Page 67 of The Irish Redemption

“Not exactly. I found Brenden’s body, so they did suspect me for a while.”

A strange look moves over Holly’s face, and she tries to hide it by drinking the water. It’s the same look Clodagh had on her face when looking at the empty chairs at her table.

Pain.

“That must have sucked,” Holly says, taking another long drag. “I’ve seen some fucked up shit, but never a dead body.”

“It’s left a mark,” I murmur. “I saw a lot of shit working there, but that’s top of the list.”

“I can imagine.”

“Cormac isn’t going to hurt you.”

“Let me guess, you won’t let him?” Her eyes flash.

“I won’t. But also, he won’t. He’s not like that.”

“And how do you know?”

I shrug. “I just do.” It’s a gamble because, in truth, I don’t fully know what Cormac is capable of. I’ve seen him pulverize men, but I don’t think he’d do the same to a woman. In fact, I know he wouldn’t. A man raised by Clodagh isn’t that stupid.

“You have a lot of faith in a man who accused you of murder.”

“He saved my life,” I reply. “So I can forgive him for that.”

She looks me over, dragging in slow puffs, then she flicks the cigarette off to the side. “I remember seeing you around the motel. Was the boss really as sleazy as he looked?”

I nod with a snort. “Honestly, I think he wanted me to offer sex with each free clean. Creepy fucker.”

“I got that vibe.” She smokes slowly. “He adds a different kind of tax every fucking time I’m there, but it’s the closest place to my route that doesn’t ask questions.” Holly shakes her head and rubs at her nose. “What a mess.”

For a moment, her walls shift and I see her, really see her. The glimpse of upset that leaked through earlier is suddenly more prominent and I recognize a deeper sadness in her eyes. A sadness that also lingers in Cormac’s eyes.

“I know you didn’t kill Brenden,” I say.

Holly freezes. “Maybe I did.”

“No.” I speak softly. “You didn’t. You cared about him.”

Footsteps shuffle behind me and Holly glances away, her eyes hard at presumably Cormac behind me, but I keep my attention on her.

“Holly.” I draw her back to me. “He was your friend, wasn’t he? You two were seen together a few times, and I know in your line of work, that could mean anything, but you’re sad. I can see that. You’re really sad that Brenden is gone.”

Holly takes a much longer drag on her cigarette, and the amber flares in her eyes. Then she blows out the smoke and sighs deeply. “Yeah,” she says shortly. “He was a good guy.”

There’s more to it, but I force myself to approach it carefully. “He was, from what I’ve heard. He had a good heart. Worked to make sure everyone was taken care of. Cormac’s trying to do the same thing, but it’s hard knowing the killer is out there. We share a common goal there, I think.”

Holly’s eyes flick behind me once more, and she straightens slightly in her chair. “He didn’t deserve to go out like that,” she says finally. “Brenden was—” She chokes up and tries to cover it with a cough. “He was different. He was good.”

“So maybe you can point us in the right direction?” I tilt my head. “You’re not the only one we want to talk to. There’s someone else who was seen with both you and Brenden, but we don’t know who he is. If you could help us, maybe it will help put us on the right track, y’know?”

“I see a lot of people,” Holly mutters, then she pauses. “You think one of my clients killed Brenden?”

“Maybe. Or they know who did. All we know is that he and Brenden had some disagreements and we want to talk to him about it.”

Holly’s gaze drops away, and she smokes silently until the cigarette is nothing but a stub. As she flicks it away, I offer her another, and it takes all my strength to keep my hands from trembling. I feel like I’m close, but I’m also winging the shit out of this.

“You got a picture?” Holly asks eventually.

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