Page 93 of Boomerville at Ballymegille

‘I’m sorry about Bill and I’m sorry that I couldn’t keep that piece of shit locked up.’

‘Malcolm will get his comeuppance one day.’

‘But sadly, not on my watch.’

‘You never know where Malcolm will turn up.’ Hattie pulled back and placing her hand on Harry’s chest she gave him a little shove and said, ‘Now move on, I’m using your oxygen.’

‘When will you be back?’ Harry asked as he turned to leave.

‘In a week or two; I’ve things to sort here, then I’ll think about heading home.’

‘I’ll look forward to it.’

‘Aye, as will all the boomers waiting for round two of your Pensioner’s Personal Protection classes; now be off with you.’ Hattie stepped back.

‘Wagons roll!’ Willie yelled as Harry hopped on board and Alf closed the door.

The passengers glued themselves to the windows, as the coach roared into life and surged forward. They waved their hands and called out last goodbyes.

‘See you soon!’ Melissa cried, holding Teddy’s paw to wave, as Alf held Ness and waved her paw too.

‘Have a safe journey,’ James said as he directed Willie to negotiate the vehicle around several parked cars, narrowly missing paintwork. As Willie hit the accelerator, gravel flew from under the tyres, flying towards Finbar’s taxi.

‘Goodbye!’ Jo held both hands up.

‘Missing you already!’ Hattie blew kisses into the air.

Finbar stood on the doorstep. ‘Slan agaibh,’ he called out. ‘May the road rise to meet you.’ He looked over to Melissa and, for a moment, their eyes met. But as the coach gathered speed behind her, and headed down the driveway, Finbar turned away.

The rain had stopped and as Willie’s Wheels left the manor, the clouds above parted and sunshine beamed down, casting a glow on the bushes and trees that lined the drive. Connor and his team waved colourful tea-towels, while the housekeeping girls held white aprons aloft, the strings dancing in the breeze. Declan and the twins appeared from the hedgerows. They raised spades and rakes in salute and when the elderly bus reached the end of the drive, a rainbow appeared above the gates.

Jo watched as the bus began to turn. ‘Travel safely everyone,’ she whispered, as it disappeared out of sight.

* * *

Malcolm tappedthe keys of his laptop as he stared at the screen. The information he required was clear and he made a mental note of the details displayed.

There were at least ten sailings a day by ferry from Dublin to Holyhead.

He closed the laptop and reached for its case to pack it away. He yawned and shook his head to try and rid himself of the tiredness caused by his throbbing ankle and two nights without sleep. The last twenty-four hours had been a nightmare. The Irish inspector had been determined to get something to stick and now, Malcolm thanked God that he’d not left any incriminating evidence to place him at the scene at Boomerville Manor, when he’d encountered Bill. He couldn’t give a damn that the strange little man had died. It was a life that wouldn’t be missed.

Malcolm ran his hands through his hair.

It had been a worrying experience and he’d had to think on his feet. He’d known that he’d never escape the charges made for travelling on false documentation, but he’d barely believed his luck when the judge had agreed bail. It was highly unusual, but with overflowing prisons and the justice system stretched, the decision to allow Malcolm to reside at a temporary address in Cork, until his hearing, was a welcome piece of news and a huge relief.

But it hadn’t come about by chance, nor had Malcolm caught the judge on an “off” day. With a phone call permitted, Malcolm had called an underworld contact who’d swung into action and arranged the best legal defence. Bail had been set and paid by the contact. It was a hefty amount which would rise by a considerable sum.

For Malcolm intended to skip bail and be out of the country in the next twenty-four hours.

He needed to free up funds to repay the contact and knew that if he reneged on the deal the consequences would be dire. He also had to hand over the deeds of his time-share properties in Ireland, as payment for getting him out of the mess.

Malcolm sighed and looked at his watch. He had much to do.

His business interests were thoroughly tied up and he’d always ensured that the names, details and company holdings were so complicated that none could ever be traced back to him. Melissa’s marital home, the property in Cheshire, was registered in an off-shore trust and it would take a clairvoyant to untangle the paperwork trail that led everything back to Malcolm.

Once he got to Spain, Malcolm intended to transfer the time-share titles to his Irish contact and pay off the debt for helping him. He would also liquidise all his assets and relocate to South America as fast as possible, before an extradition order, which would be issued for his arrest, caught up with him.

As he stared out of the window of his hotel room and looked down on the dull grey streets of Cork, Malcolm smiled. He fancied somewhere new. Several business connections had made a similar move and were now reaping their rewards much further afield. Spain was becoming tiresome and with Eastern European magnates moving fast to dominate a lucrative market that he’d previously had exclusivity over, he knew in his heart that it was time to call it a day. There was a safe in Spain that contained everything he needed to start a new life and with sexy South American senoritas on hand, he’d no doubt that his future life would be comfortable.

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