Murder at an Irish Bakery by Carlene O'Connor

Author:Carlene O'Connor [O'Connor, Carlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2023-01-30T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 16

“An actor,” Macdara repeated for what seemed like the umpteenth time. They were at the Kilbane Garda Station in the large conference room with their takeaway lunches from O’Rourke’s. On the whiteboard at the front of the room, Siobhán had written their victim’s name: George O’Leary. An actor from Dublin. It was a positive development in the sense they had been able to quickly locate his family, including a fiancée, to whom Siobhán unfortunately had to break the news of his death over a video chat. They learned he had no known allergies. Siobhán called Jeanie Brady to update her.

“No allergies?” Jeanie repeated.

“Correct.”

Jeanie made a noise, as if she had an idea. Siobhán waited. “Strychnine,” Jeanie finally said. “It causes spasms as we saw in our victim before he died, and it comes in a crystal form which could have been mixed up with face powder.”

“It can kill on skin contact?” Siobhán asked with a shudder.

“It can get into the nose membranes,” Jeanie confirmed. “A small amount inhaled could cause death.”

“She powdered his nose,” Siobhán said. “Aoife McBride . . . do you think she knew what she was doing?”

“If Aoife McBride killed this actor—the first question is why,” Jeanie said. “And the second . . .”

“Who killed Aoife McBride?”

“Exactly.”

“I still think the powder was meant for Aoife all along.”

“You think powdering his nose with a deadly poison was a coincidence?” It was obvious from Jeanie’s tone that she found it a stretch.

“I don’t know.”

“You know what I like about you, O’Sullivan? You’re not afraid to admit when you haven’t got a clue.” She laughed long and hard at her own joke. “I’ll submit a test for strychnine.”

“It’s banned in Ireland, is it not?” It used to be a pesticide, primarily rat poison, but it was banned ages ago.

“Officially banned in 2006, sure,” Jeanie said. “But not impossible to get one’s hands on it if one is determined.” There was a pause in the conversation but Siobhán could hear Jeanie thinking. “It was often used in rat and gopher poison.”

“The flour mill,” Siobhán said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there is some in the older parts of the mill.”

“I concur. Where there are sweets, there are rats.”

It was true on so many levels.

“You’ll be sending in all the powder samples from the chemist to check them out as well as the toxicology on George O’Leary?” Siobhán knew that Jeanie had it handled but repetition helped Siobhán keep things straight.

“Now. I will, so. Can’t have the ladies of Kilbane waiting around too long with shiny noses, now can we?”

“Not unless it’s Christmas and the panto is Rudolph,” Siobhán quipped. Jeanie laughed, and they ended the call. Siobhán returned to the briefing room. Macdara was at the front of the room ready to give an update. “We need to search the flour mill for strychnine,” Siobhán said, whispering in his ear.

“Talk that love talk, wifey,” he said. She swatted him and filled him in on her call with Doctor Brady. “Let’s

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