When Sorry Is Not Enough (24 page)

‘Hmmm,’ was all Sally replied as she lifted the top newspaper and began reading the story.

As was to be expected from the tabloids the capture was headline news and an exclusive. According to the top crime reporter of the local daily, two women suspects, already known to the murder squad detectives, were chased along Portobello promenade and apprehended after a struggle. There were further stories about the incident and subsequent arrests from spectators who did not wish to be named. A derisive laugh escaped from Sally when she read the final paragraph where it stated that there were similarities to the recent murder of Dove Bird to that of Marie Kelly. However, it was too early to draw comparisons or conclusions. The article went on to point out that it was unfortunate but the chief investigating officer on the Marie Kelly case, if you took into consideration annual leave due to him, had reached his thirty years service yesterday and had therefore retired. A senior officer, Superintendent David Stock, stated that the officer’s retiring was purely coincidental. He went on to say that the junior officer on the case was no longer in the CID as he had been transferred back to uniform to serve in ‘B’ Division’s Drylaw Unit.

Sally had just reached the end of the article when Luke came into the kitchen. Imitating the ‘Ah Bisto’ boy he sniffed loudly. ‘Oh, I’m so pleased you have my breakfast ready. I have to be away early,’ he chanted.

‘Here,’ Sally said, pushing the newspaper into his hand. ‘Read that while I fry you an egg.’

The egg had just been broken into the pan and was sizzling and spitting when Luke announced, ‘Bloody hell. How do they get away with printing this garbage? I mean, what chase along the prom?’

Flipping the egg over, Sally chuckled. ‘Makes you wonder if the last paragraph is based on fact or just another fairy story.’

Musing, Luke read the last section again. ‘Well,’ he began, much to Jean’s amusement, ‘I’ll tell you what happened. Just as soon as the two women coughed, warning bells began to peel. Holmes and Watson were summoned to force headquarters and they were grilled. And I can tell you when the powers that be worked out what a mess they had on their hands, Drew Washington alias Holmes was offered, no told, to put his ticket in and retire and Phil Watson alias Watson was directed to the clothing store where he was fitted up just like he had fitted Irish up.’

‘How do you ken aw that?’ Jean asked.

‘Because he, and by the way Jean, he is my brother Luke, is a Detective Inspector in the Colonial Service attached to Hong Kong. And I’m not saying this just because he is my kith and kin but he knows how many beans make five and why the senior officers at Fettes headquarters will now be in free fall – especially as they will have worked out that there is the probability of a large compensation claim winging its way towards them.’

‘Aw,’ Jean, who would turn out to be an excellent worker but was a person who liked to take her time to get things right before commenting, slowly uttered, ‘but Hong Kong is a long way from here. Did the Edinburgh Polis ask him to come ower here to help them solve the case?’

Sally and Luke both started to giggle. ‘No Jean, they are just so …’

‘Pissed off with me …’

‘That they’re having a whip round to buy him a ticket on the next Hong Kong-bound flight.’

No more was said on the newspaper’s headlines because the telephone began to ring sharply. Both Luke and Sally raced into the hall but it was Luke who lifted the receiver. All Sally could do was look at him quizzically when she heard him say, ‘Good morning, Bobby. Yes, son, we’ve just read the story and okay it has a thread of truth but.’ Luke grew silent. ‘That’s great news. Yes, I’ll tell your mum but not Kathleen Kelly.’

Replacing the phone in its cradle Luke turned to address Sally. ‘That was Bobby and he says he’s going to petition for the quashing of the guilty verdict against Irish. In the meantime, he’s asked for interim liberation until the final verdict is issued. And okay they may ask for bail.’

Sally screamed, ‘That’s wonderful!’ Luke then grabbed her around the waist and the two of them danced and jigged up the hall.

They say that the wheels of justice grind slowly but, probably because the appeal was well on its way, the quashing of Irish’s conviction was speedy.

On the morning of his release his mother had risen early and, still fasting, she’d gone to St John’s Chapel on Brighton Place to thank Jesus personally for answering her prayers. As she sat in the cool, quiet and comforting church she felt more than ever that the spirit of Jesus was with her. Wiping tears from her eyes she not only thanked him for getting her son back but for also guiding her feet towards Sally and Luke.

Two hours later she was patiently standing at the lower lounge window. Sally had said to her that she should sit down because it could be up to two hours before all the administration was sorted out and her Joseph was returned to her as a free man.

Bobby’s car had drawn up on the front street before Kathleen realised that this was the vehicle that was bringing her son back to her. She could have gone to the prison and waited there but she knew that his walking towards her as a declared innocent man would be too emotional for her and she didn’t wish to embarrass her Joe by weeping in public.

Kathleen knew she should run out to greet Joe but her legs seemed rooted to the spot. She didn’t even see him run into the room because tears were blinding her but she did feel her son wrap his arms about her while he whispered, ‘We’ll soon be going home, Mum. Back to Donegal, and I think I never, ever will leave it again.’

‘That’s right,’ Kathleen sobbed as she put her hand up to brush Joe’s tears off his cheek. ‘You know fine that I carry no passengers so as soon as you can you will be out earning your living just like your other five brothers.’

Irish rocked her as he held her ever closer. Here she was, his mother, who in a few words had given him back some normality.

Sally and Luke had stayed out of the room to allow Irish and Kathleen the privacy that they needed. After half an hour Sally knocked on the door and she entered followed by Luke carrying the tea tray.

‘Thought you would need a cuppa,’ Sally said, observing that Kathleen and Joe were still holding on to each other.

Breaking away from her Joe, everybody else’s Irish, Kathleen blew into a handkerchief before saying, ‘You’re right. It’s time for tea.’

Once everyone was seated Sally turned to Irish. ‘Is there anything you would like to do? I know your mum has arranged for you both to leave for Ireland tomorrow but we have the rest of the day and the whole of the night.’

‘Yeah, how about we have a party to celebrate?’ said Luke.

Kathleen shook her head. ‘Joe’s not into parties.’ Joe nodded in agreement. ‘And it is wrong to force parties on to those of us who don’t like them.’

Irish was now on his feet and looking from the window at the long promenade. ‘Where does that go?’ he asked, pointing out to the walkway.

Sally got up and joined him at the window. Linking her arm through his she said, ‘See at the far end there, Irish, that’s where Leith begins. Takes forty minutes so it does, or to be correct, for an old crock like me, to walk from Joppa here to Seafield over there. When I get the time I often do that walk. Like to know I do that I am in walking distance of the place where I grew up – the wonderful place that has always provided for me.’

She was surprised when Irish replied, ‘Would you like to walk there today? I would like to. I think the sea air blowing in my face will really bring it home to me that I am free. And I would …’ He didn’t finish what he was about to say. He didn’t need to tell Sally. She knew he needed for one last time to go back to Leith. He needed to visit the place he first met Marie and relive the happy times he had had with her there. For all that had happened to him Sally instinctively knew that Irish still loved Marie. He would probably go on and marry again but Marie would always be the love of his life.

The day before had been such an exhausting day, especially when Sally, Luke and Irish had walked all the way into Leith and had then eaten fish and chips in the Four Marys cooked by Rita who had fussed over Irish.

During their visit to the pub Sally had started to think about not only her future but that of Josie’s. Nonetheless, she decided to sleep on what she knew she had to do and the first thing was to talk it all over with Josie, but today was not the time to do that so it would have to wait until at least tomorrow.

Sally yawned as she looked at her bedside clock. It was gone seven thirty. Within five minutes she was not only up but showered, dressed and standing in the kitchen.

‘Heavy night?’ Jean asked.

Sally looked about the kitchen. Everything was in order. The breakfast was cooking away. The urn was boiling. Toast was popping. ‘Have you been here all night?’ she chortled.

‘Naw. I was five minutes early but as you weren’t up I thought I would just get started.’

‘And you’ve done better than I could have,’ Sally remarked.

Smiling, Sally conceded Jean was a worthy. Probably because she was the mother of nine she had to be organised and these skills were what was needed in the guest house.
Funny
, she thought,
I haven’t missed Maggie. In fact, I can’t remember giving her a thought until now. Hope
, she further mused,
that she somehow finds happiness and a special someone to hold on to. Everybody deserves that
.

‘Sally, see there.’ Jean was now pointing to the morning papers she had brought in. Lifting up the top one, Sally beamed. This morning’s leader was a scoop and a photograph of a brilliant young lawyer, her Bobby, standing with the recently released innocent Joseph Kelly.

Kathleen and Irish were being taken to the train station by Luke. They had insisted on taking a taxi but Luke said he was going to the station anyway so he would give them a lift.

Sally was shaking hands with Irish when he said, ‘I hope these two murdering, lying monsters rot in prison, especially that evil bitch Jessie.’

Taken somewhat aback by the venom in his voice Sally held on to his hand and muttered, ‘Yes, I acknowledge that she is an evil monster but, Irish, she was not born evil. Unfortunately life turned her into what she is.’

Snatching his hand from Sally’s grasp, Irish replied, ‘I know you are like my mother – you see something good in the worst of us – but I hope every day for the rest of her miserable life that Jessie feels hell’s fires roasting her.’

Sally accepted there was no use in trying to moderate Irish’s view. No, it was time to say goodbye. She turned to nod to Kathleen and all the time she was wondering,
If Jessie had had a mother like Kathleen, how would she have turned out?
Turning back to Irish she thought but never said,
Oh Irish, when my brother first befriended you, you were one of nature’s gentle creatures. You fell in love with a lassie most people would have shunned, but look what life in prison has done to you. I do so earnestly pray that your experiences in the years to follow restore your faith in your brother man or, more importantly, your sister woman.

Having Angela and Roy staying at the guest house meant that Sally didn’t have time to dwell on the emotional goodbye to Kathleen and Irish.

Roy was such a lively wee boy and he obviously had inherited from someone a bubbly, infectious personality, his grandfather, Roy, according to Josie and his father according to Angela.

The wee boy had just burst into the lounge followed by his mother at a more sedate pace when the doorbell rang. Without a word to anyone, Roy sped back out of the room and raced towards the front door.

‘Uncle Luke, Uncle Luke,’ he shrieked when he saw that Luke, followed by a young woman, had just come into the house. ‘Aunty Sally, it’s Uncle Luke and he’s brought a friend with him.’

Angela and Sally both shrugged as they exchanged expectant glances when they heard the thud of a suitcase being dumped down in the hall. Luke, with a cat-that-got-the-cream look on his face, stepped into the room. ‘Sally,’ he trumpeted, ‘let me introduce you to Spring – my darling fiancée.’

It is true that some babies grow into the name that has been chosen for them. In Spring’s case it was most certainly true. Sally immediately saw in the young woman what had attracted Luke. She was fair of face and hair. Her twinkling blue eyes mesmerised you and when she began to smile it was like an April sunrise. Instinctively Sally stood up and offered the young woman her hand. Mixed emotions were battling within her. She did wish to see Luke happily married – he deserved that and she could see that Spring would meet all of his needs. But since he had come home on leave these four, nearly five, hectic months ago he had filled a void in her life. They had achieved so much together because they had worked like a team. Now she must step back and allow him to fly free.

Jean’s voice saying, ‘Heard the bell. And here Sally, would you like me to make tea for your guests?’ had Sally come back out of her dream world.

‘Yes, Jean, I would. And this here is Luke’s intended and I will just show her up to a room so she can freshen up.’

Luke sprang towards the door and grabbing the suitcase up from the floor, he called back, ‘No need for you to give Spring a room, she’s sharing with me.’

Jean and Angela didn’t comment but their mischievous chuckles conveyed so much. Sally, on the other hand, had been going to say to Luke that she did have a spare room that Spring could occupy. Nonetheless, when she gazed at the two of them mounting the stairs so eagerly she somehow knew that even if all of her letting bedrooms had been available Luke and Spring would rather have slept in the cupboard under the stairs so long as they were together.

Half an hour later Nancy and Benny arrived. Sally, although not expecting them, was delighted to see them. Like Luke and Spring there was the magic about them. That is the magic when two people are hopelessly in love and everybody else in their lives are just necessary hangers on.

‘Have you been out walking?’

‘Well, yes and no,’ Benny replied, taking Nancy’s hand and squeezing it. ‘We came to ask your advice.’