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later than I thought, I have a meeting with the Commissioner.” He stood up. “I must go.”
    Kendall stood up. “Well it’s been interesting Chief Inspector,” he said. “We’ll be in touch.”
    “What about your fees?” Whittaker asked.
    “What about them?” replied Kendall.
    The Chief inspector looked puzzled for a moment. “Well I’d like an idea of how much this is going to cost me,” he replied.
    Kendall smiled and shook his head. “There’ll be no fee.”
    “But I have to pay you something,” Whittaker protested.
    Kendall raised his hand and shook his head once again. “Look, we are going to Ireland for a holiday, right. Well nobody works on holiday do they?”
    “You pay for the hotel, and expenses, that’s all we’ll need,” said Mollie.
    Kendall said nothing, but merely smiled and nodded.
    * * *

 
    Chapter Five
    The Emerald Isle
     
    Seven days later, Kendall and Mollie arrived in Killmacud, a small town on the west coast of Ireland, not far from Killarney. The journey from England had been uneventful, and the thought of a few days holiday in Ireland was getting to be quite exciting, and they were both looking forward to it.
    Of course, there was that small matter of a murder to be investigated which might prove to be something of a distraction, especially when you remembered that the murder had taken place three months previously, and that the local police, the Garda, already had a suspect in custody, with more than enough evidence to prove his guilt. It appeared to be an open and shut case, with nothing more to be said. In the circumstances, therefore, Kendall didn’t really expect to gain very much by his investigation. In fact, if the truth be known, he considered it to be a great big waste of time. Nonetheless, he had given his word to the Chief Inspector. And he was a man of his word, so he would give it his best shot, for what it was worth.
    When they had landed at Cork Airport that afternoon, the sky was clear, and the forecast had promised a warm and sunny day ahead, with good weather for the days following. So, at the very least, a few days with pleasant weather sounded good to Kendall. He vowed to make the most of it, and to relax and enjoy himself. He had his Guide book, and his camera, and he was looking forward to some sightseeing. However, like many a promise made, this was another that was destined to be broken.
    As the taxi pulled up outside what appeared to be the local hotel, the sun disappeared, the sky clouded over, there was a loud crash of thunder, and the rain started to fall.
    “Here we are,” said the taxi driver. “O’Rourkes.”
    Kendall looked mystified. “O’Rourkes!” he repeated, his mood now as black as the sky. “I wanted The Kerry Hotel, not O’whatever you said.”
    “O’Rourke’s,” the driver helpfully repeated.
    “Yes, that, O’Rourke’s,” agreed Kendall. “But I wanted the Kerry hotel.”
    “Sure you did,” replied the driver. “That’s what you were telling me at the airport. I remember exactly what you said. You said that you wanted to be taken to the Kerry Hotel, in Killmacud, now isn’t that right.”
    Kendall sighed. That was right, there was no dispute. “So why have you brought us here?” he asked, trying not to sound too angry.
    “Ah, well now, what do you see when you take a look out there?” the driver pointed at the building. “O’Rourke’s, or the Kerry Hotel? No matter, because you see ‘tis one and the same place, and more to the point, it’s the only hotel there is for miles,” the driver replied, a huge grin spreading across his face. “So, if it’s Killmacud you’ll be wanting, this is where you’ll need to be staying, for there’s nowhere else you see.”
    Kendall knew when he was beaten. He stepped out of the cab. He looked at the hotel, and shook his head. He looked as dismal as the weather. He just hoped that it wasn’t as damp inside. What had he let himself in for? Chief Inspector or not,