Page 90 of Irish Fury
Coll thought about that for a moment. “Mags never mentioned anything like that to me, but Eze’s guard, Nasir, has been following her for a while. He might know.”
Coll dialed Nasir directly, since they’d made the calls to the family that Hannah Todd had been picked up, and he didn’t need to follow Margaret anymore.
He answered on the first ring. “Mr. Barr.”
“Nasir. MacGregor and I are witnessing Hannah Todd’s interrogation. She mentioned dead animals and what the girl thought about them. Mean anything to you?”
“Yes. I was with Miss Morrow when she found a dead cat on the stairwell leading to her workshop. She mentioned thinking the animals were getting in some way because she’d found a headless dead bird and a kitten before that.
“She tossed the bird in an outdoor bin, she said, because it was tiny and bloodless at the point she found it. She buried the kitten in a park on the way to work. I took care of the cat.
“The woman did these things?”
“It appears that she did, which means Hannah Todd had been in Dublin for a while.” Coll felt bile surge up his throat. The woman had been in Dublin for Margaret. “Anything else happen that might seem strange?”
“A car swerved onto the walking path. I saw the car swerve and only managed to pull Margaret just far enough that she wasn’t run over. It clipped her and sent her tumbling.
“Witnesses believed the man purposely swerved toward her. The police believe he was under the influence. He ditched the car and has not been caught.”
He and Thomas looked at each other in horror. That was no accident. That woman tried to have her killed.
“Please hold for Mr. Otaji,” Nasir said.
“Barr. MacGregor.” Eze’s deep voice filled the room. “I have been listening to your conversation and wish to add that before Nasir was sent to Ireland and before I had her move in with me due to her horrid living conditions, Margaret fell down a flight of outdoor stairs. She called me, and I took her to the hospital.
“She didn’t mention that it was anything but an accident, but she was very quiet and reserved. At the time, I felt that she wasn’t telling me something.”
Thomas stood abruptly, staring at the scene below him with an intensity that put Coll on alert immediately.
“Why do you ask if Mirren’s sister is still alive?” Detective Scott asked. Clearly, Coll had missed something that Todd had said.
Hannah Todd giggled. “You can’t fool me, Detective. I saw her family here.” Her gaze jerked toward the ceiling, and she said, “That’s not true. Shut up.”
“Stay on the line, Eze,” Coll whispered down the line. “Have Nasir call Margaret.”
“Ms. Todd, answer the question. Why do you think Margaret Morrow is dead?” Detective Scott deepened his voice in demand, standing and slamming a fist on the table, making the paper cups and water bottles tremble.
“She isn’t answering. Neither is Jonathan O’Faolain,” Eze spoke grimly in Coll’s ear. He barely heard the words from the roaring in his ears.
Hannah smirked, enjoying the attention of the two detectives. “I assume she found my present. Bombs aren’t soeasy to set, I’ll have you know.” She grinned and clapped her hands in glee. “Tell me! Did Mirren cry over the pieces of her sister?”
forty-nine
PATRICK O’FAOLAIN
“Where the fuck is Jon, Daniel?”Patrick demanded of his nephew, who just so happened to be his son’s best friend. If anyone knew where his errant boy was, it was Daniel.
“Calm down, Pat,” his brother Bran urged. “Patrick wouldn’t have blown off an important meeting without a good reason. You know that.”
“I understand that, Bran, but he would have let me know.” Patrick was annoyed at first, but as thirty minutes turned into an hour, his irritation turned to apprehension. They had all decided to meet at Dagr’s firm to hammer out the final details of buying a piece of property attached to the distillery.
Their dad had already scouted the property before he passed, and Patrick and Bran wanted to make sure they secured the acquisition before someone else swooped in and bought it out from under them.
“It couldn’t have been more than a quarter of an hour before the meeting when we spoke. Jon said he was making last-minute adjustments to the helipad designs. Bébhinn brought up that shedidn’t want them so close to where the Three Wolves Distillery tours began and wanted them further away, yet not too far from the event center.
“I went to his office, and his notes and changes were all there,” Daniel explained with a frustrated sigh.
Daniel didn’t like not knowing where his cousin was any more than Patrick. Dagr had another client waiting but asked to be informed when they found Jonathan. Bébhinn said she would start calling all their friends before she left the boardroom.
