could still taste those dead horses, and Chloé perfume, and there was a strong smell of slurry on the wind, too, from the fields around her.
It took the first patrol car only seven minutes to reach her, followed less than a minute later by another. Their blue lights were flashing, but the road was empty of traffic so they weren’t sounding their sirens. Four gardaí climbed out and approached her cautiously.
‘Jesus,’ said one of them, bending down to peer into the Toyota’s offside window. He crossed himself and added, ‘Right between the eyes.’
A young female garda said, ‘ You didn’t get hit, ma’am?’
‘No, thank God,’ said Katie. ‘I was haunted they just took the one shot.’
‘Do you have any idea who they were?’ asked another garda.
‘No idea at all. And I can’t think how they knew who we were, or how they knew that we were here in Dromsligo.’
‘Couldn’t have been mistaken identity, I suppose?’ the garda suggested. ‘We’ve had some trouble between a couple of the less-desirable families in the area lately.’
‘It’s possible, but I don’t think it’s very likely. We don’t exactly fit the profile, do we?’
‘How about we drive you back to Cork, ma’am?’ asked another garda. ‘That must have been a fierce shock, like, seeing your man shot right next to you.’
‘That’s appreciated, but I’ll stay for a while,’ said Katie. ‘Detective Inspector O’Rourke is on his way here from Anglesea Street and I want to talk to the technical team, too, when they arrive.’
‘Why don’t you come and sit in our car then, ma’am?’ said the female garda. She was plump, with china-blue eyes. ‘You’re looking fair foundered there and at least it’ll keep you warm.’
Katie was about to decline that offer, too. Detective Horgan had been shot dead, but she was almost sure that the shooter had been aiming for her, and she didn’t want to walk away and leave him sitting there. God, he had celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday only two weeks ago. But she was trembling now, and she was beginning to feel as if the Tarmac was tilting underneath her feet, so she smiled and nodded and said, ‘Yes, thanks, I think I will.’
‘I have some hot tea in the car, too, if you’d like some,’ said the garda as she led her over to the patrol car.
Katie sat in the back seat and took out her iPhone so that she could check on Detective Inspector O’Rourke and see how long it was going to take him to get to Dromsligo. She had a message from John. Hope ur not 2 busy 2nite. Ive booked us a table @ Hayfield 2 celebr8 amazing flu vaccine sale!
She started to send him a text in reply, telling him that Detective Horgan had been killed while she was in the car with him, but after only a few words she deleted it. How could she use Horgan’s death as an excuse not to go out to dinner?
Far worse than that, she was going to have to break the news to his girlfriend, Muireann.
11
She stayed at the scene until Detective Inspector O’Rourke and Detective O’Donovan arrived, followed ten minutes later by a team of four technicians. The Mallow gardaí had closed the N20 for nearly two hours now and three more officers and seven Garda reserves had arrived to help search the road surface on their hands and knees for any possible evidence.
There were tyre tracks in the lay-by where the silver Mercedes had been waiting for them and the technical experts would take photographs and casts of those, but the shot had almost certainly come from a rifle, so it was highly unlikely that they would find a spent cartridge. Katie was feeling warmer now, and her stomach had settled, so she climbed out of the patrol car to watch the technicians at work and to talk to Detective Inspector O’Rourke.
‘Was there any case that Horgan was working on that might have put him at risk of his life?’ asked Detective Inspector O’Rourke.
‘He arrested Jurgis Walunis last week,’ said Katie. ‘He’s the
It took the first patrol car only seven minutes to reach her, followed less than a minute later by another. Their blue lights were flashing, but the road was empty of traffic so they weren’t sounding their sirens. Four gardaí climbed out and approached her cautiously.
‘Jesus,’ said one of them, bending down to peer into the Toyota’s offside window. He crossed himself and added, ‘Right between the eyes.’
A young female garda said, ‘ You didn’t get hit, ma’am?’
‘No, thank God,’ said Katie. ‘I was haunted they just took the one shot.’
‘Do you have any idea who they were?’ asked another garda.
‘No idea at all. And I can’t think how they knew who we were, or how they knew that we were here in Dromsligo.’
‘Couldn’t have been mistaken identity, I suppose?’ the garda suggested. ‘We’ve had some trouble between a couple of the less-desirable families in the area lately.’
‘It’s possible, but I don’t think it’s very likely. We don’t exactly fit the profile, do we?’
‘How about we drive you back to Cork, ma’am?’ asked another garda. ‘That must have been a fierce shock, like, seeing your man shot right next to you.’
‘That’s appreciated, but I’ll stay for a while,’ said Katie. ‘Detective Inspector O’Rourke is on his way here from Anglesea Street and I want to talk to the technical team, too, when they arrive.’
‘Why don’t you come and sit in our car then, ma’am?’ said the female garda. She was plump, with china-blue eyes. ‘You’re looking fair foundered there and at least it’ll keep you warm.’
Katie was about to decline that offer, too. Detective Horgan had been shot dead, but she was almost sure that the shooter had been aiming for her, and she didn’t want to walk away and leave him sitting there. God, he had celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday only two weeks ago. But she was trembling now, and she was beginning to feel as if the Tarmac was tilting underneath her feet, so she smiled and nodded and said, ‘Yes, thanks, I think I will.’
‘I have some hot tea in the car, too, if you’d like some,’ said the garda as she led her over to the patrol car.
Katie sat in the back seat and took out her iPhone so that she could check on Detective Inspector O’Rourke and see how long it was going to take him to get to Dromsligo. She had a message from John. Hope ur not 2 busy 2nite. Ive booked us a table @ Hayfield 2 celebr8 amazing flu vaccine sale!
She started to send him a text in reply, telling him that Detective Horgan had been killed while she was in the car with him, but after only a few words she deleted it. How could she use Horgan’s death as an excuse not to go out to dinner?
Far worse than that, she was going to have to break the news to his girlfriend, Muireann.
11
She stayed at the scene until Detective Inspector O’Rourke and Detective O’Donovan arrived, followed ten minutes later by a team of four technicians. The Mallow gardaí had closed the N20 for nearly two hours now and three more officers and seven Garda reserves had arrived to help search the road surface on their hands and knees for any possible evidence.
There were tyre tracks in the lay-by where the silver Mercedes had been waiting for them and the technical experts would take photographs and casts of those, but the shot had almost certainly come from a rifle, so it was highly unlikely that they would find a spent cartridge. Katie was feeling warmer now, and her stomach had settled, so she climbed out of the patrol car to watch the technicians at work and to talk to Detective Inspector O’Rourke.
‘Was there any case that Horgan was working on that might have put him at risk of his life?’ asked Detective Inspector O’Rourke.
‘He arrested Jurgis Walunis last week,’ said Katie. ‘He’s the
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