Page 97 of Boomerville at Ballymegille

The doctor left the house and moments later, a knock sounded on the door and the carer let the priest in.

Finbar thought about the doctor’s words. With Bill’s death and now his mother, he’d plenty of arrangements to make and he closed his eyes and remembered happier times with his mam.

* * *

Melissa staredat the letter in her hand. She ran her finger over the lettering on the front and wondered what had been going through Bill’s mind when he’d put pen to paper.

She was struggling to deal with the events that had taken place over the last couple of days. First Bill’s shocking and unexpected death, then the terrifying news that Malcolm was in the area. When she’d been told that her husband was under arrest, she’d allowed herself to relax, despite the distress of Bill’s demise. But that moment of calm had soon passed and now, to her horror, Malcolm was out on bail and free to find her.

It was equally as staggering to learn of the contents of Bill’s will. Melissa could scarcely believe that the sad and sometimes angry man who’d been around during her time at Boomerville had left all his worldly possessions to a woman he barely knew.

She heard a movement on the other side of the door. Hattie, determined to shadow Melissa until they knew where Malcolm was, had allowed the guest a few moments to herself. Now, with Hattie stationed outside, Melissa knew that it was no good putting things off, she had to read the letter. Her fingers shook as she carefully unfolded a single sheet of paper. Written on one side only, the handwriting, in black ink, was neat.

Hello Melissa,

I hope that I haven’t given you a shock. If you are reading this then I am no longer alive and my mother has finally had her wish granted.

You probably know that I’ve been hearing voices in my head. My mother’s voice to be exact. How I wish I’d been strong enough to leave her years ago, but I wasn’t, and now I’ve no doubt that whatever has happened to me is divine retribution for what I have done.

You showed me great kindness when I struggled with the real world at Boomerville. I’ve only ever known feelings of anguish in regard to another person, but for once, I felt happiness when you were around. I know that you would never have considered a man like me, but all that I wanted was to be in your company.

I hope that I’ve left enough equity for you to make your life easier. If your husband persists in pursuing you, perhaps my estate will enable you to make a fresh start.

Please know that you were loved, whatever love is.

I never knew love as a child, or as an adult, which is why I pushed my father down the basement steps. He died instantly and his death was recorded as accidental. My mother died of natural causes, well, that’s what the death certificate said, and I suppose that at her age, no one would have reason to investigate further. But in truth, she suffocated and it was my hands that held the pillow.

I have no regrets, other than not being able to get to know you better.

But as I said before, you would never look at a man like me.

The letter wasunsigned and Melissa tossed it to one side, as if the paper was burning her fingers. She felt sick and wondered if what she’d read was the truth. Had Bill really killed his parents or were the voices in his head playing games?

What on earth was she to do?

A gentle knock sounded and Hattie came in. ‘Harry’s just called,’ she said and, reaching down, she picked up the discarded letter. ‘Everyone has arrived at the ferry and they’re about to sail; would you like to come down and have a drink with Jo and me?’ She tucked the note in its envelope and placed it on a table. ‘I’m sure you could do with one.’

Melissa felt dizzy but she stumbled to her feet. ‘Yes, please,’ she said and taking Hattie’s arm, allowed herself to be led out of the room.

‘We’ll get you packed up and moved into the cottage tomorrow,’ Hattie continued as they headed down the stairs. ‘It will be fun decorating and I’m looking forward to staying there too.’

But Melissa had hardly heard a word that Hattie had said. Her thoughts were on Bill’s letter and the predicament she found herself facing. She gripped the banister, took a deep breath, and forced herself to concentrate.

God willing a solution would present itself in the next day or two.

37

In contrast to the outward expedition, the travellers aboard Willie’s Wheels were subdued on their return journey and as the coach sped along the motorway that took them from Kindale to the ferry terminal in Dublin, the occupants stared out at the soggy countryside as it sped by. Willie sat forward to look beyond wipers that beat rhythmically across the windscreen, where spray from vehicles ahead clouded his vision. He was deep in concentration, brows furrowed, lips pursed, as he focussed on the busy road.

Alf sat with a map book open on his knee, Ness snuggled beside him.

On the back seat, Harry huddled into a corner. Beside him, the space was wide as a chasm and as he looked out to see rain fall steadily on lush green fields and pastures dotted with animals, he was conscious of the empty seat where Bill should have been.

Harry thought of Malcolm.

The bastard was out on bail and free to roam the streets and carry on with his life.

Harry hoped that Hattie had taken precautions to protect Melissa, for he was convinced that Malcolm was behind Bill’s death and he feared that if Melissa wasn’t careful, Malcolm would, in time, be responsible for her death too. Harry sighed with frustration. Was he right? His policeman’s intuition had kicked in and it had never let him down in the past.

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