Luck of the Irish: Complete Edition (25 page)

“You’ve talked to Heller when you arrived in Cork. When was that? Three days ago? Then, again yesterday morning, right?”

“Yes, we arrived here on the morning when Ashling Green was murdered. That’s why we couldn’t reach him or you. Heller and you showed up at our hotel late that night, after Keira had been kidnapped. You also came by the hospital yesterday to check up on Declan.”

“You’re right.”

“Have you found out anything else about O’Hallon?” Declan insisted.

“We had hoped you could give us more details about what happened in the house, since you were the first witness to regain consciousness. But, the Ashes told us what you said when you woke up. Unfortunately, it didn’t add much information to what we already knew. We’ve recovered O’Hallon’s DNA from the trunk of Heller’s car, which confirms our initial suspicion that he hid inside it to get to the safe house.”

“How did he do that, by the way? You were at a crime scene, for heaven’s sake!” Megan couldn’t keep her mouth shut or her indignation out of her voice.

“I’ve told you that Heller parked his car in a small alley near the house. The place was swarming with reporters and police officers. He never thought O’Hallon would have the guts to stick around after his crime, let alone pull a stunt like that.”

“Dwyer, this story is beginning to sound a bit fishy to me. Was it part of that stupid plan of yours? Heller said the Garda wouldn’t go along with it after the murder. Now, you say nobody saw a man getting inside Heller’s car in a place full of people.”

“I didn’t say that. I said the car was in an alley. The alley wasn’t full of people. The street was.”

“Wait just a second. What plan?” the accusation in Megan’s tone was unmistakable.

“Using Keira as bait to lure O’Hallon out of hiding. I said that was the worst idea I had ever heard.”

“Come again? I didn’t hear you right.”

“Oh, yeah, you heard me fine, Megan.”

“Since you remember saying that, Slane, you should also remember that Heller told Miss Ashe he wasn’t comfortable with that plan. Does it ring any bells?”

“Guys, guys, calm down. This is not going to get us anywhere.”

“You’re right, Colin. I’m sorry, Dwyer. You know I’m quick-tempered.”

“There’s no need to apologize, Slane. We’re all tired and frustrated. You were almost killed. I should have known better.”

“Before we came to Ireland, you told us this man was obsessed with his cousin and that was probably why he had stalked my sister. We’re talking about a psycho here, but it wouldn’t make much sense for him to kill Ms. Green to get to Keira, if he wanted his cousin in the first place. Even so, do you think he killed his cousin to get you there and find out where Keira was?”

“That wouldn’t surprise me, Miss Ashe. But, we interviewed a couple who lived next to Ms. Green. They weren’t home when she was found dead, so we didn’t talk to them at that moment. Their house shares a wall with Ms. Green’s. They told me they heard part of an argument between a man and their neighbor. Now, I’m sure the man was O’Hallon. They said he begged Ms. Green to run off with him, to marry him. He said they belonged together, and that her boyfriend was the one keeping them apart, spoiling their happiness.”

“They didn’t know O’Hallon?”

“They had moved to the neighborhood recently and didn’t know Ms. Green very well. They didn’t call the police because they believed it was a lovers’ spat.”

“Did they hear what she said? I remember she didn’t think he was obsessed with her when you first talked to her.”

“Exactly, Slane. My guess is she realized, too late, that she was wrong about her cousin. The neighbors said her voice was difficult to hear, but it seemed she was trying to calm down her cousin. We think that, most likely, O’Hallon was threatening her with the knife and she was trying to talk some sense into him.”

“She underestimated her cousin.”

“It’s not that uncommon, Mr. Ashe. All her life, Ms. Green had chosen to ignore the signs that showed her there was something wrong with a person she thought she knew. She had grown up with him, and certainly shared many fond memories with the man. Our forensic psychiatrist believes O’Hallon snapped when Ms. Green refused to play her part in his fantasy.”

“She didn’t agree to elope with him and he killed her. Just like that?”

“You said it yourself, miss, we’re discussing a psychologically damaged mind. The rules that apply to our behavior don’t apply to O’Hallon’s. Ms. Green had always been nice to him because it was in her nature to be kind. He probably mistook her kindness for love. If she loved him, she would want to be with him, to marry him. In his fantasy world, his cousin represented the perfect woman who would be very happy to be his perfect wife. All he had to do was ask her to marry him. When reality didn’t match his fantasy, he lost it and stabbed her to death. I’ll spare you the gory details but the number of times he stabbed Ms. Green substantiate the psychiatrist’s theory of a psychotic break. We had already explained to Slane and Keira that a number of things can trigger such a break from reality. Losing a loved one is one of them. Killing a loved one is sure to induce a serious psychotic break.”

“It’s logical to assume that once he killed his perfect future wife, he turned to the surrogate he had already found – my sister.”

“Unfortunately, you’re right. That’s why we are employing all our manpower, and have asked the neighboring cities to send us more officers, to find O’Hallon. We’re looking into a couple of new leads we can’t discuss with you at the moment. I assure you, we’ll rescue Keira before he can harm her.”

He’s got her for three whole days
. Declan shivered at the thought of what O’Hallon might have done to Keira in that time.

Dwyer’s phone rang, interrupting him. When he answered the call, his expression gave them new hope.

“It was Heller. They’ve found the SUV. I’ve got to go.”

* * * *

CHAPTER 9

Three days earlier

Paul didn’t believe his eyes when Keira recoiled from his touch. Something was very wrong with her. She was his soul mate. Why would she be afraid of him? Surely, that bastard Slane had poisoned her against him. God only knew the kind of lies he had told her for Keira to turn against him like that. He was glad he had shot Slane. He deserved to die for trying to keep Keira and him apart.

When Keira fell to the ground, he was horrified by the loud cracking sound her head made as it hit the floor. There was no doubt she had cracked a bone or two. He rushed to her side and knelt beside her, cradling her motionless body in his arms, rocking her back and forth.

“Don’t worry, love. You’ll be fine. Everything will be all right. I’ll take care of you.”

He looked down to admire her heart-shaped face; then, frowned when he noticed her usually rosy cheeks were deadly pale and her lips were turning blue. He put his ear to her mouth. She wasn’t breathing.

“Keira, stay with me.”

Paul had had CPR training at the tow truck company so he applied a vigorous massage to Keira’s chest. He bent down again to check her breathing. Nothing. In desperation, he pounded her chest, over her heart, repeatedly. Finally, Keira gasped and opened her eyes for a brief moment. They were unfocused. She moaned in pain and closed her eyes again.

“Keira! Talk to me.”

She mumbled something incoherent, tried to open her eyes; but, they didn’t obey her. She stretched her hand in the air, grasping at something invisible to Paul. Then, she let it fall by her side and her body went limp. She looked exhausted but breathed regularly. Her face was still ashen although her lips had returned to their normal red coloring.

“I’ve got you, Keira. Slane can’t hurt you, anymore,” he ran a thumb over her lips.

Paul scooped Keira up in his arms and took her to the big SUV parked in front of the small cottage. He lay her down on the back seat and fastened the seat belts around her waist and chest, as best as he could, due to her awkward position. He didn’t want to risk her getting hurt while he drove them home.

Those damn police officers wouldn’t take long to appear. While he had hidden in the back yard, waiting for the best moment to rescue Keira, he had heard Inspector Heller telling the gardai to contact him. Paul knew he was running out of time. He had been two steps ahead of those dumb officers so far. He couldn’t risk being outsmarted at that crucial moment. Fortunately, he had towed a car to that area a few months earlier, and knew it very well. There was a little dirt road, not far from the house, but he needed to move fast to clear out of the driveway before the police arrived. There was a shortcut through a neighboring farm that was hidden from the main road.

He disabled the GPS system, jumped behind the steering wheel and sped the SUV down the cottage driveway, reaching the farm gate, and disappearing up the little dirt road seconds before the sirens broke the quiet of the chilly night. Looking through the rear mirror, he knew they were safe when he saw the first garda patrol car zoomed past the gate. He sighed, but didn’t slow down.

Programming an app in his cell phone to avoid the main roads, he typed in an address and discovered they were going to take around two hours to get to Youghal. Their final destination was a small white cottage that he had rented, through a website, under an assumed name - Kevin Riordan.

That was the identity Paul had been using for years to avoid the police officers getting in the way of his quest for true love. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been very lucky in that department until recently. Sometimes he wondered whether he was too demanding when it came to finding a suitable woman. Then, he realized it wasn’t his fault if he knew exactly what kind of woman would make him happy.

He had known it since he was a boy, although he couldn’t have her. He had suffered so much growing up next to her, unable to express his true feelings. He had spent many sleepless nights lusting over her - the forbidden fruit, lying awake in bed, daydreaming about the possibilities. Deep down, Paul knew society would never accept their love. She seemed to suffer in silence, as well. Ashling clearly loved him, but his mother wouldn’t understand it. he knew Ashling would never intentionally hurt his mother so she kept her feelings to herself.

When he had gotten the tow truck job, he realized he was like a knight in shining armor, who drove a truck instead of a powerful steed, and traveled around saving damsels in distress. It fitted his romantic side. Intuition told him that, one day, he would find his better half in one of his clients.

In fact, Paul had met a couple of candidates over time. They seemed very promising at first but, before long, he would find out their true character. They were petty, unkind creatures, who thought they were better than him. Paul couldn’t stand pompous people and found that trait disgusting in women. He
had
to give them a lesson. They would never humiliate another man after he showed them what a real man could do to a heartless woman.

Keira, on the other hand, was perfect. He knew she was the one the first time he laid eyes on her. She was as kind, gentle and beautiful as his Ashling. All of a sudden, Paul realized he had dreamed of marrying Keira even before they met. Fate had taken her to him. An odious villain had tried to steal her away but Paul had taken care of Slane. He looked over his shoulder to check on Keira. She slept peacefully. The poor dear must have been exhausted to sleep so soundly while the car bounced along the narrow, dirt road.

“Don’t worry, love. We’ll be there soon,” he told her when the app showed him they were ten minutes away from their new home.

His heart beat faster when he saw the house. The online pictures hadn’t lied. It was perfect. Paul had dreamed of living in a place like that all his life – a small, white cottage fenced in by an old stone wall, halfway up a hill, in a cul-de-sac overlooking the sea.

He would be happy with Keira there. Only the two of them. Nobody else around to bother them. Nobody to get in their way. He had taken care of that. The nearest neighbor lived miles away. He had also asked the owner of the cottage to take away the television sets, radios and phones. Nothing would interfere with their retreat.

He parked, carried Keira inside, and carefully lay her down on the bed. He didn’t want to leave her but he needed to ditch the car. He hesitated briefly before deciding to give her a little something to guarantee she wouldn’t wake up while he was gone. He carried a sedative with him everywhere he went, hidden inside an innocent bottle of liquid painkiller for children. The strong tranquilizer had been very handy in many occasions. He gave a tablespoon of it to Keira, pinching her nose to ensure she swallowed everything. He stood by the bed for a while until he was convinced it had worked.

* * * *

As Keira watched Declan’s lifeless body fall to the ground, she lost her will to live. She would have gladly killed Paul out of revenge, but when she had cracked her head on the floor, she had welcomed the darkness and the silence, hoping they would take her away from the pain. She wanted to die to be with Declan again. However, she couldn’t find him. In fact, she couldn’t see anything because of the blinding light surrounding her. The pain had gone and she felt weightless. It was as if she were floating in the air.

A soft hand touched her shoulder. Keira turned around in surprise to find a beautiful redheaded woman standing beside her. She was medium-height, slender, and wore a long white robe that reflected the bright light. She looked like an angel. Her dark green eyes reminded her of Declan’s, as did her gentle smile.

“I didn’t mean to startle you, child. Forgive me.”

“Where are we? Am I dead?”

“No, Keira. You’re very much alive.”

Keira’s chest ached, she couldn’t breathe, and she heard a male voice calling her. It sounded very distant although she knew he was nearby. She peered around herself but didn’t see much past the white glare of light, except for the silhouette of a man kneeling beside a body lying on the floor.

“I’m dying, aren’t I? Did you come to take me away?”

“I’m no angel, Keira. I’m just like you, except I live in a different dimension.”

The agonizing pain returned, filling Keira’s head, and making it impossible to process information. Only one thought stood out.

“Where’s Declan?”

“I’ll find him. Don’t worry, sweetheart.”

Keira wondered if that voice calling her was Declan’s. He sounded desperate. All of a sudden, Keira felt a sharp pang in her chest and gasped as a strange force pulled her towards the body on the ground. Feeling as heavy as lead, she managed to raise a hand to the woman who had started to vanish into thin air.

“Please, don’t go. Take me to Declan!”

Her hand almost touched the woman’s before Keira blacked out again.

* * * *

Counting on the backwoods where the cottage was located to make his task easier, Paul looked for the remotest spot he could find to get rid of the car. Once he was done with it, he walked back to the house as fast as he could. Life had dealt him a good hand for the first time. He wasn’t going to waste it. Surely, he and Keira would need to keep to themselves for a while, until people forgot about them. On the other hand, wasn’t it expected of newlywed couples? Staying away from others and concentrating on themselves? Smiling to himself, Paul realized he wouldn’t have any problems with that part. He was looking forward to it.

As the house came into view, while Paul climbed the gentle slope, it glowed under the moonlight. Few lazy wisps of cloud, scattered over the starry sky, didn’t shield the cold moon beans in the freezing night. Those rays of insubstantial light, focusing directly on the little spot he had chosen for his new life with Keira, seemed to bring a kind of unearthly blessing to their union. Even though he wasn’t a superstitious man, Paul welcomed any blessings he was given, no matter how eerie.

Entering the house, he went straight to the bedroom where Keira slept peacefully. He sat on an armchair and watched over her sleep for a length of time he didn’t care to measure. Paul was too happy to finally have her to himself. Eventually, physical exhaustion prevailed and he fell asleep on the chair.

* * * *

Dawn wouldn’t tinge the sky with orange and red for at least another hour when she woke up. As usual, it got darker before the sun rose, so she couldn’t see anything inside the room, which would help her understand where she was. Waves crashing in the distance were the only clue she had to figure out her odd situation. They didn’t help.

Her throbbing head didn’t help matters either. The world tilted sideways before it spun out of control when she sat upright. She closed her eyes, praying for the dizziness to stop, feeling queasy and swallowing hard to keep the bile from coming up her throat. A long series of deep breaths later, the nausea subsided yet the pain didn’t. On the contrary, the harder she attempted to remember what had happened to her, the stronger the pain became.

She ran her hands down her body to discover she was dressed in jeans, a top and a woolen coat, which did little to protect her against the chilly night air drifting in through the window above the bed. Why she was sleeping in her clothes was another mystery, though.

As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she distinguished a few pieces of furniture. In addition to the large bed, she recognized a vanity, a closet, a bathroom door, and a night table on each side of the bed. One had a lamp on it, while the other had an alarm clock, which displayed five thirty in the morning.

By the bed, there was a chair where somebody was sleeping. That realization startled her. She couldn’t muffle a gasp, and sheer panic froze her from the inside out, when the man stood up and approached the bed. Wide shoulders like those could only belong to a man. He bent down to turn on the lamp near her. The amber light cast over his face did nothing to taper off her panic. It wiped away all traces of hope from her heart and made it clear that she was utterly doomed.

“You look pale, love. Are you feeling all right?” he touched her cheeks with his fingertips and she shuddered.

“I’m cold, nauseous, and have a killer headache; other than that, I’m just peachy. How are
you
?” she burst out before she decided to take the proverbial bull by its horns. “More importantly, though,
who
the heck are you?”

He frowned at her reply. It was out of character for Keira, “What do you mean, love? I’m Paul. Paul O’Hallon,” he turned on the lights. “Don’t you remember me?”

“No, I don’t. I also don’t know where I am or who I am, for that matter.”

He spun around, surprised, studying her expression carefully. Keira wasn’t joking. Fate was the one playing a cruel prank on him, robbing his beloved of her memories of their time together.

“Don’t worry. I can answer all your questions, Keira. I’ll tell you all about you, about us, but it’ll take a while. There’s a lot to tell, angel. You said you were cold, nauseous, and had a headache. Why don’t we take care of those problems, first?”