Fatal Roots Page 14

  Maura had a suspicion Old Mick had had something to do with it, but she had never met him and he’d left no evidence behind. Physical evidence, she reminded herself. There were still a few people around who had known him personally, but they seemed to agree that Old Mick hadn’t been one for sharing information. Or maybe he had shared it, all those years ago, and they had all clammed up since, or anyone who had known him was dead. What could have led everyone to remain silent? Her best guess was that something illegal had happened, but those people who knew about it didn’t think they needed to report it to the gardaí, then or now. It seemed to her that the only way to find out anything was to ask those people of the right age, but she didn’t feel she had the right to do that. She was the outsider, the newcomer, and she knew squat about local history or families.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by Helen’s arrival. Maura was surprised that Rose and Susan hadn’t been making much noise. Or maybe they’d left while she was in the back talking to Ciara and Sean. After all, there wasn’t much to be done with the kitchen space until the questions about appliances and utilities were answered.

  “Mick?” she called out. “Are Rose and Susan still here, or did they go somewhere?”

  “They went out fer a bit but promised to be back when Helen was expected. Good afternoon, Helen. Can I get yeh anything?”

  “Coffee would be good, thanks. How’s the kitchen coming along?”

  “Sit, please. And I can’t say because I haven’t seen it today,” Maura told her. “Do you have anything to add?”

  “Maybe. Let’s wait until the girls are here so I don’t have to repeat everything.”

  “No hurry. You may have noticed that things don’t move fast around here. How’s the hotel doing?”

  “I think the staff is getting used to me, and I’m not pushing too hard. I’m still getting used to the place, and I don’t want to rush on making changes or spend a lot of money only to find the place has been sold yet again. I hear that happens a lot.”

  Mick brought by a mug of coffee and set it in front of Helen. “Anythin’ else you’ll be needin’?” he asked.

  “We’re fine for now, I think,” Maura said. “Maybe when the girls get back, we can think about food. Thanks.”

  When Mick had returned to the bar, leaving them in a quiet corner, Maura said, “Can I ask you something?”

  “Of course. What is it?”

  “Have you heard that a body was found near my cottage? On land I didn’t even know I owned?”

  “There’ve been comments from the staff, who seem to know everything that’s going on around here, but no details. Who is it?”

  “That’s part of the problem: no one seems to know.” Maura looked around, but nobody in the room was paying them any attention. “My garda friend Sean made some guesses about how long the body had been buried, and how old the man was when he was buried, but there’s no ID.”

  “How very odd,” Helen commented. “How long has it been?”

  “His first guess was maybe thirty years, but it’s hard to say, and it could have been longer. He’s having an autopsy done in Cork.”

  “So, well before your time. But the place you own now used to belong to the man who owned and ran this place, right?”

  “Yes, but I only learned that when I arrived here. It seems Gran knew him, but she never mentioned him to me—just set up the whole inheritance thing without telling me. I wanted to ask you if she’d ever said anything to you about what went on around here when you were all living together.”

  Helen shook her head. “I respected her, but we were never close, even though I was married to her son. Your father. And then he died and everything seemed to fall apart. I can see why she was devastated by his death, after she’d left Ireland and raised him in Boston, but we never talked about it. Partly that was my fault, I suppose. I thought I had my life worked out, but when Tom died … Well, you know what happened. I couldn’t handle it, so I left, and it took me a while to pick up the pieces of my life.”

  Maura was beginning to get frustrated. Sure, Helen had walked out—and away from her. But Maura was working hard to forgive her and to get to know her. And beyond that, she wanted to give Susan a chance. “Helen, you don’t have to keep apologizing to me. I don’t know that I would have done anything different. Gran left a letter saying that I should come here to Leap, but she didn’t explain why. She kind of pretended that I was supposed to know. So I came, and I was going to leave in maybe a week, and then things started happening—like inheriting this place, and the cottage—and I just sort of went along with it. Besides, I had no reason to go back to Boston. So I can see why it was hard for you.

  “What I want to know now is whether Gran ever said anything about her life here, before she left. Friends, family, land—anything. But nobody’s said anything, although she’s been gone a long time, so maybe nobody knew anything then or remembers her. Except Bridget. I know Mick’s grandmother was a friend of hers, but I haven’t asked for many details. I suppose I should now, because if anybody knows who the dead man was, Bridget would be the best person to ask.”

  Helen was silent for a moment. Finally she said, “Thank you for not beating me up over what I did. I was young and stupid, and I hope I’ve outgrown it.”

  “Does Susan know the whole story?”

  “Pretty much, now. I said before, I only told her about you after I went back home last time, and that was only the outline. I filled in some of the blanks when I decided we should come here together, and she should learn about her family in Ireland. Do you know if your grandfather had any family left over here?”

  “Not that Gran ever mentioned, and I haven’t gone looking. Out of respect for her, I guess—I figured if she wanted me to know, she would have told me. And she didn’t. She used to entertain a lot of Irish immigrants, help them get on their feet in Boston, but nobody ever said, ‘Aha! We’re related.’” And I haven’t stumbled over any relatives here, but I haven’t really been looking. There’s been a lot to learn.”

  “I can understand that,” Helen said, smiling. “And it looks like you’re doing well. Not only do you own property, but you’ve got people working for you, and friends outside of work, and you’re learning all the time. Look, I’ve got nothing against Boston, but to me it looks like you’re enjoying yourself here. Except, of course, for a body now and then, but I gather that’s not normal for this part of the world. You aren’t in any rush to make changes, are you?”

  “Well, like I said, I’m still learning. And I do like the place. I didn’t have any relatives back in Boston, but here half the people I meet think they are related to me or know people who are. I keep forgetting it’s a small country, and people don’t usually leave or go far these days. It’s kind of nice.”

  Helen smiled. “I’m glad you found something that worked for you. And I did respect your grandmother. I left because of my problems, not because she wanted me to. I was young and stupid and scared. Do you know, I think you’re older than I ever was at that age.”

  Maura summoned a smile. “Look, Helen, let’s not beat this into the ground. It looks like it took you a while, but you’ve finally done something with your life. You seem to be on good terms with Susan, although I haven’t seen the two of you together much. So maybe it just took you a while to figure things out. Me, I’m still working on it.”

  “Thank you, Maura.” Helen drained her coffee cup. “So what’s the story about this dead man?”

  “So far, nobody knows. These three students from Cork were working on a summer research project, and the first place they started looking turned out to be on a piece of land I inherited, though I didn’t know that until they showed up and told me. As far as I know, they didn’t find anything the first time they were looking. The next day one of them disappeared, and nobody’s seen him since. But then Mick and I went out there the next morning and noticed sort of a dip in the ground, so we started poking around and discovered there was someone buried there. Of co
urse we backed off fast, and I called Sean Murphy and the gardaí. Sean was here earlier today, and he says they haven’t identified the body and they don’t even have any guesses.”

  “Wow,” Helen said. “This was—what do you call it?—a fairy fort? People don’t usually get buried there, do they?”

  “Yes and no. There are lots around, but most people seem to think they’re either cattle fields or entrances to the fairy world. They’re not usually used as burial grounds. Doesn’t help much, does it? The body we found was definitely human, not a dead cow. But he’d been buried for a while, not just a day or two.”

  “You think there are more around? Bodies, I mean.”

  “I’m not the person who would know, and right now we’re trying to keep it quiet so everybody doesn’t go running out and start digging. If you happen to stumble over a body at the hotel, tell Sean first, okay?”

  “I wasn’t planning on looking, but I’ll keep that in mind.” Helen’s face lit up. “Ah, there’s Susan and Rose. Susan looks so happy! I was worried she’d spend the time here sulking and not speaking to me. I’m glad she’s found a friend.”

  “Rose is older in spirit than she looks—she’s been working most of her life. I guess I’m glad she’s found a friend closer to her own age—she looks happy too. Are we going to go look at the kitchen?”

  “Yes, please. I’ve got some diagrams and pictures from my phone, and we can see what works in the space you’ve got. It’s pretty small, but it’s not like you’re planning on cooking dinner for twenty people every night. Are you?”

  Maura laughed. “Ask Rose. I’m lucky if I can boil water.”

  Susan spotted her mother as she walked in. “Oh good, you’re here. Did you bring the information on what’s at the hotel?”

  “Of course I did. And you have the measurements for the kitchen space, right?”

  “Yup. Rose and I finished before lunch. Want to see what will work?”

  “Sure. You coming, Maura?”

  Maura grinned. “You really think all of us can fit in that room?”

  “Let’s find out. You know there will be more than one person in there at a time.”

  “Well, yeah, I guess. Have you seen the back of this place, Helen?”

  “Just a quick look. What do I need to know?”

  “Well, for one thing, there’s a back door, which should be good for deliveries, but I guess we’ve got to be careful not to put the fridge in front of the door.”

  “See? You’re already thinking. Come on, girls—let’s check this out,” Helen said, and Rose led the way.

  It was good to see them all looking happy. Rose knew the room best, and was most likely the best cook. Helen had professional experience in setting up working spaces, but Maura had no idea whether she could cook. And Susan had more enthusiasm than knowledge, but she seemed eager to learn. Too bad she wouldn’t be around long, because she was in an odd way a good influence on Rose. But Susan was young and still had to finish school, so she couldn’t stay. Maybe Helen would let her visit on vacations?

  “It’s coming along, isn’t it?” Mick said quietly as he stood in the doorway and watched the group.

  “It is. This kitchen may actually happen. Too bad only Rose will be around to do the cooking.”

  “What of Sophie? Will she stick around?”

  “We still haven’t had that conversation. But she’s getting good experience in Skib, and it would be nice to have more staff to call on. Which would mean more food to offer our customers.”

  “Take it step by step, Maura,” Mick cautioned.

  “Don’t worry, I will. Can I ask you something?” She led him back into the front bar.

  “Of course.”

  “Do you think Old Billy or your gran would know something more about the body in the field? I haven’t wanted to ask them, first because I didn’t want to spread the word around unless Sean said it was all right, and then because if they did happen to know who it was and why he was dead, it might make them sad, and I didn’t want to do that. But Sean hasn’t found out anything useful yet, and Bridget must know the land out there. Do you think it’s a bad idea?”

  “Let me see if me gran has anything to say. You can talk to Old Billy, since he knew Old Mick well. But don’t be surprised if they don’t share what they do know.”

  “Believe me, I understand. A lot of people around here keep secrets. But does that mean they’re hiding something? We know the man was killed—would they know who did it? And would they tell us if they did?”

  “Maura, I can’t say. Tread gently.”

  “I’ll try. Thanks.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Maura? You coming?” Susan called out from the back of the building.

  Maura grimaced at Mick before turning and heading for the back room. With three people already standing around in it, it was crowded, so she stopped at the doorway. “So, what do I need to know?”

  Rose took the lead. “Yeh know I’ve been takin’ classes not just fer cooking but fer organization and layout management, so I’ll start. Helen can fill in if she wants.”

  “I’m listening,” Maura said.

  “First, it’s not a big room, and we’ve no plans fer making it any bigger. It might be nice, but it’s not essential, given the number of people we expect to want to eat here. I’m sure yeh’ve already figgered out that we need a fridge to keep things cold, a fairly big stove to cook on—more than one dish at a time—and storage space for food and tools and dishes and the like.”

  Maura nodded. “Yes, that much I know—I’ve worked around kitchens before, even if I can’t cook. Is there really enough room for all of that?”

  “I’d say yes,” Helen jumped in. “Fresh food matters around here, so you don’t need a giant refrigerator or freezer. For the stove, Now that I’ve seen more of the place, I’d go with four burners and a central grill. You’ll also need a larger sink. And you’ll have to sit down and figure out how to divide up the products you’ll be using and the cooking pots and the plates and glasses. I know it sounds like a lot to think about, but I’d bet you’ll find out what works quickly enough, once you start using the kitchen.”

  “How many staff would it take?” Maura asked.

  “Two to three, I’d guess. One or two to cook, and another to serve and clean up. You haven’t the space for a modern dishwasher, so someone will have to keep up with the dirty stuff. Look, it may take a while to work out the rhythms among you while you’re cooking, but I think you can do it. Just let your customers know you’re still figuring out the details.”

  “What about how much food to buy? How much to charge?”

  “Yeh’re gettin’ ahead of yerself, Maura,” Rose told her. “First we need the space, and everythin’ has to work. Once that’s set, we’ll be sittin’ down a couple of times a week to figure out menus and costs and such. I’ve learned a lot about that already.”

  Maura was beginning to feel overwhelmed. Why was it she had decided to do this? Maybe to make a bit more money by attracting more people? Or to keep Rose around by giving her more responsibility? Or because she was trying to keep up with the times? “Rose, I think it sounds wonderful. How long will it take to pull everything together?”

  Rose glanced at Helen. “A coupla weeks, mebbe? There’s still the wiring and plumbing to work out. And we’ll have to get the word out if we want customers.”

  “Do we need licenses or anything?”

  “I’ll check into that,” Helen told her.

  “Great. Now for the last question: if any of the hotel’s appliances will work, do you know any people who can install them? and make them work?”

  “I think so,” Helen said firmly. “I’ll let you know in a day or so. And you should expect to pay the installers, though I don’t know how much they charge. Maybe you can pay them off with free meals, over time.”

  “So we’re done?” Maura asked. “You have any pictures? You said you’ve got measurements, but should we lay out what goe
s where? Make tape outlines on the floor? There’s a small fridge there now, but do we need more?”

  “We can check. I think this will all work out, Maura. Rose and Susan are handling it well. You go back to work out front, and let us handle measuring and such.”

  “Right,” Maura said, feeling an odd mix of enthusiasm and disappointment. She wondered if Mick would want to be involved, but somebody had to stay out front and fill pints.

  There was no sign of Old Billy in his usual chair by the fire. Should she be worried? “Mick, have you seen Billy today? Or yesterday?”

  “Not today, but he was around fer a bit yesterday. Why are yeh askin’?”

  “I guess because I want to talk to him about the body, but I don’t want to bother him at his place. Like I said earlier, he was a friend of Old Mick’s, and he’s one of the oldest people I know around here, so he’s my best chance of finding out any details. Could be Mick never shared any with him. Or Billy swore an oath to Old Mick that he’d never say anything to anyone. I’d just like to ask him. If he says he doesn’t know anything or doesn’t remember or something like that, I won’t pry. I certainly won’t say anything to Sean, although he may think of it himself. You think that’s okay?”