John Brady - A Carra ring

Malone prodded Mitchell a few times about his APF colleagues. Mitchell kept to the modest route. He didn’t seem to notice he was repeating himself: a.) there were lots of cars there; b) it was just lucky he had a knack for cars and numbers; c) “I’m only new here like” number six; d) they all check the lists on shift. Like hell, Minogue wanted to say. Aine’s Police Fella; Awful Patrol Folk…

Fogarty had brought them a smudgy photocopy of the patrol and duty schedule. Missing persons and stolen vehicle lists were displayed prominently on the wall of the office by the schedules and the radio plug-ins. Too prominent, too neatly aligned.

The plastic taste of the tea grew sharper. PVC tea. Malone asked Mitchell to go over the route again. Mitchell drew his finger east from the horseshoe area by the terminals toward the long-term car park.

Could he remember the exact times for the checkpoints? Mitchell thought that he could.

Minogue stood. The aftertaste from his last gulp was pure plastic. He dropped the cup into the can.

“Take your time there,” he said to Mitchell. “And don’t be worrying. There are no wrong answers, now.”

Malone joined him by the door.

“There has to be video here, Tommy. Get a layout of where they have them. And see what they cover, like a good man. Then we’ll start rounding up the tapes ”

Malone eyed Mitchell straining to get his times right.

“Fogarty is fussing around a lot. He’d be the one for the — ”

The first man in the door was wearing sunglasses. Minogue didn’t recognize him at first. More people piled in. Soft leather jackets, a woman with very short hair, a brace of cameras around her neck. Fogarty came next. He looked very pleased with himself. Perfume — men’s or women’s, Minogue couldn’t tell — began to take over the room. Someone was smoking Gauloises or Gitanes too.

“Won’t be long, lads,” Fogarty said. “We’ll have you en route ASAP.”

Minogue recognized the manager Daly, bald on top, that ponytail, just like Damian Little had said. The band members looked shagged. Daly took off his sunglasses and rubbed at his eyes. Minogue began to smell whiskey off someone’s breath. Fogarty began rounding up chairs. The group shuffled and glanced around the canteen. Mr. 21 Byrne, the nickname off the bus he’d been born on. Crowley, the Crow Mooney, that was the drummer’s name. A nephew of neighbors of Kathleen growing up in Harolds Cross, Minogue recalled. Kevin Mooney, Batman, the fans called him. Daly threw up an arm and looked at his watch.

“Soon as we can,” Fogarty said. “First up. You can slip out there and go around the side of the terminals. Be off in a flash.”

Batman Mooney sank into a chair and lit a cigarette. He nodded at Malone.

“How’s it going there?”

Malone chewed his gum hard, burst a bubble behind his teeth.

“Not so bad,” he said. “Yourself?”

Mooney shrugged and blew out smoke. He ran his fingers through his stubbly, streaked hair and looked at them. Minogue watched the photographer twist on a lens and focus on Mooney. He mugged for her.

“Trapped in Dublin,” he groaned. “Sober…! Aarrghh! Help!”

She moved around him. The camera shutter went off in bursts. A heavyset man with an earring and a brush cut came through the door. He nodded at Daly and shook his head once.

“Fuck,” muttered Daly. “ Fuck! When, then, for Christ’s sake?”

Daly yanked a cell phone out of his pocket. Did they make them that small now, Minogue wondered. His own phone began to ring. Damian Little: the site van was here. The bomb squad finally had a key in. They were ready to open the Escort.

“Jesus Christ,” said Daly. “Is every Garda phone engaged these days?”

Minogue closed his phone.

“Not anymore.”

“What’s that?”

“The phone,” said Minogue. “Don’t be phoning us anymore now, like a good man. We need the lines kept open.”

Daly looked to Fogarty.

“Guards,” Fogarty said. Daly took in Minogue’s expression.

“Garda, ah…?”

“Minogue. We’re waiting too.”

Daly raised his hands and let them drop. The camera was clicking again. Minogue walked to the doorway. Malone paused by Batman Mooney.

“Thanks,” he said. “The picture? She’ll keep it under her pillow, you know.”

“Great. Catherine, yeah?”

“That’s right.” Malone said. “Me ma.”

Mooney gave him a blank stare.

“Are you really a cop?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you.” Mooney nodded at Minogue. “Him, he looks like a farmer. So he must be a cop, right? You, though, I’d be wondering.”

“Yeah, I’m a Guard.”

“And your ma’s into the scene? With the music like?”

“ ’Course she is. We all are, man. I’ve a niece runs her own fan club on yous.”

Batman Mooney sighed. He drew hard on his cigarette.

“Tell the niece I’ll be looking for her at the Point concert next month,” he said.

“I’ll tell her,” Malone said. “Thanks very much. Oh, and by the way.” Mooney stopped in midstretch.

“She asked me to remind you,” Malone went on. “She wants her blouse back.”

The rain was coming in sheets across the lights now. The plastic cracked, hissed. Christy Griffin was cursing. Not real cursing, Minogue reflected. There was no real relish, no comfort to it.

The rain had soaked in under Minogue’s arms. He reached up to help Griffin pull down the plastic again. They’d need a couple of lights in closer after they had sealed the back of the car. He balanced on one leg to look down at the side of Shaughnessy’s face again. An anorak, a mountaineering type of coat. It looked like it was made of that dear stuff, the Gore-tex, it was called. A black T-shirt.

Malone had been helping tie the plastic by the front bumper. Pasty-faced, the eyes darting around on him. Well, Shaughnessy’s face wasn’t as bad as Minogue had expected. Except for the color, that is. Griffin was talking.

“Where do you want the opening left?” he asked again. Minogue stood back.

“Too blowy, Christy. Let it die down a bit, take the pressure off us here.”

He held the plastic tighter and studied the hand. He couldn’t see any scratches or bloodstains even. The lividity in the face didn’t help. This man wasn’t dead the six days he was missing. He handed the flap to Griffin and hunkered down by the taillight of the Escort. A runnel dropped onto his neck.

“Hold it over me, Larry, for the love of God, man!”

Malone had moved in beside him.

“Jases,” he whispered.

“Head first,” Minogue murmured.

He studied the drawn-up legs. A twenty degree tilt, he guessed. The blood would have come out steady enough.

“The blood drained from the head for the few hours before the air did its bit.”

Malone wiped rainwater from the hair above his ears.

“Drained into someplace under the boot,” he said. “Then leaked out?”

“Three or four hours is as much as you’d get blood draining out, Tommy.”

“Kept pouring — draining out, like — when the car was left here?”

Minogue went down on his knees. He squinted at the stain.

“See the dent in the panel there?” said Griffin. “You’ll find a hole there.”

Minogue stood. His head pushed at the plastic.

“Thanks, Christy.”

Griffin rearranged the roof. Minogue waited for a lull in the gusts before stepping out. The rain hit his face like needles. Malone backed out after him. Griffin’s face sticking out of his hood reminded Minogue of a big, truculent toddler.

“Have to keep it tight, Christy. No choice now. Give it a half an hour.”

Griffin began to secure the tent around the Escort. “Bloody awful,” Minogue heard him mutter. Two more scene technicians showed up from the site van. Minogue reminded them about rain coming in under the car on the blood. He handed Malone the phone.