Page 20 of Three Widows

‘The file is still open.’ His hands flailed in the air and he almost sent his coffee flying.

‘Seems Tyler is just another statistic for you.’ She hoped she was convincing, because she didn’t want to reveal that her life was an awful lot better without her domineering husband.

‘Like I said, the file is still open. If we get anything new, it will be prioritised. I take it you don’t have any news of him?’ He put a hand on her arm, and she looked down at it. He promptly removed it, shifting further away from her.

‘No news,’ she said. ‘Not a thing.’

‘Honestly, we turned over every stone searching for him. There was no evidence of him to be found anywhere. It’s a total mystery.’

‘Do you think he’s dead?’

‘Logically it’s the most likely scenario, but where is his car? If he – and pardon me for saying this – if he took his own life, we’d at least have found his car. He’d have left a footprint somewhere. If he was abducted or kidnapped, we never received any communication from anyone.’ He turned, and she held his gaze as he studied her. ‘What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs Keating?’

‘I don’t know what to think. He might be living it up in some exotic country.’

‘We checked airlines and ferries. No record of his passport being scanned.’

‘He might have got a fake ID. Tyler was resourceful. The car? He could have dumped it somewhere. Sold it to a breaker’s yard under the table. You know what I mean?’

‘I do. Had he any reason to do a flit?’

‘No.’

‘I seem to recall you telling us you had a happy marriage. Was that true?’

‘We got on just fine. He never gave me any hint of wanting to leave. I know I said he’s probably living it up somewhere, but in reality, I think my husband is dead.’ She forced a few tears to the surface of her eyes, then hastily swiped them away. ‘It’s a year tomorrow since I last saw him, and I just want closure. You never gave me that.’

‘Look, Mrs Keating—’

‘Orla, please.’

‘Right, Orla, I’ll pull his file when I go back to the station. I’ll have a fresh look at it and let you know.’

‘I appreciate that. Thank you.’ She smiled sweetly. ‘I better get going. Oh, by the way, what was all the commotion earlier this morning? Sirens going off like there was an incoming missile.’

‘We found a woman murdered out by Ballyglass Business Park.’

‘That’s awful. Who was she?’

‘Don’t know yet.’

‘How did she die?’

‘It’s early days in the investigation. I better be going too. I have a killer to find.’

Orla slid off the stool and shouldered her belongings. ‘I hope you have better luck finding your killer than you had with finding my husband. Goodbye, Detective.’

13

At Bowen Solicitors, Madelene Bowen paced her office. Having just turned sixty, she prided herself on her smartly cut suits and silk blouses. Hours in the gym helped maintain her figure and boost her strength. She loved her shoulder-length hair, which she figured was unintentionally in vogue. Platinum styles were the latest fad with the younger set.

Tapping her jacket pocket for her vape, she found it and inhaled greedily. Caramel flavour. She’d give her right arm for a Benson right now, but her health was more important. Why did she bother? After all that had happened? Really?

She glanced around her office and went to stand at the window. It looked out to the rear of apartments and shops. Walls and cement. She was bricked in metaphorically and physically. A knock on the door brought her out of her musings.

‘Ms Bowen, there’s a call for you.’ Her PA waved a yellow Post-it. ‘I was trying to put it through… Oh, the phone is off the hook.’ She made her way to Madelene’s desk and lifted the receiver then replaced it. ‘I’ll put it through now.’ She left as quickly as she’d entered, without waiting for a reply.

In less than ten seconds, the silence was shattered by a shrill ringing.