‘It must have been a fairly bad one,’ the young Garda said, after he’d stamped my form.
‘What do you mean?’
‘You’re smiling a lot for someone whose car has been burnt out is all.’
‘You know, so much has happened over the last week or so, this is actually way down the list,’ I replied, realising it was true as I said it.
It was time to let last night go. The car-burning was either targeted at me, or it wasn’t. But it was done. Dwelling on it would get me nowhere.
‘Is there any chance Sadie O’Riordan’s in the building?’
‘She was in earlier, all right. Have a seat there and I’ll check for you.’
I sat and worked through my plans for Monday and Tuesday. There was the car insurance stuff. Get that out of the way. Check with Tina what progress she’d made on Deirdre Carney’s medical records. And, top priority, ring Setanta Labs to make sure they had got the DNA exhibits and to see if they could expedite the results. Then, track down Lorcan Lucey, who had been on the youth film jury with Deirdre, though any evidence he might give seemed less important now, after Rhona’s and Christopher Dalton’s revelations. Start putting together a brief for counsel, in anticipation of positive results from the DNA tests and medical records. Which was counting my chickens, I knew, but I needed to start the process. Find time to update the Carneys. That was low priority. Better to work towards something tangible first. Finally, arrange to talk to Gabriel about coming back to work, if possible. At least Christopher Dalton’s statement to the Gardaí meant that the partners would see that I wasn’t a complete crank and that I’d had just cause for my actions.
But I had been acting on my own, without authority, far outside my job description so, arguably, I was guilty of gross misconduct. Which was a firing offence. I thought – hoped – that Gabriel McGrath would swing back to my side, would be able to see why I’d acted as I did. He was fundamentally decent, with a strong moral code. But that snake Dermot Lyons would leap at the chance to be rid of me. If he got a few of the other partners onside, I’d be in real trouble.
I checked my phone. There was a missed call from a number I didn’t recognise, and a voicemail. I rang 171. It was a message from Marie Wade – I had nearly forgotten about her – asking me to give her a ring. Maybe she had remembered something about Daniel O’Brien, the ex-education officer? I’d call her later, but it wasn’t important any more. My focus was Gill, and Gill only.
‘A penny for them,’ Sadie said, and flung herself on to the seat beside me.
‘Only a penny? You’re going to have to do better than that. I’m in a rather precarious financial position or hadn’t you heard?’
‘I just heard about your car from Eamonn in the Public Office. You’re in getting a form stamped following an arson attack? I knew there was a car burnt. Didn’t realise it was yours. Foolishly, I’d assumed you might tell me if something like that happened.’
‘Sorry, Sadie – it was late. And I’m telling you now, sure. Anyway, the fire chief said there’s some guy going around the place torching cars so maybe my poor old Golf was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
‘Though I’d bet anything it was Gill’s bodyguard. We know he was following me, though I thought he had stopped. Still, it wouldn’t have been any bother to Pawel to fit in a spot of light arson as Gill’s parting gift to me.’
‘Pawel has to be a suspect,’ Sadie said. ‘If it isn’t some randomer.’
‘Or the arsonist the fire chief was talking about.’
‘Of all the cars to pick, though?’
‘Exactly,’ I said. ‘But, hey, Sadie, is there any news from Dublin? I didn’t think much of DI Pat Lenihan, by the way. Didn’t like him at all.’
‘Huh. You should be his number one fan. There’s a strict news blackout on it, but Lenihan brought in Jeremy Gill and the mammy this morning.’
‘Arrested them?’
‘Not quite. The two of them presented themselves voluntarily with their solicitors in tow – Lenihan told Gill it was either that or flashing lights at home in Clontarf at 7 a.m. When they got to the station, they were detained under Section 4 and they’re still being held. For the moment. But the word is, there hasn’t been much progress. He’s admitting now that he had you followed, but he’s saying that it was for his own protection. He says that his security guard Pawel will make a statement that Gill told him to follow you after the incident at the workshop. Gill is saying that he didn’t say that sooner because he was embarrassed to admit that he was frightened of you. He says he’s had experience of stalkers in the past …’
‘Oh come on!’
‘That’s what Gill is saying. That that’s why he reacted so quickly. I’ll tell Lenihan about your car, though. Having a potential criminal charge against Pawel might oil the wheels a little, get him to spill the beans.’
‘What’s Gill saying about Rhona?’
‘That he had a friendly relationship with her in the past, but no contact for years. She lost interest in acting as far as he knew, he thought it was a shame but the idea that he in any way interfered with her is a figment of your imagination. He’s made no specific comment on the Dalton allegations, except blanket denial. But the fact is, Finn, none of what Dalton said is admissible. And the experts have examined the CCTV again. They say it’s good, definitely not tampered with. Gill lives on a terrace, one way in and out. The CCTV shows for sure that he didn’t exit his house by the front. He didn’t take one of his cars out for an early morning spin. And the mother is absolutely adamant that he was with her all the time while Rhona was being killed. I know it feels like he did it, it feels like that to me too. And he is certainly guilty of something, but it looks like the one thing he’s not guilty of is Rhona’s murder. You’re going to have to accept it: Gill’s alibi is watertight. You must let this go. You’ve done enough, Finn. It’s known now, the kind of man he is, he’s not going to be able to get away with what he did before. But it’s time for you to stop.’
‘Gill’s guilty,’ I said. ‘And I’m not letting it go.’
‘Christ, Finn, you’re an almighty pain in the arse, do you know that? Look, promise me you’ll sleep on it, promise me, please.’
‘I promise,’ I said. ‘And I’m sorry for being a pain.’
‘No hassle. You’ve been under a lot of pressure. Rest is the best thing for you.’
I nodded my assent. But rest was the last thing on my agenda for the evening.