One Coffin Too Many Page 11

  “ Where are you, Margo? “ Devoy demanded impatiently.

  “ Oh, you don’t sound too nice, Inspector. Are you angry with me? “

  “ Listen Margo, you’re not suppose to withhold evidence in a murder investigation. You could land yourself in trouble. “

  “ Oh, are you going to put the cuffs on me then, Inspector Devoy? Are we into fantasy time now? And here I am trying to help you. “

  “ Please Margo, give me a break. If you have anything then give it to me. “

  “ Okay, I’ll tell you what I’ve got. I’ve got the combination to Mr. Cremin’s safe. I can open it for you. Who knows what it will reveal? “

  “ Great! I’ll see you at Fallon’s in a few minutes. “

  “ I’m not at Fallon’s – I’m on the way to his house out in the country. “

  “ That’s out of bounds, Margo. “

  “ No, it isn’t. The barn is out of bounds – not the house. I checked. “

  “ With who? “

  “ With your Rottweiler, Detective Moore. I told her I had things to attend to. She gave me the go-ahead. “

  “ I see. “

  “ You don’t seem impressed and here am I trying to help you. I can wait for you at the crossroads if you wish. Now that the dust cover is clean and dry I’m bringing it back. I’d hate to leave that lovely pool table uncovered seeing as it is such a source of enjoyment. “

  “ Give me ten minutes, “ replied Devoy. “ I know the way. “

  “ You sound very eager, Inspector. I’m glad you know the way. I’ll be waiting for you. “

  Devoy turned the key in the ignition and sped off.

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 9

  As he drove up to Cremin’s house he found her at the gate examining her mobile phone. A Jeep was parked nearby. She continued to examine the screen as if she was unaware of his presence. She was wearing a tight skirt like the last time only now it was marine blue topped off by a light denim shirt with the top buttons undone giving a view of her cleavage. Devoy felt himself getting excited again.

  “ Trouble getting over the gate again, Mrs. Walsh or should I say Margo? “

  “ Well I think it’s the least you can do for me considering the way you let your Rottweiler loose on me this morning. “

  “ You’re annoyed, Margo? That explains everything. “

  “ Annoyed? I’m furious. Why did you have to do that? I’ve have told you everything. She treated me like I was dirt. Grilled me. And all I ever did was cooperate with you. Honestly, you’d think that woman was in love with you the way she was going on. And anyway what’s she got against blondes? Some type of hang-up? “

  Devoy shrugged.

  “ I’m sorry it happened like that. Detective Moore is far from being a Rottweiler as you term her. Yesterday she was assaulted by Councillor Horgan resisting arrest so her nerves were probably on edge. Anyway, I couldn’t take a statement from you. I’m trying to be as professional as I can, given the circumstances. I have to be fair to both of us. Surely you can see that, Margo? If anybody gets wind of our affair I’m in hot water. You know that? “

  “ Very well, then “ she said drawing nearer to him.

  “ I missed you. “

  “ I can’t get you out of my mind, Margo. I don’t know what I’m going to do? “

  “ I wasn’t expecting you so soon. I didn’t think you’d find the way without me? “

  “ I’ve a good memory. Besides, I was driven by instinct. I’m drawn to you like a moth to the light. “

  He pulled her close to him.

  Just then her phone rang.

  She peered at the screen.

  “ Something up? “ he asked.

  “ Nothing special. Just customers. “

  “ I thought you’d be closed as a mark of respect to Cremin? “

  “ We are but calls are still coming in – you know from hospitals and nursing homes. We’ve a contract with them. “

  “ So while Fallon’s are closed who’s handling things? “

  “ Broderick’s. They take the overflow. In fact they’re handling Cremin’s and Fallon’s funerals. “

  “ And when’s that? “

  Margo tapped into her phone.

  “ Thursday, I believe. Mr. Cremin’s body has been released; I don’t know about Mr. Fallon. “

  “ I see. So how come you’re waiting out here? I thought you’d be inside the house by now? “

  Margo switched off the phone.

  She caressed his cheek.

  “ I didn’t want to get you into trouble. I thought it would be best if I waited here and did my damsel in distress act until a friendly policeman came along. “

  “ And are you in distress, Madam? “

  A smile crossed her lips.

  “ You’ve no idea, Mr. Policeman, sir, how distressed I am. I’m so distressed I feel like screaming. “

  Devoy ran his hands up and down her body.

  “ I could get awfully used to this, Mrs. Walsh, you know. “

  “ I already am, “ she replied. “ Please open the gate. “

  “ Consider it done, “ replied Devoy dragging himself away from her embrace and climbing over the gate.

  An hour later they lay naked on the pool table the dust sheet serving again its purpose.

  “ I never thought a pool table would be good for anything but pool, “ observed Devoy. “ I certainly never thought I’d be playing on it with such a lovely woman. “

  “ Maybe you should order one for your house – I believe they’re quite reasonable these days. “

  Devoy laughed.

  “ Pool tables may be reasonable but women, blondes. I don’t know? “

  “ And there I was thinking you were a free spirit. “

  “ With you, Margo, I sail the seas, I fly the air. “

  “ So what’s the problem, then? “

  “ I’m still married, Margo and I’ve even got a child – a teenage girl. She’s away at the moment on a school trip. “

  “ I notice you say ‘ still married ‘. “

  “ I thought you’d pick up on that. “

  “ You’re separated then? “

  Devoy nodded his head.

  “ And where is she? “

  “ In France. That’s where she comes from? “

  “ So it’s some sort of trial separation, is that it? “

  “ Yes, in a nutshell. I believe the expression is ‘estranged. ‘ “

  Devoy got off the table and wandered over to the window. In the distance he could see the blueness of the sea. It saddened him. He knew she was somewhere over the water, beyond the horizon. Their past. Then he caught sight of Margo watching him in the reflection of the window.

  He turned to face her.

  “ You know, “ he said. “ When I was a little boy my old man used to take me to museums and art galleries on Sundays after mass. I hated it at first because all my friends were out having fun playing cowboys and Indians and there I was stuck in some stuffy hall in my Sunday best with the only the promise of ice cream in an ice cream parlor at the end.

  I used to get embarrassed when we stopped to admire nude Greek and Roman statues. The men and women in these statues were always fine specimens – especially the women. This was much appreciated by the men – the fathers as they always seemed to spend more time looking at certain statues walking around them as if they’d never seen a sexy woman before. You, in your pose there, lying on your side, with your head in your hand, and gazing away at nothing in particular, you remind me of one of those statues.

  I always remember one statue in particular because of the beauty of that woman and the effect it had on me. I was always filled with a mixture of longing and dread when I looked at it. I felt this strangeness coming over me. It always reminded me of those werewolf films. You know when the man changes from a man into a werewolf. The feeling was like that for me. You see it was the first time I had a sexual awakening: I developed an erection
and it was so embarrassing I walked out of the gallery much to the annoyance of my father. I felt I had three legs. It was awful. When he caught

  up with me he asked me what was wrong? What could I say? I couldn’t describe what was happening and given my strict Catholic upbringing I didn’t think it was advisable to try to explain it to him. I hadn’t got the words. I just felt soiled and unlike any other child of my age. Nevertheless I felt I had gone through some sort of barrier and my child’s innocence was gone. After that I said goodbye to the cowboys and Indians. I didn’t miss them at all. All I wanted to do was visit that gallery again but on my own. I kept wanting to see that statue over and over again. I loved what she was doing to me. I felt alive. I felt like I’d become another person. “

  “ Well, it seems to me you’re developing another one. You better get over here while it lasts. “

  Devoy shook his head.

  “ No, I want you to come to me, Margo. You’re that statue come to life all these years later. Come over here. Join me. “

  She joined him at the window each aware of the passion still coursing through their bodies. Devoy, anxious to preserve the moment turned his head and caught their reflection in the double French doors behind them that separated the pool room from the sitting room: His left hand caressing her left buttock while hers caressed his. It was a scene, he knew would stay embedded in his memory for ever no matter what happened to them and he knew he would dine off the image for as long as he lived as a benchmark of sensuality. He felt joy and also a sense of doom as if he could never physically love another woman like the way he loved Margo.

  He brought his head back and watched as her nipples grew taught with desire. It always amazed him - the spectacle of a woman naked waiting to be taken by a man. He thought of all those Sunday mornings of his childhood, in museums and galleries, where only whispering sounds of pleasure carried through the still air, of his father and all those men who admired the perfect naked plaster-cast or marble women mute in their sexuality and how maybe the men had compared those statues to their wives imprisoned in their islands of servitude to religion like nuns, married nuns, married but dictated to. He then surrendered to her not caring that they were both exposed in the bare window. He was beyond caring anyway. Once he had penetrated her and she had accepted him nothing else seemed to matter.

  ✽✽✽

  CHAPTER 10

  “ So what’s the problem, Margo? “

  “ I can’t find it. “

  “ You can’t find it. But you said you had the combination! I mean for Christ’s sake, Margo. Give me a break. “

  “ I’ve got the combination, darling but I can’t find the safe. That’s all. “

  “ That’s all! You’re joking, Margo. What’s the sense in having the combination if you haven’t got the safe. I mean. Come on now, Margo. “

  “ I’m not joking. And don’t you talk to me like that! “

  “ Okay, I’m sorry. What makes you think it’s here? “

  “ Because I’ve tried everywhere else and got nowhere. It has to be here somewhere. “

  “ What about the barn? “

  Margo shook her head.

  “ No, he always brought his confidential stuff here. I know. I helped him on lots of occasions. We’d drive out here on a Friday evening, unload the stuff, have a drink and then I’d head off. It has to be here. “

  “ Is there a basement here? “

  She shrugged her shoulders.

  “ I never noticed. “

  “ Did he always wait for you to leave before he sorted things out? “

  “ Well, yes he did. Now that you mention it. Why? “

  “ He obviously didn’t want you to see his hiding place. That’s the only explanation. “

  “ So he didn’t trust me. “

  “ It would seem so. Maybe you should have married him. You’d be a rich widow today. “

  “ Oh please. Don’t start that again. You really have a low opinion of women, don’t you? “

  “ Sorry. “

  “ Well it’s not in any of the walls nor the cupboards nor the built-in wardrobes and the floors are all tiled and made of concrete. All the rooms are empty save for here, the sitting room, his bedroom and a guest room, the kitchen. I don’t think he really spent much time here. This was used for entertaining clients only- to show he had money. His real home was elsewhere. But where I don’t know. “

  “ A man of mystery. Looks like we’ll have to sleep on it. “

  Margo started to laugh hysterically until she fell against Devoy.

  “ Sleep on it? That’s it. Maybe we’ve been making love on it? That’s referred to as sleeping, isn’t it? “

  “ Not with you naked beside me. The last thing on my mind would be sleep. “

  “ You don’t understand, Frank. I’m talking about the table – the billiard table. Maybe the safe is hidden in the table? There’s nothing else here. “

  “ Why? Why the interest in the safe all of a sudden? “

  “ Look, do you want to find it or not. I’m trying to help you, Frank. “

  “ Jesus, you right, girl. Let’s have a look? We can always sleep on it again. “

  They both started to examine the table. The first thing they noticed was that it was bolted to the floor. They couldn’t budge it. It wasn’t meant to be moved. They then saw that the table was thicker than the average billiard’s table.

  “ It has to be hidden somewhere here, “ Devoy said.

  They both got down on their knees and examined the edge of the table. It was in the receptacle which held the balls on the side that Margo noticed that beading was slightly different – just slightly out of alignment with the rest of the table.

  “ I think I found something, “ she announced. “ Come over here, Frank. “

  Devoy came around to her side of the table and examined the side of the table.

  “ I think you might be right, Margo. The stain here is slightly different to the rest of the table. Let’s remove these balls and see what we got. “

  He took out the balls and placed them on the table. He examined the receptacle and then grabbed it. Nothing happened. He pushed it to the left and heard a faint click. He pushed it further to the left but there was no give. He then pushed it to the right and the basket swung out revealing a safe.

  “ Well, well. No wonder we couldn’t find it. We were searching for something square and clumsy. “

  “ Oh, you’re wonderful, Frank, wonderful. “ replied Margo as she joined him on the floor.

  “ It’s all yours, Margo. “

  She was about to tap in the combination numbers when Devoy stopped her.

  “ Put these on, “ he said, “ handing her a pair of latex gloves.

  She stared at them with disbelief.

  “ Why, Frank? “

  “ I don’t want you leaving prints for others to find just in case there are complications afterwards. “

  “ Oh, Frank. “

  “ Just put them on. You never know. Okay? “

  “ Fair enough, Frank “ she replied slipping them on. “ You’re the expert. “

  She tapped in the first two digits and turned the knob to the left. It clicked. Then she tapped in two other digits and turned the knob to the right. It clicked again. She turned to face Devoy for encouragement. He caressed her neck.

  “ Go ahead, “ he said encouragingly. “ Only two left. “

  She wore a worried look as if all the problems of the world had fallen on her shoulders.

  She tapped in the last two digits and turned the knob to the left. They were greeted by another click.

  She turned to Devoy.

  “ What now? “ she asked him.

  “ Pull on the handle, Margo. Go on. “

  She did as he asked and the door suddenly opened.

  “ Oh, Frank, “ she squealed with excitement. “ we did it! We got it open! “

  They both peered in.

  The safe was chock-a-bl
oc with stacks of money neatly stacked in tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands. American dollars, Euros. And Swiss francs. Alongside the stacks were ledgers detailing business transactions and invoices with Chinese and English headings.

  Devoy donned a pair of latex gloves and flicked through the paperwork.

  He grunted.

  Cremin was buying cheap coffins from China and dressing them up as home-manufactured quality ones. He was saving on VAT and God knows what. “

  “ There must be a fortune here, “ exclaimed Margo. “ And he was such a tightwad in the office. “

  “ How did you manage to remember the combination numbers, Margo. I mean it wasn’t written down, was it? “

  “ No, it wasn’t and I really didn’t know it. But I remembered something – something that Cremin was always going on about. It was my figure – my vital statistics, “ she tittered for a moment. “ He claimed he needed to know them in case he wanted to buy me a nice outfit. But he never did. That’s what I got for not giving in to him. So that’s how it came to me – my vital statistics. A hunch. “

  “ Well, I suppose that’s one way of coming to grips with them. “

  The smile faded on her face and she punched Devoy on the arm.

  “ That never happened, Frank. Do you hear me? It never happened. If you want to continue to appreciate my vital statistics then never talk like that. I won’t have it. Understood? I’m not that sort of woman. “

  Devoy felt like a little boy who’d been caught stealing sweets.

  “ Jesus, take it easy. You’re not supposed to thump a cop even when he’s your lover. Keep that for the bed. “

  “ I’m sorry, Frank. I guess I’m a bit overwrought. I… I wasn’t expecting this. “

  “ You’re not the only one. Where do we go from here? I’m not even supposed to be here – let alone with you. I haven’t even got a warrant to search this place. “

  “ Oh, Frank. “

  “ I think my original idea was the best. “

  She looked at him puzzled.

  “ Your original idea, Frank? Whatever do you mean? “

  “ Sleep on it, Margo. Let’s sleep on it. Besides, I want to come to grips with your vital statistics. I feel I was getting rusty. Are you on? “