AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I was expecting it after seeing the evening news about Veritas being caught. Complete horseshit! Anyone with a brain would know Liam can’t be Veritas. It’s a trumped-up charge, but it’s backed by people with a lot of power.”
She finally allowed herself to lean against the table as there were no chairs to sit in. “We can’t find out where they’re keeping him, Arthur,” she admitted hoarsely.
“That’s very bad news. I’m sorry, Taylor.”
Her nose dripped, making her sniff. Dammit, she could not cry. “That’s not why I was calling. I thought I might help you with the Malcolm investigation. On-site. If there’s a room at the inn I could register for, great; otherwise, I’ll find somewhere else to stay.”
“I don’t own the inn, but I have it on good authority that you would always be welcome. It’s low season, so no one’s here. Now, as for the idea of you helping… A man’s life is at stake, which makes the urgency all the greater.”
She was so relieved he understood that.
“I’m only used to working with the people at my newspaper,” he told her, “and while I’ve tapped Meredith and Tanner and a few others to help out with key tasks, they have their hands full with the entire news cycle. Extra hands might be just the thing.”
She wanted to cheer. “Great! I’m there.”
“I also have a few other people I’m going to call who I think will volunteer. They have sound minds. More or less. I’ll tap Trevor, J.T., and Flynn. Maybe I can even snag a little of Quinn and Connor’s time. We need some big finance geeks involved to sift through the company and bank account side of things.”
Relief crashed through her. It also occurred to her that if she was with them she’d be able to steer the focus toward Malcolm, and away from any interest Flynn or the others might have in Veritas. “Thank you for helping!”
“Of course! My dear, consider yourself a member of the Merriam Investigative Taskforce. We’re going to kick that dirty Garda unit to kingdom come, along with Malcolm Coveney, or my name isn’t Arthur Hale.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” she replied in a scratchy voice.
“Bring Eoghan with you,” Arthur declared, sounding more robust with every order. “We’ll need someone with a long memory and a good understanding of that part of Ireland.”
A companion hadn’t been in her plans, but she could see the merit of Eoghan’s inclusion. His help could be invaluable. She would figure out how to evade Eoghan’s watchfulness so she could do her mural. “I’ll ask him along.”
“Good,” Arthur declared. “We have a plan.”
Taylor only hoped it would be enough to combat whatever Malcolm had in store for them next.
CHAPTERTWENTY
Liam wasn’t sure where he was.
In life and his travels, he hadn’t always needed to know, going with the rightness and flow of things. But the not-knowing bothered him in this case. He knew he wasn’t in Caisleán, that was for sure. They’d put a hood over his head after they’d left city limits, but he’d judged his ride in the back of the Garda vehicle to be about ninety minutes or so. Not Watertown then. Too obvious a choice.
The concrete floor was cold under him as he sat in his meditative cross-legged stance. The room was constructed with whitewashed cinderblocks. The light bulb hanging precariously from the ceiling emitted dim light due to the dust and spiderwebs surrounding it, and the yellow farm bucket in the corner was mottled from use. Somehow, he hadn’t expected the lack of bars and a bare-bones cot and toilet.
Clearly Malcolm intended to make his point, and Liam was to be the nail in the proverbial coffin.
At least he wasn’t in chains.
While he’d had a vision of being behind bars, he hadn’t expected to be named Veritas. He’d tried to sense what Taylor had felt at the news. Outrage? Shock? He’d felt both when he’d done his best to connect to her in spirit. Something else that had come through: she hadn’t compared it to the time when the other street artist had claimed credit for her early work. That was something he was glad of because it showed how deep their trust ran. He had to believe she would trust him to do this and not come forward, although he imagined it would cost her.
The very charge of him being Veritas was ludicrous, but then again, Malcolm cared nothing about the truth. This monumental misuse of power was supposed to drive home a lesson to everyone in Caisleán, including his mother. She would be coming out of her skin, and since he knew her, she would feel guilty. When he got out, he would need to help her let that go.
But right now, he had to focus on letting go of his own anger. Because it wouldn’t help matters, and he sensed Malcolm was planning to visit him. He could feel the man—and the darkness he danced with—in the building.
He didn’t have to wait long. Liam was deep in meditation when the metal door opened and the large man strolled in.
“I see you aren’t missing a chair,” he commented as a Garda officer brought one in for him and set it down in front of Liam, who remained on the floor.
“AndIsee that you aren’t going to hide behind the Garda as the perpetrator of this injustice,” he shot back, remembering how it had thrown Malcolm when Taylor had gone on the offensive on the public road.
“Direct, eh?” Malcolm rested his swollen fingers on his knees, his ten gold rings shot with diamonds shining even in the low light. “I expected that of your mother, but you? I’d heard you were something of a free spirit, the kind who liked yoga and probably ate tofu.”
Liam knew the mention of his mother was meant to be a trigger. He only smiled in response. “Tofu isn’t that bad, but that’s not why you’re here.”
