In Plain Sight: A Dark and Atmospheric Irish Murder Mystery That Will Keep You Guessing by Joseph Birchall

Author:Joseph Birchall [Birchall, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Poolbeg Press
Published: 2025-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

‘I think I’ll pop across the road for a spot of lunch,’ Mick said, as he stood on the last step of Harcourt Street. ‘Would you fancy joining me?’

Darcy looked over at the front of the Harcourt Hotel.

‘No.’

Darcy felt the awkward silence building momentum between them.

‘Enjoy your lunch,’ she told him, turning back towards HQ. ‘I’ve something I want to do myself. How about we meet back here after four?’

‘OK.’

Darcy forced herself to slow down as she walked back into the building. She couldn’t hear Mick’s footsteps walking away, but she didn’t turn around to see if he was looking at her.

Walking back into the foyer, a woman carrying a brown envelope bumped into her and, without apologising, rushed out the front doors. Darcy watched her before heading for the stairs.

The skipping of her footsteps echoed throughout the stairwell until she pushed open the door into the carpark. She greeted the carpool sergeant, who had barely enough time to look up from his newspaper as she went by.

Her car started on the third try but only after she had banged the steering wheel several times. She pushed it into gear and followed the exit signs, the sergeant looking up from his paper again as her tyres squealed on the concrete floor.

She slowed slightly before reaching the top of the off-ramp. Slipping her hand into her jacket pocket, she took out her phone and glanced at the time on the locked screen.

When she looked up, Mick Kelly was standing six feet from her moving car. She slammed on the brakes, her body jolting forward.

Initial anger at having almost knocked him down turned to anger at his very presence. She watched him slowly walking towards the passenger door. He opened it and bent over so he could peer inside.

‘What the fuck, Mick?’ she yelled at him.

He said nothing for a moment.

Nothing phased this man, she thought. She had to at least give him that.

‘And where, may I ask you,’ he said, ‘are you going in such a hurry?’

‘I’m working the case, Mick. That’s what I’m doing.’

‘Without me?’

‘You can’t be in two places at the same time, can you? If you want to go and have your ...’ she paused, ‘lunch, that’s fine.’

He stared at her, and she had to force herself not to break eye contact with him.

‘Fine then,’ he eventually said, tapping his stomach. ‘I’ll come with you, so. I was thinking of giving that intermittent fasting a go anyway.’

Darcy swallowed down her infuriation as Mick climbed into the passenger seat, but she managed to offer him a smile through clenched jaws.

‘What was your plan, then?’ he asked her.

‘I was going to try to see if I could get Tommy Fay to talk to me. To us.’

Mick raised his eyebrows. ‘You mean in Frank Kavanagh’s house?’

‘Yeah, why not?’

She realised Mick could probably come up with a dozen reasons why not.

‘OK,’ he said and leaned over to put on his seat belt.

‘OK?’ she said.

He nodded.

‘OK, then,’ she repeated and manoeuvred the car out into the Harcourt Street traffic.

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