Page 145 of Three Widows

‘What?’ Boyd said.

‘Yeah,’ Lottie said. ‘Another intersection on our diagram. None of these people were random victims. They all interacted with each other over time, in one way or another.’

Boyd walked along the boards, where the bullet points documented their investigation.

‘Tyler Keating is the common denominator in a lot of them. And he’s either dead or in the wind.’

‘Kathleen Foley had no time for him,’ Lynch said. ‘She called him a swindler but wouldn’t elaborate. That’s why I say we need to follow the money. She also gave no explanation as to why his car might have been stored close to her home until four weeks ago.’

Boyd said, ‘Orla Keating is an accountant. If she worked on Owen Dalton’s accounts, maybe she found out her husband had invested—’

‘Give me a minute. I’ll find out if she was Dalton’s accountant.’ McKeown walked to the end of the room, on the phone to his source in Revenue. He gave a thumbs-up and continued his conversation out on the corridor.

‘So,’ Boyd continued, ‘Orla had to know her husband had invested in the yoga studio.’

‘What amounts are we talking about?’ Lottie asked.

‘Twenty grand each.’ Lynch said. ‘And Kathleen doesn’t look like she has two grand, let alone twenty.’

‘But what would make people invest in a pissy little studio?’ Boyd said.

‘It’s marketed as high-end, deluxe,’ Lynch said. ‘Kathleen mentioned intimidation.’

‘Okay, we can get back to that, but let’s concentrate on Orla,’ Lottie said. ‘Did she find out what else her husband was up to? Was Damien O’Loughlin involved? Why were copies of his work files in the lock-up? And where the hell is Kirby with his report on those files?’ She took a breath, and spoke as she paced. ‘If Tyler was a swindler, he could have left a lot of unhappy people in his wake, especially if some sort of intimidation was involved. Is Orla killing off those who could point to her husband for fraud or embezzlement? Was she complicit in whatever he was up to?’

‘We have no evidence of embezzlement,’ Boyd said. ‘Just a few investors who didn’t get their money back. Not a cause for murder in my book.’

‘People have been killed for less.’

‘Who wants this slop?’ Garda Brennan appeared holding a cardboard cup of steaming liquid.

‘I’ll take it,’ Lottie said. ‘Frankie Bardon must know more than he’s already told us.’

Frankie had been crying. Lottie could see the tear stains on his cheeks.

‘I’m trying to contact your solicitor, but we need to go over a few questions now. I know you want space to grieve for your loss, but time is slipping away and I have to find Orla Keating and Helena McCaul.’

‘I can’t help you. I have nothing to do with them. I barely know them.’

‘Did you ever meet Orla Keating outside of your clinic?’

‘A couple of times. At Owen’s studio. She did his accounts.’

‘What was your impression of her?’

‘Nothing stood out other than she was a bit on edge.’

‘Did you ever talk to her on a personal level?’

‘Suppose I did, when I first met her at the clinic. I can’t help interfering, can I? I have faith in my beliefs and maybe I try too hard to convert others.’

‘Did you try with Orla?’

‘I advised her to start yoga. And then I had a conversation with her at the SunUp desk one day. She was supposed to be going over the books with Aileen, the PA, but I overheard her crying. Asked if she wanted to get some fresh air or a coffee. She agreed. She talked about her unhappy marriage. I have a way with people. They open up to me.’

‘Go on.’ He suddenly knew a hell of a lot about Orla, Lottie thought.

‘There’s nothing else. I told her about my meditation. She said she had no intention of sitting cross-legged on the floor with her eyes closed and hands in the air letting her mind wander. I had to laugh at that. But she didn’t want to listen to any more advice. Said she was fine. She’d just had a minor hiccup when she was going over something with Aileen. I walked her back to the studio, and Owen and I headed out for dinner. But then she did take up yoga.’

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