With the weight of disappointment at what she could not do for the couple upon her, and as she in no way felt inclined to face the task that lay ahead of her in the hole under the bathroom, Amanda struggled to remove herself from the O’Hares’ time-worn couch. Her usual drive to get done whatever job that was before her did not win out, and after a couple of half-hearted attempts to get up, she settled back down, slowly letting her head find its way to an arm rest. As she pushed away thoughts about how long it would take her to remove the smell of nicotine from her hair and clothes after returning to her hotel, Amanda noticed that something had been hidden behind the gold carriage clock that held pride of place on the mantelpiece. While her will to act had failed, her curiosity succeeded and she got up without the slightest hesitation. She slid the cream coloured envelope out from behind the clock and discovered that no name or address had been written upon it and that it had never even been sealed. Within the envelope, she found a small piece of folded paper, upon which was written a relatively brief note in an elegant cursive script.
The task is simple. Call our young school investigator. Tell her to return to your home. Tell her you have something important to say to her. Tell her also that you were afraid to talk to her the last time.
Forgive me for not telling you what to do to your face. I was worried you would convince me to stay when you called and I believe it is better for you to do this on your own.
I’ll get back to you soon for what comes next. Be patient, be calm. All will be resolved soon.
Your friend, S.
Underneath the note, Amanda was not surprised to see her own telephone number. There was no doubt in her mind. Peter and Mary had been given away, and she was certain she knew who had done it.
***
“Come now, Amanda,” said the deputy, as he leant forward so as to rest his head on a waiting hand. “What are you trying to do to me? The O’Hare’s will be off to their new home in the Tunnels in a little under 24 hours, and then the whole of this business will be done with. And anyway, what difference does it make who gave the game away? If anything, we should be glad that they did, whoever they are. They have managed to reveal two killers; two killers, mind, who between them have murdered three innocent people. Not only that, but they never managed to learn from their mistakes. If they were still out there, they would be not only a menace to the living but a danger to our own community.”
“But,” replied Amanda without hiding the annoyance in her voice, “if this individual was able to reveal them, he also knew what they were hiding. If he knew, then why did he not share this information with us?”
“Who can say? There are many number of explanations for why this man, or woman, acted in the way that they did. Oh, now you’ve got me joining in. Look, we don’t even know if there is a third party in all this. I mean, what evidence do you have? You admit yourself that you had a doubt in your mind about what you remember hearing…”
“Then why don’t you let me ask the O’Hare’s?” interrupted Amanda. “We can see if my memories tie up with their own.”
“Now, I don’t think that would do. They’ve got enough going on with leaving tomorrow. And anyway, they might not even want to discuss such things, especially if you’re wrong and that poor fellow Peter did indeed alert you to himself in an attempt to free himself from that dreary house.”
While biting her lip to hold back her frustration, Amanda turned away from the sight of the all-too-concerned expression on the deputy’s face. Though she was not sure exactly why, the last couple of times she had met the deputy, she felt that the man was playing some sort of game with her.
He was deflecting her questions - ones she thought were backed up with evidence she had collected while performing the very task the deputy himself had sent her out to complete – as if nothing more could be done, even though he was the very person who had the power to extend the investigation. If he so wished, the deputy could even probably delay the O’Hare’s going down into the Tunnels.
“Why won’t you let me investigate a little further? I really think there is something else going on here.”
“I just don’t think it’s worth our time, Amanda. You’ve achieved so much already in this case. Isn’t it just time to put all this grisly business behind us and move on?”
“Look what I found in their home,” said Amanda as she laid the letter she had found behind the O’Hare’s mantelpiece down on the deputy’s desk.
With a heavy sigh, the deputy picked up the small note. For a second, Amanda thought she saw the man’s eyes widen in shock. However, the reaction was curtailed
