looked at Ann and smiled. “That’s about it. I think you can tell me the rest of the story. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it ?”
She held his hand. “Someone took a pot shot at you with a rifle and luckily the aim wasn’t accurate.”
The ward door opened and McAllister was astonished to see Frank Holland, and Susan.
Frank was obviously in great spirits, “So you’re recovering from your bad imitation of William Tell, I see.”
“Yes, though I think this particular marksman had more than an apple in his sights. But how come you’re here? I thought Curtis had you under lock and key.”
“New evidence. He realised he had the wrong suspect and couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
The door opened again. A doctor and nurse entered.
“Well Mr. McAllister, you seem to have made a good recovery.” The doctor looked around the room. “If you give me a few moments I’ll see how he is.”
They waited outside until the doctor announced that McAllister could leave, provided he rested for a few days.
It was when they were leaving that McAllister discovered he had been in Galway Regional Hospital, and that it was Wednesday afternoon.
They decided to return to Derreen immediately. Frank and Susan went ahead and Ann followed in her new Honda Civic.
“So somebody tried to finish me off.” McAllister mused.
“You were very lucky you weren’t shot dead, or run over by a car as you lay on the road.”
“Tell me what happened, Ann.”
“It’s quite simple. Not long after you had been grazed by that bullet one of Susan’s guests drove by and fortunately saw you lying on the road. He brought you back to the guest house. Susan rang for an ambulance and notified the police. They decided to take you to hospital for examination, even though the initial check showed there was nothing serious. It was only then that Susan rang me. Naturally, I galloped down on Tuesday morning, and here we are. You know the rest, John.”
They lapsed into silence, lulled by the subdued purr of the Honda engine, and when Ann glanced at him some time later she was not surprised to see that McAllister had fallen asleep.
Their journey took them through Oranmore, Kinvara, Ballyvaughan and around Black Head. As they arrived in Derreen McAllister woke from his slumbers. He was grateful that they were at the end of their journey.
He had still not adjusted to the fact that Ann was actually here with him but her confident and caring manner was exactly what he needed right now.
“Come on sleepyhead, it’s time to disembark. We’re in port now.”
McAllister slid from the Honda seat and took a deep breath of bracing Atlantic air. It had an almost instantaneous effect. Acting on him like some miraculous tonic the clean bite of it began restoring him as it’s healing oxygen seeped deep into his bloodstream.
“Back to the scene of the crime, Ann. But I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now, especially as you’re here.”
C HAPTER 14
“Y OU CALL THIS THE SCENE of the crime, John?” asked Ann, sitting back and spreading her arms wide as if displaying the dining room, and then pointing to the ocean panorama through one of the large and distinctive elliptical windows. “I couldn’t imagine a more unlikely setting for a crime of any sort, let alone murder, and attempted murder.”
The four were sitting together enjoying an impromptu meal of lightly smoked salmon and an enormous and highly imaginative salad which Susan seemed to conjure from nowhere.
McAllister and Holland, who had been the victims of varied misfortune, were recovering and readjusting, and a feeling of “the good old times” was creeping back.
McAllister nodded in acknowledgement and looked pensively through the window following the direction of the coast road along which he had taken his near fatal walk on Monday night. It was difficult to imagine the truth of what had happened, especially as the pain killers were doing their job extremely well, blotting out the
She held his hand. “Someone took a pot shot at you with a rifle and luckily the aim wasn’t accurate.”
The ward door opened and McAllister was astonished to see Frank Holland, and Susan.
Frank was obviously in great spirits, “So you’re recovering from your bad imitation of William Tell, I see.”
“Yes, though I think this particular marksman had more than an apple in his sights. But how come you’re here? I thought Curtis had you under lock and key.”
“New evidence. He realised he had the wrong suspect and couldn’t wait to get rid of me.”
The door opened again. A doctor and nurse entered.
“Well Mr. McAllister, you seem to have made a good recovery.” The doctor looked around the room. “If you give me a few moments I’ll see how he is.”
They waited outside until the doctor announced that McAllister could leave, provided he rested for a few days.
It was when they were leaving that McAllister discovered he had been in Galway Regional Hospital, and that it was Wednesday afternoon.
They decided to return to Derreen immediately. Frank and Susan went ahead and Ann followed in her new Honda Civic.
“So somebody tried to finish me off.” McAllister mused.
“You were very lucky you weren’t shot dead, or run over by a car as you lay on the road.”
“Tell me what happened, Ann.”
“It’s quite simple. Not long after you had been grazed by that bullet one of Susan’s guests drove by and fortunately saw you lying on the road. He brought you back to the guest house. Susan rang for an ambulance and notified the police. They decided to take you to hospital for examination, even though the initial check showed there was nothing serious. It was only then that Susan rang me. Naturally, I galloped down on Tuesday morning, and here we are. You know the rest, John.”
They lapsed into silence, lulled by the subdued purr of the Honda engine, and when Ann glanced at him some time later she was not surprised to see that McAllister had fallen asleep.
Their journey took them through Oranmore, Kinvara, Ballyvaughan and around Black Head. As they arrived in Derreen McAllister woke from his slumbers. He was grateful that they were at the end of their journey.
He had still not adjusted to the fact that Ann was actually here with him but her confident and caring manner was exactly what he needed right now.
“Come on sleepyhead, it’s time to disembark. We’re in port now.”
McAllister slid from the Honda seat and took a deep breath of bracing Atlantic air. It had an almost instantaneous effect. Acting on him like some miraculous tonic the clean bite of it began restoring him as it’s healing oxygen seeped deep into his bloodstream.
“Back to the scene of the crime, Ann. But I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now, especially as you’re here.”
C HAPTER 14
“Y OU CALL THIS THE SCENE of the crime, John?” asked Ann, sitting back and spreading her arms wide as if displaying the dining room, and then pointing to the ocean panorama through one of the large and distinctive elliptical windows. “I couldn’t imagine a more unlikely setting for a crime of any sort, let alone murder, and attempted murder.”
The four were sitting together enjoying an impromptu meal of lightly smoked salmon and an enormous and highly imaginative salad which Susan seemed to conjure from nowhere.
McAllister and Holland, who had been the victims of varied misfortune, were recovering and readjusting, and a feeling of “the good old times” was creeping back.
McAllister nodded in acknowledgement and looked pensively through the window following the direction of the coast road along which he had taken his near fatal walk on Monday night. It was difficult to imagine the truth of what had happened, especially as the pain killers were doing their job extremely well, blotting out the
Similar Books
