had already. You wouldn’t get away with it in the city but down here the rules seem to bend depending on the occasion. She’s not the only one with a car parked outside.
Conor has organised a minibus to collect people later and drop them home, but the mere suggestion seems alien to some people. And with Detective Fintan leading the way – the man must be on his fifth pint by now – I guess they all feel safe. Let’s hope the detectives from Dublin aren’t planning on making a visit to the village today.
‘I know I shouldn’t say it, especially when I work there… but I find it hard to drink the beer.’ Deirdre is speaking softly so I lean in closer.
‘All beer?’ I say.
‘Well, not all beer, just the Callbrew.’
‘Oh. I prefer a glass of wine myself but I used to drink beer when I was younger.’
‘So did I,’ Deirdre says, a slight slur creeping into her words. ‘And I liked it, but after the accident I just can’t bring myself to swallow it. It reminds me of—’
‘Ah, stop,’ Olive interrupts. ‘Don’t be so stupid.’
‘I know but…’ Deirdre crosses her arms over her chest and shivers briefly. ‘It’s just a bit creepy. I was there that day, said goodbye to the man before he ended up—’
‘Stop it Deirdre, for God’s sake,’ Olive says.
Deirdre giggles and looks at me. ‘Sorry,’ she says.
‘You don’t have to say sorry to me, I never even met him.’
Olive excuses herself to go to the bathroom, asking Deirdre if she wants one more drink before they go. It’s almost six o’clock now and people are beginning to leave. I’m really enjoying myself now, the wine has warmed my attitude, and I’d love for people to hang on a bit longer. Hopefully some of the younger ones will.
When Olive steps away, I ask Deirdre if she knows Pat who lives out back.
‘Yes,’ she says. ‘Where is he, by the way?’ She glances around the room, swaying slightly.
‘I don’t know. I haven’t seen him in a couple of days.’
‘Maybe he’s gone loolah again,’ she says, her words very slurred now. Deirdre has clearly enjoyed more wine than she’s used to.
‘Why? When did he go loolah before?’ I say.
‘Ah, when Seamus died he went missing for weeks. We had the cops searching for him. He arrived back out of the blue and told no one where he’d been. It took a long time for him to speak to Conor though.’
‘Why?’ My heart stops. I have the feeling I’m going to hear something I don’t want to.
‘Well…’ Deirdre seems to be struggling getting the words in order and Maggie is moving in our direction, I have to be quick.
‘Why, Deirdre?’
She leans in closer to me and whispers: ‘Pat always blamed Conor for Seamus’s death.’
I’m trying to act cool but my hand is shaking.
‘Why would he blame Conor?’
Maggie is only a few feet away now.
‘Conor was there that day, he was the one who closed the latch on the vat.’ Her words are completely slurred but they cut through me like a sharp knife.
Chapter Forty-Six
My head is spinning. Maggie is talking to me but I haven’t a clue what she’s saying. All I can see are her lips moving. Conor killed his father. It was an accident. But Conor killed his father. Now it makes sense. The secrecy around the accident. The comment Maggie made about a weight being lifted when the coroner’s report came through. And Conor’s reaction to the rumours that surrounded Vicky’s death.
There must have been rumours circling after Seamus’s accident too. Maybe Pat started them, thinking Conor did it on purpose to inherit the business. How wrong he was. Conor never wanted the business. He felt he had been saddled with it. He told me himself. Conor wanted to study astronomy. He only stayed in the brewery because he couldn’t leave his mother after what had happened.
‘Are you going to say goodbye to Fr Cormac?’ Maggie’s voice breaks through the whirlwind going round in my head.
‘What?’
‘Laura, Fr Cormac is leaving.’
‘Oh.’ I put my glass down on a nearby table and walk with Maggie to the hall where Fr Cormac is talking to Conor. Where I get the strength from, I do not know. I manage to say goodbye and thank Fr Cormac for the lovely service. Maggie is adding to my appreciation speech when I look at Conor. He’s looking at me, noticing the change I guess, seeing the white face, the startled eyes. When