The Dark Web Murders

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Thursday, 16th August. Evening 

Sheehan entered the house and hung his overcoat in the hall closet. Margaret poked her head out from the kitchen door. "Dinner's nearly ready. Want a wee aperitif?" 

"No, I'm fine." 

"Okay. Wash your hands, and I'll put out the soup." 

Sheehan shook his head, grinning as he went to the bathroom. Wash your hands. Never would have thought of that. 

The soup was already waiting for him when he sat down. "So, how was your day?" he asked. 

Margaret raised her eyes to heaven. "Don't ask." 

"Don't ask? Somebody acting up?" 

Margaret sat down, unfolding a napkin. "I wish. One of the first-years arrived in with her mother ... his mother ... crap! Its mother...." 

Sheehan turned to her a bemused smile. "What are you going on about?" 

"This kid in first-year has decided that she ... he ... is a boy. Arrived in with her mother this morning in boys' clothes, short haircut. Of course, it had to be one of my pupils."  

"Grief! What did you do?" 

"I asked them to wait in the reception area, got somebody from the staff-room to look after my class, and went in to have a chat with the principal." 

"Well?" 

"She went up to high doh. We haven't had a transgender pupil before and she almost panicked. She's afraid of getting her approach wrong and ending up a target for the zealots in the media."

 "So what did she say?" 

"Well, we've had memos from the Department of Education about introducing gender neutral protocols, but she hadn't given them a great deal of attention. 'Where do we even start, Margaret?' she asked me. She was almost wringing her hands." 

Sheehan made a face. "I can see why." 

"I said all we could do was help the parent seek a referral to a gender identity clinic. I mean, if the kid's a boy and we're a girls' grammar school,he can't stay here." 

"How did she react to that?" 

Margaret laughed. "She almost kissed me. She told me that she had started to panic when I brought the problem to her office. Her mind was racing ahead, spending a fortune that would decimate the school's budget.She saw herself having to use money we couldn't afford to set up Transgender Monitoring Policies, build gender neutral toilets, set up staff training programmes, and God knows what else." 

"And you said that if the kid was a boy, he was out of her hair, and out of her school?" Sheehan said, grinning. "And suddenly the problem was solved?" 

"Exactly. She was so relieved. We went straight out to the parent and child. Oh! She was good. Seriously good. Very sympathetic and understanding. 'But we're a girls' school, etcetera.' She should be on stage." 

"Washed her hands, eh?" 

"Sort of. Well, actually, not quite." Margaret seemed a little surprised. "She did spend time with the parent and got the secretary to find a clinic the family could be referred to for advice and support. Actually, she handled the whole thing very well once she realised that her budget wasn't in any danger. Spent a good hour with the parent and child and sent them away reasonably happy." Margaret went to the hob to check a saucepan. "But she must have been worrying about it all day. She called all the staff to a meeting immediately after school to discuss what we might do if the shoe was on the other foot." She sat beside him again. 

"Other foot?" 

"Well, she had begun to wonder what might happen if one of the boys from the Christian Brothers School decides to change gender and come to us. We're not ready for that. The pupils are not ready for that. So, she arranged for an adviser from the Education Board to speak to the staff on Monday after school. We'll see where we go from there." 

Sheehan finished his soup and wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Strange times. There was none of that about when I was a kid." 

Margaret got up and picked up the two soup dishes. "Well, it's something we're going to have to deal with now. And from what I read in the papers, it's becoming increasingly prevalent." She put the dishes in the sink. "Dinner'll be about fifteen minutes. So, how was your day?" 

"We've got no joy from our questioning of our existing suspects, still no clue about the mystery blackmailer, and today we got six new suspects,all violent criminals." 

Margaret grimaced. "That good, eh? So, anything striking that famed intuition of yours?" 

"Not really." 

"I know that look. Not really what?" 

"Well, something Miller said about one of the early suspects we are talking to, a property dealer called Robinson. He described him as being big, ignorant, aggressive, and with a brutal track record. He could have been describing the gang leader that kidnapped and beat the daylights out of that judicial assistant I was telling you about. There might be a connection there,but I don't have any evidence yet." 

"Oh, yes. Uh, Mr Doran, wasn't it? How's he doing?" 

"Improving, I understand. Strapped up a bit but no lasting damage." 

"You think that Miller's suspect did this to Doran?" 

"Don't know, but the kidnapper was really anxious to get his hands on the judge's other safe. Our suspects would definitely want access to it as well, given the very iffy connection they seem to have with the judge.Robinson, whose reputation leaves something to be desired, might have thought the judge's assistant would know where it was and decided to beat the information out of him. Who knows? But, yes, there might be a connection there, or it might be a coincidence. But you know me and coincidences." 

"The other safe? You mean, the one you said you couldn't find?" 

"Aye! Well, actually, Sergeant Larkin found it today." 

"Oh, good." She noticed his expression. "Not good?" 

"So far we can't open it. Larkin says it'll take a week. Frustrating. We need the info that might be in there." 

She sighed. "Well, fretting about it isn't going to change anything tonight. Forget about everything for a while. Go into the lounge and relax. But don't just sit there thinking. Clear your brain. Read the paper." 

"Clear my brain? Aye, right," Sheehan said. "One of the victims is a retired schoolteacher. I'm ready to swear that I've never spoken to him in my life nor have I had any dealings with him, but his face keeps flashing in my brain, and I feel that I should know him. Can't think why that should be, but it keeps happening." 

"Just stop thinking about it and maybe it'll suddenly hit you." 

"Aye, maybe." 

Margaret stopped as she headed for the door. "Oh, I almost forgot. Niall phoned." 

"The bishop?" 

"Yes. He's taking us out to dinner on Saturday evening to catch up. So,keep your diary empty. We need a night out, and you need it more than I do." 

Sheehan agreed. The idea pleased him. "Actually, I'd like that. We haven't had a real chat with him since that terrible night at LeBreton'scrypt." 

She shivered. "Jim," she said sharply. "You're not to talk about that. I never want to hear LeBreton's name again, or Baphomet, or any mention of covens. We'll just eat, drink, and be merry, right?" 

"And hope we don't die tomorrow," he said, grinning. He headed for the lounge. "I think I will have that drink."