tea. It was cold, so I added some from the pot.
“Oh? Including you?” He smirked.
“As much as I hate to admit it, yes. We have an agreement with him to give us forty-eight hours’ notice. The only notice we received was a phone call from the castle asking us if we’d seen him yet. Neither myself, nor any of the other business owners were too pleased.” I wasn’t happy to see the smirk still on his face. I figured it wouldn’t be long before I’m his prime suspect. It’s times like this I wish I was a witch. I’d turn him into a toad. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought.
He narrowed his eyes at my smile. “Anything else?”
“No, that’s it. Other than the tours, I had little to do with him.” I took a sip of tea.
He looked at Gran. “You?”
She shook her head. “Hardly knew the man.”
He eyed us both. “I thought this was a small town. Doesn’t everyone know everyone else’s business?” His beady eyes on Gran.
“Some more than others, Inspector. Some more than others.” And she continued to drink her tea.
Just then, Callum and Liam appeared from the dining room. I couldn’t help but smile as I watched Liam walk toward me. He came and sat down next to me on the couch.
As Liam sat down, DI Elliott stood up. “Well, I guess that’s all for now, ladies. Thank you.” He turned toward the door.
Gran popped up off the couch. “I’ll see you out.” She glanced back at me.
DI Elliott stopped so quick, Gran ran into him. He held out his hand to steady her. He gazed at the three of us. “Don’t plan on leaving town. I may have more questions.”
He turned his back to me, and I couldn’t help it. I stuck my tongue out at him. I heard Liam chuckle beside me.
Liam and I didn’t speak until they left and Gran came and sat down in the chair Callum had vacated earlier. “Whoa. I’m glad that’s over.” She picked up the teapot and shook it. “I think we need some more tea.” She walked to the kitchen.
I could feel a slight pain on the left side of my head. “Why does that man bother me so much?” I looked at Liam.
“He gets to everyone, not just you. He’s the least favorite DI in the district,” Liam answered as he rubbed my back.
Gran came in with a tray that included not only a fresh pot of tea and three cups, but molasses cookies. She set it down, then walked over to the bar. I smiled as she pulled out the bottle of Irish Cream and brought it over.
Liam’s eyes widened. “That bad?”
I poured, and Gran added the spirits. She held the bottle up to Liam. He nodded. “Why not? I think I’m going to need it for when you two explain to me what exactly happened last night.”
I took a deep breath and looked at Liam, but before I could say anything, Gran spoke up. “Let me start, lass.”
Liam’s eyes turned from me to Gran, and Gran’s to Liam.
“How much do you know of the old religion?” She picked up her tea and took a sip.
He smiled. “Quite a bit, actually. However, I’m not sure how much of it’s true and how much of it were stories told to me from my grandparents.” He took a sip of his tea and then added a little more Irish cream.
Gran chuckled. “It is hard sometimes to figure that out.” She glanced at me before continuing. “Ever since I was a small child, I’ve been able to sense things that other people can’t. It was terrifying when I was young. One time I looked at the younger brother of my best friend, and I knew he’d be dead before the year was out.”
My mouth dropped open, and I sat up straighter. I’d never heard Gran talk about this before. “And… was he?”
She nodded. “I felt horrible. When I mentioned it to my mother, she made me swear upon the Bible not to tell my friend.”
“Why not?” I thought about my siblings. I would want to know so I could spend as much time with them as possible.
“Because Druidism and the old Celtic ways were no longer acceptable. Everyone was a Christian. They were no longer putting people in trial for being a witch, but you could still be an outcast. My mother didn’t want that to happen to me.”
“Did your mother also have the sight?” Liam wrapped his hands around the teacup.
Gran took another sip of her tea before answering. “She did. In our family, it passes from mother to daughter.” She smiled at me. “Or in this case, grandmother to granddaughter.”
Liam looked at me, his eyes wide. “So, you have the sight?” He looked at Gran again. “What about Molly’s mother?”
I laughed, “It seems to have skipped a generation.”
Gran chuckled too. “Let’s just say it manifests itself differently in Diedre.”
Liam took a sip of his tea, then set it down. “So, that is why you wanted to check out the castle? You sensed something was wrong.”
Gran nodded.
He looked at me. “And you?”
I glanced at Gran before answering. “I haven’t honed my skills as well as Gran has, but yes, I felt something.”
He drank back the last of his tea and refilled it with just the Irish Cream. I looked at Gran, who raised her eyebrows, shrugging.
I took a cookie and set it on a napkin. Gran’s cookies, like everything else she bakes, are delicious. I sat back, took a bite of my cookie, and just waited for it all to sink in.
He glanced down at the teacup he was holding in both hands. “My grandfather had the sight.”
Gran and I looked at each other, then Gran asked. “Really? It runs in your family as well?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think my father has it, and I certainly don’t.”
Gran laughed. “Why do you think you’re such a top-notch detective?”
He sat up straight, “I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I studied.”
“Do you think that’s the only reason?” Gran smiled as she too refilled her cup with Irish cream.
Well, heck. I might as well join the party. I drained my cup and refilled it with the creamy concoction as I watched Liam trying to come to terms with all of this. Butterflies did somersaults in my stomach. Will our relationship survive this?
Sandy came over to Liam and put her blond head on his lap, and he rubbed her head. Luna, much smaller than her mother, jumped on the couch and wrangled her way into my lap. I leaned against the back of the couch, sipped my drink, and stroked her back, waiting for Liam to say something. I peeked a look at him, and his brows furrowed, which he did when he was thinking. I looked at Gran, who shrugged her shoulders.
I laid my hand on his knee. “Are you okay?”
He laid his hand over mine. “I think so. It’s a lot to take in. It explains why you’re so good at solving mysteries. I just never gave much thought to the sight running in my family.”
I sat up, making Luna move off my lap. “It’s not THE reason you’re so good at what you do. It’s just one reason.” I looked at Gran for some reinforcement.
“She’s right, Liam. Maybe it’s that part of you that made you want to become a police officer to begin with.”
He just nodded his head and ran his hand over his chin. “If you don’t mind, I think I’ll take Sandy and Luna for a walk.” He got up off the couch.
At the word “walk,” both tails on the dogs started wagging and Luna barked.
I got up too. “I’ll stay here and help Gran with dishes.” Looking at his firm jaw and wrinkled brow, I could tell he’d prefer to be alone. “I’ll get their leashes.”