Nick was delayed to the meeting he and Michelle had arranged with Andy Quinn because of his appointment with the consultant. He’d got a phone call that morning telling him that Professor Ennis wanted to see him as a matter of urgency. He’d known it couldn’t be good news. Now, as he arrived at the café on South William Street, he saw Michelle sitting by the window and tried to put it from his head. As he pushed open the door, a sharp pain forced him to pause and the doctor’s words played in his mind again: significantly scarred tissue … worse than we’d initially thought …
Inside the café, Andy Quinn was turning from the counter, a cup and saucer in each hand. Nick was about to call his name when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He took it out and clicked on the text:
He glanced over at the table where Andy Quinn was now setting a coffee down before Michelle. He didn’t know if she’d seen him come in. If she had, she hadn’t let on. Good work, however she’d managed it. At least now he had something to hold over Andy.
After getting a cup of coffee for himself, Nick headed over to the table. ‘Thanks for agreeing to meet us, Andy.’ He shook the other man’s hand before sitting in the chair next to Michelle who passed him her extra sugar without being asked.
‘Did you speak with that girl, Louise?’ Andy asked.
‘Yeah, she claims that nothing happened between her and David. A flirtation, but that was all. Of course, that could be enough.’
Andy leaned forward, eyes on Nick. ‘Enough to what?’ he said.
Nick shrugged. ‘To end a relationship in some cases.’ He stirred his coffee slowly. Michelle said nothing. Andy Quinn sipped his cappuccino and looked like he was about to speak, then changed his mind.
‘Andy, does Caitlin have any idea about this? Could she have found out?’
Andy sighed. ‘I talked to her about it last night. She said she had no clue.’
‘Do you believe her?’
‘I don’t know.’
‘And why did you never tell her about it before? You’ve known this for quite some time, why bring it up now?’
‘I didn’t want to upset her. I thought it was best to leave it … she was going through enough.’
‘But you kept potentially important information from the guards. You care a lot about Caitlin, don’t you?’
‘Of course. She’s David’s wife. The three of us spent a lot of time together.’
‘Andy, why did you set up that Twitter account?’ Nick looked up from his cup, casually.
Andy shook his head. ‘I don’t know anything about that.’
‘Yes, you do. I had a friend trace the account. Don’t worry, I haven’t told anyone. Look, I need you to be honest with me, Andy. You say that you were friends with David since college – that’s what – close on twenty years, I imagine? A long time to know someone. What do you think happened? You must have some theory? Let’s hear it, doesn’t matter if you have no evidence, nothing to prove it, doesn’t matter if you were trying to scare Caitlin into sleeping with you … I just want to know what it is you think happened to your friend?’
‘I wasn’t trying to scare Caitie, I …’
‘No? You know that you’re the first person she’d turn to. You’re the one who’s been there for her since David disappeared, haven’t you? Isn’t that what it was about, the call, the profile? You knew she’d never think it was real, that wasn’t it, you wanted her to turn to you … to become indispensable to her … Maybe before all this you even wanted your friend out of the way to get to her.’
Andy Quinn slammed his cup down. ‘That’s preposterous. Why would I be sitting here talking to you about David, why would I have told you anything about it to begin with, if I had even the slightest involvement in David’s disappearance?’
A couple at a table nearby turned at the sound of raised voices. Michelle kicked Nick under the table, but he paid no attention.
‘So you know nothing about it then? You didn’t have an argument with David about it, a fight that may have ended badly?’
‘No, I didn’t. You’re on completely the wrong track here, Nick. David and I were …’
‘Like brothers, you said.’
Andy Quinn nodded, clearly agitated, as much as he was trying to keep his anger in check. ‘I’ll be straight with you, Nick. You’re right about the account. But you’re not right about the phone call, that was some crank who must have seen the article about David in the paper. I know how it must look, setting up a profile in David’s name, but I only did it because I want to find out what happened, and yeah, I do have a theory. At least I had until last night. Now I don’t know what I think.’
‘Well, why don’t you tell me what you thought until last night, and we’ll go from there?’
‘I thought Caitlin knew about the girl, Louise, but when I told her, she reacted like it was the first time she’d heard about it.’
‘Okay. So, let’s imagine she did know … what do you think might have happened?’
Andy took a deep breath. ‘If I’m wrong about this …’
‘If you’re wrong, you’re wrong. No one else need ever know about it except us. Just tell us.’
‘Caitie has always been jealous. She and David used to have lots of petty arguments about it at the start of their relationship. If he was talking to some girl, she’d want to know who she was, if there’d been anything between them … David wasn’t bothered by it. He thought it was sweet and I suppose as time went on she settled in and he didn’t give her anything to be jealous about. But if she’d found out about Louise, I hate to imagine how she’d have reacted.’
Nick was quiet for a moment, and Michelle took the opportunity to get involved.
‘But if you’d known about Louise, and about this possibility, why didn’t this occur to you sooner?’
Andy looked at Michelle. ‘It did,’ he said. ‘But she was that cut up, we both were … she totally fell apart … the way she behaved made me sure I was wrong. But then …’
Nick leaned forward. ‘Go on.’
‘I don’t know if you heard about this, but a month or two ago remains were found washed up on the shores of Blessington Lake. Now naturally, that’s cause for alarm for anyone whose loved one is missing, but I couldn’t figure why Caitlin got so … I don’t know … obsessive about the details. She wanted to know how they’d identify a decomposed body, you know, not having a database here or anything. Anyway, a couple of weeks passed and the whole time she was irritable, nervy. Finally, the body was identified – it was a French tourist who it was assumed had gone swimming in the reservoir six months before, ignoring all the signs saying it was prohibited. There have been a lot of drownings there over the years, something to do with currents, and sink holes from the village underneath.’
Nick nodded. He was only too familiar with the lake. His grandmother had had to move from the village back in the forties when the ESB decided to flood the valley to make the reservoir, but he didn’t mention that now to Andy Quinn. He wanted to keep him on track.
‘Anyway, I started thinking again about that evening, the day David went missing. I’d gone around to Caitlin and David’s house at about seven. He was expecting me, but when I rang the bell no one answered. I was sure at the time that I heard someone inside moving around and so I rang a second time, but nothing. It was strange – like I said, he knew I was coming …’ Andy shook his head.
‘What are you saying, Andy?’ Nick asked.
‘I think something happened, that maybe they argued and Caitlin lost it … And now it’s like she wants to move on. She’s been pushing me away, and when I told her you wanted to help, she got really pissed.’
He felt Michelle glance at him, but he didn’t take his eyes from Andy’s face. ‘Did you mention it to Caitlin – about going to the house that evening?’
‘Of course. She phoned and left a message in the early hours of the morning. She was in a state, said David hadn’t come home, did I know where he was. I went around straight away when I got it. When I told her I’d been over to the house, she said she’d been out running. I thought it was strange at the time: I’d definitely heard something … but then I started to doubt it, thought maybe the noise had come from the neighbours. Now, I don’t know.’
Nick sat back in his chair. ‘Okay. Look, don’t say anything to Caitlin about what you’ve told me. I’ll talk to her tomorrow, see if I can figure out if there’s any substance to your suspicions.’
Andy raised an eyebrow. ‘But why would she talk to you? I mean, no offence, but she hardly knows you.’
‘You’re right,’ Nick said. ‘But sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone removed from the situation. She’s not about to confess to you if she did something, is she? You were David’s best friend.’
‘Okay, it’s worth a shot I suppose. And I’ll see if I can find out anything else in the meantime. She’s invited me round for dinner tonight … But Nick, when you talk to her, don’t say that I said anything, will you? If I’m wrong on this …’
Nick drained his cup. ‘Don’t worry, your name won’t come into it.’