Carol Clark: Laced

As they pulled up to the modern-day Daniel Boones, Regan rolled down her window. “Fancy meeting you two again. Would you like a ride?”

Brian laughed. “No, thanks. We were just out for a walk-”

“A walk?” Regan laughed. “At this hour?”

“It’s so quiet and peaceful. After the drive from Galway we figured it would be good to stretch our legs,” Brian explained.

“We love long walks. We love to run. That’s why we were in the Fun Run,” Sheila said nervously.

“Walking is great exercise,” Brian agreed with a half-hearted laugh. He tapped the roof of the car. “Thanks again for the offer. We’ll see you back at the castle.”

“Okay,” Jack said. “I’ll just turn the car around.”

“You bet!” Brian said, tapping the car again.

Regan rolled up her window. “Why wouldn’t they just wander around the grounds of Hennessy Castle?” she whispered.

“Maybe they’re scared they’ll run into May Reilly,” Jack answered with a smirk as he did a three-point turn on the narrow road.

“Just as long as I don’t.”

The O’Sheas waved at Regan and Jack as their car pulled away and turned at the entrance to Hennessy Castle. As soon as the car disappeared from view, Brian and Sheila turned and ran back down the country road.

“Thank God!” they both cried at the same moment.

Margaret Raftery’s painting, which they had removed from the trunk of their rental car, was lying on the side of the road wrapped in the black cape. Brian had tossed it aside when he saw a car approaching. If it had been the garda, he didn’t want to have to explain why he was carrying the painting around at one in the morning. He certainly never expected to have to explain it to Jack Reilly.

“That was a close call,” Sheila said. “Those two are everywhere.”

“It’s okay,” Brian answered as he leaned over and picked up the painting. “We’re still in business. And in a few more hours we’ll be in the home stretch. By the time Dermot gets here, we’ll be ready.”

“What about making sure Dermot doesn’t show anyone at the castle the paintings? We have to worry about Margaret and that manager Buckley. This painting was his.”

“Figuring that out is my game plan for tomorrow,” Brian said. “Right now I’m keeping my eye on the ball.”

Regan and Jack were welcomed “home” to Hennessy Castle by a sleepy clerk at the front desk.

Twenty minutes later Sheila was welcomed back. She made sure the coast was clear and then phoned Brian from their room. He was hiding in a grove of trees on the hotel’s front lawn, clutching Margaret’s painting which was still wrapped in the cape.

“You can come inside now,” she told him.

And so it came to pass that in a second-floor wing of Hennessy Castle, just steps away from each other’s rooms, the two young American Irish couples laid their weary heads on the castle’s fluffy pillows. It had been a trying day for both the Reillys and the O’Sheas, but they were all hopeful about what the morning would bring.

The castle was quiet. The other guest rooms had been deserted.

Upstairs in the memorabilia room, May Reilly’s plaque fell off the wall and crashed to the floor.

“Keith, I think we found Anna Hager’s mother!” Tony Dufano shouted excitedly.

Keith jumped up from his desk and hurried to the outer room where several detectives’ desks were clustered together. “What do you have?” he asked the intense young cop.

“A Sergeant Grick from a little town called Sweetsville is on hold. A woman named Hager who lives up there has a daughter named Anna.”

“Put him through to my line.” Keith strode back into his office and grabbed the phone. “Hello, Sergeant Grick,” he said and then identified himself. “I understand you might have some helpful information.”

A gruff chuckle came through the line. “I hope so. We have a woman named Hortense Hager who lives by herself in an old house on a big piece of property. She reminds me of the little old lady from Pasadena except on a snowmobile. Go, Granny, go. We’ve had to pull her out of ditches more than once, I can tell you that. We get so much snow up here, you wouldn’t believe it. This winter was terrible. Hortense was in her glory.”

Sounds like the same genes, Keith thought. “I understand she has a daughter named Anna?”

“Yup.”

“What do you know about Anna?”

“Not much except that when we pulled Hortense out of a ditch last Christmas Eve, she said she was riding so fast because she was upset that she was all alone for the holiday. Her daughter, Anna, had called the night before to say she and her husband couldn’t make it for Christmas. Hortense always has some excuse for why she’s driving like a nut.”

That was the night of the theft, Keith realized-when the shoplifter had his teeth knocked out. “Her daughter’s name is definitely Anna?” Keith asked.

“Yes. I remember because that was my dear mother’s name, may she rest in peace.”

“Of course,” Keith said quietly. “Do you by any chance know if Hortense is home or away at this time?”

“No, but we’ll find out for you. I know that once the snow melts, she gets bored and goes to Florida. But as I’m sure you heard, our snowfall broke all records this year. The ground is still covered, so Hortense may very well still be here.”

“If she is, I’d like to talk to her as soon as possible. Where is Sweetsville?”

“We’re just south of Rochester.”

“Okay,” Keith said. “Time is of the essence on this.”

“I’ll call Mrs. Hager right now and make up some inane question about her snowmobile. I’ll call you back.”

Keith gave the sergeant his direct number. When he hung up the phone, he looked at his watch. It was already after eight. When the phone rang again, he grabbed it like a hot potato. “Keith Waters.”

“Keith, this is Sergeant Grick again.”

“Yes, Sergeant.”

“I called Hortense. Her answering machine picked up. She could be home and just not answering, so I’ll have one of the patrol cars drive by her house. If there are any signs of life, I’ll let you know.”

Anna was frantic. She didn’t want Bobby to leave for Los Angeles without her, but she didn’t want to miss her chance at the Claddagh rings.

She didn’t know what to do. They had listened to Shane Magillicuddy ramble on about how wonderful the rings were, how any Irish man or woman-or anyone in the world, for that matter-would be thrilled to have one.

I know! Anna wanted to cry. I know! But Bobby was being so stubborn, and she was terrified that if they didn’t stick together, something terrible might happen. They had been with each other every day, for better or for worse, in honesty and dishonesty, for eight years.

That idiot dentist! If only he’d done a decent job, she wouldn’t be in this predicament.

Bobby had gone to bed.

Anna picked up their cell phone and called her mother. Perhaps hearing her voice might help. But she got the machine. “Mom, pick up if you’re there. It’s Anna Banana.”

“Fancy hearing from you,” Hortense said caustically. “To what do I owe this honor?”

“I just wanted to see how you were.” Anna knew her mother was still mad about their canceled Christmas visit even though they had gone to her house in February after Bobby’s teeth were fixed and stayed for a full week.

“Where are you now?” Hortense asked. “I can never keep track-”

“You know I can’t tell you,” Anna said. “Bobby’s work is top secret.”

“Of course. How is the dear boy?”

“He’s not too happy. He had a cap fall out, and the local dentist where we are now isn’t very good.”