Luck of the Irish: Complete Edition (17 page)

He was taken to a holding cell, which was surprisingly empty, while the other cells were crowded. He sat down on a hard bench, staring into space.

“Hey, Slane,” he looked up to find Dwyer standing outside, holding a cup of coffee. “Take this. You’ll need it.”

“Thanks,” Declan stood up to get the unexpected offer.

Dwyer grabbed his arm before he could sit down again, “I’d have punched somebody too if I were in your shoes,” he said quietly so that only Declan could listen. “I sympathize but I can’t do much about it.”

“Yeah, I hear you. I appreciate it, though. The individual cell and the coffee, I mean.”

“You bet,” Dwyer left Declan alone to his thoughts, which were quite gloomy.

He spent a sleepless night going through each event of the last days in his mind. The following day, Heller showed up, opened the door and stood behind it, saying, “You’re free to go. Connor didn’t press charges. Quite frankly, you’re much more useful out of this cell and with Miss Ashe.”

“Couldn’t agree more,” Declan muttered. “When can I go to her?”

“Very soon. I need to take care of a few details.”

“Look, just give me the address and I’ll be out of your way in no time.”

“It’s not that simple. We’ll take you there but you’re not going to like it.”

He frowned at the comment and because the sudden brightness pierced his eyes as they came to the back door exit. To his surprise, Declan noticed they weren’t on a street but rather at a yard. Dwyer stood beside a black sedan with tinted windows. He had a syringe and a black piece of cloth in his hands.

“Which do you prefer - wearing a blindfold or being knocked out?”

“Neither, Dwyer, but I’ll take the blindfold, thank you.”

They had been driving for a while when Declan asked Heller, “How is Keira doing?”

“She is a sweet girl that one. She’s royally pissed off at us, though. She got angry because Garda Murphy didn’t give Miss Ashe the choice we gave you. Truth be told, we didn’t want to call too much attention on ourselves. We needed to get out of there quickly and I’m sure you’d have put up a fight if we had tried to sedate you.”

“I suppose I should thank you for that, then,” he sarcastically replied.

“Watch it, young man. I said you were useful but I can as easily change my mind if you keep up with the attitude. We’re on the same side here.”

“I know that, Heller. It’s just that I’m frustrated.”

Leaning his head back on the car seat, Declan made an effort to control his emotions, and lost track of time as they drove in silence.

“Have you got any new leads on the case?”

“As a matter of fact, we found the woman in the picture,” Dwyer replied.

“And?” Declan asked when the detective didn’t go on, “What happened, man?”

“We’ll fill you and Miss Ashe in on the details when we get to the safe house.”

Declan was impatient but kept his mouth shut until the car stopped. He took the blindfold off and got out of the car before the inspectors opened their doors.

At the same time, the front door opened and Keira came out of the cottage, running towards him, arms wide open. He caught her in his arms, kissing her like there was no tomorrow; like they were the only people on earth. She kissed him back with the same urgency. Their kiss was deep, passionate, but brief. She framed his dear face in her eager hands, angling her head while he grabbed her tiny waist, lifted and crashed her against his body, his hands roaming her smooth back, her feet dangling in the air.

After both detectives cleared their throats loudly for a couple of times, Declan reluctantly put Keira down , breaking their kiss. She kept her arms around his neck and gazed into his eyes. His beautiful green eyes, darkened by concern laced with raw desire, mesmerized her, “I’m so happy to see you. I can’t believe you’re here. I’m so relieved.”

“So am I, sweetheart. I was worried sick. Are you all right, Keira?”

“All things considered, I am fine. But, I had a horrible night last night. I couldn’t sleep. I kept searching for you in bed, stretching my hand to touch yours, forgetting you were not there. Whatever sleep I got was filled with nightmares,” she trembled at the memories. “Promise me you won’t leave me alone like this ever again, Declan.”

“I promise. I’m sorry I let you down,” he hugged her and buried his face in her neck, whispering against her warm skin. “I’ll never do that again, Keira.”

“You didn’t let me down, silly. I missed you, that was all,” she laughed and made light of his comments remembering his childhood traumas. “Come inside.”

She intertwined her fingers with his, pulling him behind her as they crossed the little garden. The small, white cottage looked cozy. It would have made for a perfect romantic getaway spot, if Declan hadn’t been worried. He noticed there were two more gardai outside, which was completely isolated from any surrounding buildings. In fact, there were no buildings around the house. He had no idea where they were, but it was clear the safe house was remote.

The inspectors had given up waiting for the couple a while before, had already made themselves comfortable, and sat in two big overstuffed armchairs in the living room. Garda Murphy was standing by the door, which led to the rest of the corridor and the house.

“I don’t know if I feel more at ease or more concerned to learn this place is so secluded,” Declan told the detectives as he and Keira sat on the couch opposite the armchairs. He put his arm around her shoulders, keeping her close to him. He needed to feel her body’s warmth caressing his side. He needed to make sure she was safe and unharmed.

Keira basked in his attention, in the powerful energy radiating from him. She snuggled up to him, resting her head on his chest, smiling to herself when she realized she was too short to reach his shoulder. It only added to the feeling of protection he offered her.

“This is the perfect spot for a safe house, Slane. It’s far enough that nobody will come snooping around or show up out of the blue. It’s close enough to civilization that help can get here fast, if there’s need for any.”

“Rest assured O’Hallon will never find you here,” Heller added.

“By the way, you said you’d tell Keira and me about the case once we got here.”

“We’ve found the woman who tried to visit him,” Heller said as he observed Declan hugging Keira closer as if to protect her from anything alarming she was about to hear. The simple, yet poignant gesture, tugged at his heartstrings and he smiled. “Her name is Aishling Green. Our IT guys traced her steps from the hospital to her neighborhood. Dwyer and I went there and found her house. She wasn’t trying to hide from us or anything. Ms. Green told us she went to the hospital to visit O’Hallon because he’s her cousin. She insisted with Officer Nick for a while, gave up, and went home. She found out about his escape later that day.”

“You didn’t buy that, did you?”

“Not at first but her story checked out. We recovered footage from street surveillance cameras showing her leaving the hospital before O’Hallon. They never met.”

“We doubt O’Hallon even knew Ms. Green was there,” Dwyer added. “He took advantage of the nurse’s presence in the room and got lucky when he got out of there. He’d have tried to talk to her if he knew she was in the hospital. She told us he’s into her.”

“How so?” Keira was intrigued.

“She didn’t give us many details. I think she doesn’t see O’Hallon for what he really is – a psychopath. O’Hallon’s mother raised her, after her own mother died, when she was around four. He’s like a brother to her and she doesn’t seem to be aware of how dangerous he is,” Heller explained, pausing to drink a little water that Declan had fetched from the kitchen.

“She thinks we caught the wrong man,” Dwyer scoffed.

“We’ve talked to some of Ms. Green’s acquaintances, who told us the man is far more than into her. He’s obsessed since they were kids,” Heller resumed his narrative. “They assured us she doesn’t feel the same way. She told us she’s fond of him, but she also said she feels uncomfortable around him because of his clinging behavior. She avoids him whenever she can. She went to visit him on account of his mother, her aunt. The old lady apparently called her, begging with her to go and check up on him. She couldn’t say ‘no’ to the woman. You already know the rest.”

“Don’t you think he’d contact her if he knew she’d been to the hospital?” Declan suggested.

“My thoughts exactly,” Dwyer sounded frustrated.

Heller scowled at his partner before answering, “We can’t put her in harm’s way. At this point, we don’t know what this man is capable of doing. He’s physically hurt, mentally unstable, and his violent nature may overcome any logical thinking he still possesses. We can’t risk Ms. Green’s safety like that.”

A heavy, long silence settled on the group as each one of them racked their own brains for a viable solution. Keira was the first to break it, “Use me as bait.”

“Over my dead body!” Declan shouted.

“Sweetheart, think about it. Ms. Green is out there, unprotected. I agree she’d be in danger if Paul went after her. I’m the one living in a safe house, protected by all of you. He wouldn’t have a chance to harm me,” she pressed her hand on Declan’s forearm. “We can control the situation. The police can leak some key information to the press to lure him out of hiding. When he comes looking for me, they arrest him.”

“That’s not a bad plan,” Dwyer nodded, sounding impressed.

“It’s a great plan for disaster, that’s what it is, Dwyer. Miss Ashe, I’m sorry. We can’t do that,” Heller was categorical and Declan sighed his relief. Keira looked at him and he shrugged in response to her frowning expression. She was frustrated and ready to argue her point, but Heller went on. “We aren’t totally empty-handed here. Although my partner doesn’t seem to agree with me, we’ve done some progress. Ms. Green’s told us about this place, near Killarney, where they grew up and where his mother still lives.”

“He told me he was from Limerick,” Keira was puzzled.

“He told you only part of the story. We know he was born and lived in Killarney until he turned nineteen. He moved to Limerick after his father divorced his mother. Apparently, he had some distant relatives there who got a job for him. Ms. Green was born in Cork and moved in with the O’Hallons when her mother died. Nobody knew who her father was.”

“He told me he had a bunch of sisters and brothers,” she added.

“Not true. He’s an only child. Ms. Green gave us an address to a house in Killarney, where he might have gone looking for shelter. It’s not his mother’s. We already had that one. I’ve talked to the Superintendent of the Garda Síochána there. He’ll check the place out, talk to O’Hallon’s mother, and let me know about his findings.”

“I’m sorry, detectives. I know you’re doing your job but it’s so frustrating to be here sitting on my hands. Yesterday, Katherine told me I couldn’t even call my family back home. They must be worried sick.”

“I hear you, believe me. We can’t risk anyone, O’Hallon or the press, tracking you down. I called your father. He’s as frustrated as we are, but he understands the seriousness of the situation. He knows these measures are for your safety. I promised to call him every day to update your family on our investigation and your well-being.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Thank you. But, this just goes to show I’ve got a valid point, sir. You wouldn’t have to go through all this trouble, if you caught the guy. Let me help you do that.”

“Sorry,” Heller offered her a wide smile because she reminded him of his younger daughter, Genna. Both were great kids but as strong-willed as they come. “Life is not like the movies. There are too many things which can go wrong in a plan like the one you suggested. It’s out of the question. Our psychiatrist has told us O’Hallon most likely sees you as a surrogate for his cousin. That would explain why you’re the only one of his victims with whom he tried to create a bond. That also means he might get quite irrational about you.”

“He did say some crazy stuff to me at the hotel room,” Declan remembered. “At the time, I thought he was just taunting me. Now, I’m not so sure.”

“Yes, you told us then that he said Miss Ashe liked him. We relayed your statements about the attempted rape, and our findings about Ms. Green, to the psychiatrist. He’s convinced O’Hallon is on the verge of a psychotic break. This means anything can trigger a break from reality in him. Since Brian, our psychiatrist, hadn’t talked to O’Hallon in person, he couldn’t give us a detailed assessment. He gave us a general prognosis. He can’t be certain about what might actually trigger a break, nor the outcomes of it. The causes could range from drug-induced depression to losing a loved one. As for his reactions, they could vary from harmless delusions to extremely violent acts. The bottom line is - we don’t know what’s going on inside that head of his. We should expect the worst and be prepared for it.”

Keira was far from reassured by those words, and Declan chose that moment to stand up and start pacing. He seemed about to explode. Standing up, she intercepted him. He gazed at her, his expression changed immediately when he saw panic in her beautiful blue eyes. He controlled his anger and frustration, putting on a brave face and opening his arms up to harbor Keira, “Come here, little one. I’ll take care of you. I’ve told you I won’t let anything happen to you, love,” he closed his arms around her, kissing the top of her head, looking at the two police men sitting down in front of them. “We won’t, right?”