long sharp face. On this day, he wore a tweed suit with a waistcoat.
Libby sat down on the low shiny leather chair in front of his mahogany desk as Finbar loomed over the desk, spilling out of his chair. He always seems too large for this small office, she thought, I wonder if he enjoyed his holidays in Spain.
'How did your holiday go, Finbar?' she asked.
'Terrible.' He leaned back in his chair, his arms behind his head. 'The whole thing was a nightmare. The weather was boiling. I got sunburnt so I stayed in bed most of the time.'
Libby was fascinated by the vivid red suntan covering his face and neck. 'Did your wife enjoy herself?'
He frowned. 'No, unfortunately she caught a stomach bug, she was sick too.'
'And your sons, did they have a good time?'
'The whole lot of them drove me around the bend - my sons decided at the last minute to bring their kids. I thought they were just taking their wives. I nearly died when I arrived at the airport and saw them all.'
'I see.' Libby pictured the airport scene in her mind and laughed out loud.
'My youngest son got himself arrested for drunk driving. His wife had a canary.' Finbar took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one of its contents.
'How awful, did you get it sorted?'
'Oh, yes. He spent a few hours in a jail cell, but finally, after much negotiation and some cash changing hands, he got off with a fine.'
'Still, it must have been nice for you all to get a break,' Libby said, still laughing.
'I'm glad to be home, I can tell you.' Meenan straightened his tie. 'I'm looking forward to things being back to normal. I've got a new case of infidelity on at the minute.'
'Great,' said Libby.
'Tell me about the case you're working on, the young doctor, what's her name?'
'Kathleen Lynch.'
'The husband Mick Doody rang this office looking for me this morning. He's in the same golf club as I am.'
'Which club is that?' Libby asked.
'The Old Head Golf Club in Kinsale.'
'I'm thinking of joining a golf club near Ballyhasset.'
'This one is very exclusive, it wouldn't suit you. The members are mainly men.' Finbar grinned. 'No offence, Libby. It's a great place for us men to relax, away from nagging wives.'
'I'll join one nearer home,' said Libby, unperturbed. 'That club sounds a bit stuffy anyway.'
'I met Mr Doody in the bar there a few times,' Finbar continued. 'He was in the army like me, before he left and joined the county council. He's the Chief Planning Officer for West Cork. Nice friendly chap he is.'
Libby's eyes flashed with maybe just a touch of annoyance. 'Why's he pestering you? He knows I'm handling his case, I'm working as fast as I can.'
'Well, he wants you to work faster, according to Dawn. She took his call. He knows me you see, he trusts me better than you.'
Libby scowled. 'Mr Doody doesn't trust the police either, he told me this when we met.'
Finbar grinned. 'Stubborn fella.'
'I'll ring him today, tell him what I've found so far.'
'No, I'll speak to him first. I'll explain that you're handling his case.' Finbar Meenan leaned forward and stubbed out his cigarette. 'Well, go on then - what's the story about the wife, the doctor?'
Libby said, 'Someone killed Kathleen when she was on night duty, in the hospital, our local hospital.'
'I hate hospitals - too many sick people.' He grimaced. 'How did this killer get into her room?'
'With a spare key perhaps,' Libby said. 'He, or she, may have stolen a set from one of the maids. I spoke to a maid who mislaid a set ten days ago.'
'So the killing was planned,' Meenan said, rubbing his chin. 'Any obvious motive for Kathleen's colleagues to kill her?'
'Well, everyone she worked with said she was a bitch. And she had a fling with one of the doctors.'
He leaned forward with interest. 'That's only a motive for the husband. Mind you, it usually is the husband who's the culprit.' Meenan breathed heavily. 'Still, he'd hardly hire us to find her killer if he did the job himself.'
The man could have hired us to throw
Jennifer Richard Jacobson
Lee Ann Sontheimer Murphy