Fatal Roots by Sheila Connolly

Author:Sheila Connolly
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: CROOKED LANE BOOKS

Chapter Fifteen

As they drove toward Leap, Mick said, “Yeh’re quiet.”

“What do you expect?” she snapped at him. “We just found a body. On my property. I’ve never dug up a body before, not even in Boston. Blood on the pavement maybe, but not someone dead. And we don’t know who he is. It’s unsettling. Though the badger helped.”

“Don’t bite my head off. And remember that badgers aren’t very friendly, so don’t go thinkin’ of pettin’ one.”

“Mick, Gran and I never even had a kitten, so I guess I’m not into animals, and I sure wouldn’t go petting wild ones. Anyway, would you be happier if I burst into tears?” Maura demanded.

Mick pulled over abruptly by the side of the road. “I’m not judgin’ you, Maura. I don’t expect you to go all girlish, or start cryin’ on my shoulder. If yeh don’t want to look upset, that’s up to you. Might be better, in fact, if Sean doesn’t want us to go around blabbing about what we’ve found.”

Maura turned in her seat to look at him. “Why should we not talk about it?”

“I keep fergettin’ yeh’re not from around here. There’s a long history of violence between different groups in West Cork. I don’t expect yeh learned about it in yer schools in Boston, but many men died here once the Troubles began. On both sides. Which makes me think that’s where our man in the ring fort might come from, and that Old Mick might’ve known something about it. Leave it to Sean to look into it.”

“You still haven’t told me why not to talk about it.”

“Because odds are the man—I’m guessin’ it was a man—is related to someone, or known to someone around here.”

“But that means he could have died as much as a century ago,” Maura protested. “Who’s going to remember? And if they do, why shouldn’t they tell the gardaí?”

“I’m guessin’ it’s less time than that, but the conflict goes on. Yeh’ve already found that memories are long around here. And people in this county have lost a lot of family, one way or another—people were killed, they emigrated, they went to prison. Or they just disappeared, and nobody said anythin’ about it.”

Maura thought for a moment. “Okay, so we don’t want to dig up any sad memories. But I still don’t see why we can’t talk about it with other people. How are we supposed to find out who it might have been?”

“Let Sean and the gardaí figger it out. Or at least start lookin’.”

Maura glanced at her watch. “Damn, I’m supposed to be meeting with Helen and Susan back at the pub, to see what they’ve turned up in the way of appliances. So, fine, I’m not saying anything to anyone. It’s not like I knew the dead guy, and I’m not looking to find out who he was. Maybe he has nothing to do with me, or us, or with anyone else around here.” She was silent while Mick started up the car again.

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