‘Done.’ Amanda walks to the fridge and takes out two bottles which she had made while I was at the funeral.
‘Oh, how did you know what to do?’ I say, eager to find out if she did it right.
‘You have it all down here.’ She holds up the instructions I’d written down for Conor.
‘Did you use the right scoop?’
‘There was only one in the tin. For God’s sake, Laura, it’s not brain surgery.’
‘Sorry, I’m just so nervous all the time.’
Amanda walks over to me shaking the bottle.
‘That’s perfectly understandable,’ she says. ‘Especially after…’ Don’t say it, Amanda. Don’t say it.
‘Anyway, you’re doing great, you’re going to be the best mammy ever.’
‘Do you think so?’
‘Yes, I know so… Now, back to Vicky.’
Amanda is intrigued by the fact that Vicky Murphy was hoping to be an investigative journalist. She thinks that means she was investigating something that someone didn’t want her to. Did she discover something and was killed because of it? Maybe she discovered something about the brewery? Or something bad about a prominent member of the village? Something that put her in danger.
I wonder if that’s what the cops are thinking? I suppose it’s possible, but it’s also possible she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Met a psycho. Someone passing through. She may have tried to fight off an intruder. From the sounds of it, Vicky Murphy was a brave woman who wasn’t afraid of sticking up for herself. There were lots of stories about how strong she was for a small woman – one guy relayed how she had turfed two big men who were fighting out of the bar one night, single-handedly. Did that same bravery lead her into danger? Amanda is convinced she was investigating something that got her killed. She says I’m not to worry, and to stop thinking it has something to do with Conor. But how can I stop worrying? If it was nothing to do with him, why was I sent that card?
* * *
The door opens and in walks Conor.
‘Has Amanda gone?’
‘Yes, you just missed her… I thought you’d stay longer.’
‘Nope, I’d enough yesterday to do me a lifetime, how is my little man doing?’
‘Great, not a bother.’
Conor walks over to the crib.
‘Are the cops saying anything at all about Vicky?’ I ask, sprawled out on the sofa. I’ve already changed into my pyjamas and was just about to flick through the channels when Conor arrived home.
‘No, I don’t think they have a lead yet. But they will get the bastard. They have to, they can’t leave the village in fear of who could be next.’
‘What?’ I jump into a sitting position. ‘Do they think it could be a serial killer?’
Conor can tell he’s frightened the life out of me.
‘No, not a serial killer, Laura. I’m just saying people will be nervous. Aren’t you nervous?’
‘Not until now. Fuck’s sake.’
Pulling myself off the sofa, I walk to the window and look out at the vast space at the back of my house that a serial killer would find quite easy to navigate.
‘Sit down, Laura, it wasn’t a serial killer, it was probably someone Vicky knew. It usually is in these cases.’
Conor is right. I’ve seen enough on the TV to back up that particular scenario. It’s usually someone close to the victim. Which, according to my estimate, could be anyone in this village; they’re all close here, too close, if you ask me. I watch him unzip his jacket. A cold shiver runs down my body. Maybe the killer is someone I know too. I shake the thought from my head and walk over to the crib. Now that we’re talking, I think I’ll probe him a bit more.
‘Have you any suspects in mind?’
He takes the remote from the sofa and sits down before saying, ‘No, I don’t, in fact I’m finding it hard to believe it could be anyone from the village.’
‘You know most people who live here, don’t you?’
‘Yes, and not one person comes to mind.’
‘Do they all like you?’
‘Well, that’s a funny question.’ He presses the remote and waits for the TV to light up. ‘I don’t know the answer to that, and I don’t really care, Laura.’
He pats the cushion on the sofa for me to sit down. I check that Shay is still asleep – dark tufts of hair, eyes closed, his little head sticking out from the top of the blanket. The nurse said it isn’t necessary to cover him all