Luck of the Irish: Complete Edition (33 page)

“Would you like me to give you a lift to the airport?”

“Thanks, Colin. I’d appreciate it.”

“By the way, Keira, if Colin is taking us to the airport to see your family off, we can take a late evening flight to Dublin tonight.”

“Sounds great.”

“It’s set, then; I’ll buy our tickets.”

“I’ll pack.”

As she finished packing and locked the suitcase, Keira reflected about the past few days and smiled to herself. Her future with Declan looked bright and full of possibilities. Her expression was still a dreamy one as she rejoined Declan and Colin in the living room. She was surprised to see Brandon sitting on the couch.

“Oh, hey, there, Brandon. Did you come to say goodbye?”

“Why? Are you going back to America, too?” he pointed at her suitcase before turning to his younger brother, feigning annoyance. “Congratulations, punk. This must have been the shortest engagement ever in the Slane family.”

“We’ve got to go to Dublin for a couple of days, dumb ass. Not that this is any of your business, mind you,” Declan replied before turning to Keira, who had sat beside him. “Heller called while you were packing. He said he needed to talk to me and my brothers. That’s why the freak came.”

She frowned but didn’t have time to comment on that piece of information because the bell rang and Erin greeted Heller at the door, and showed him to the living room. Keira stood up to go but Declan grabbed her hand and tugged it lightly, “Stay, hon.”

After exchanging greetings, Heller took a deep breath and started to speak.

“Well, I don’t want to waste more of your time than the strictly necessary, gentlemen. So, I’ll go straight to the point.”

“By all means, detective.”

“Declan, I owe you an apology and an explanation. When I arrived in Keira’s hotel room, after O’Hallon’s vicious attack, I didn’t know who you were, but when you stated your name I knew it and I didn’t say anything. I figured it wasn’t the time or the place to do that,” he raised his hand at Declan’s puzzled expression, as if asking for a little patience. “I’ll get there, my son, bear with me. As we got to know each other better, and after some digging on my part, I found out how much your life, and your brother’s lives, had been affected by your mother’s death. Then, I felt worse than I had felt in the past.”

He made a brief pause to sip the tea Erin had served us before sitting by Colin’s side. Although, the older man felt visibly uncomfortable under the scrutiny of those five pairs of eyes, he needed to finish his overdue account of facts.

Summoning his courage, he continued, “You see, I was the first responding officer to arrive in your house that night. I came in even before the paramedics arrived. I did everything I could to stop her bleeding, but there were too many cuts. I’m sure nobody would have been able to save Mrs. Slane, even if they had arrived before me. Still, the frustration I felt was overwhelming. Guilty followed in my footsteps for a long time afterwards, as well.”

“It wasn’t your fault, detective.”

“I knew it, Keira. Nevertheless, in some unconscious level, guilt tormented me. I was a very green officer at the time. Hers was the first death I had to investigate and she had practically died in my arms. I wasn’t able to sleep for days and finding the guilty part in her death became my only goal.”

“I’m sorry to say it, Heller, but you did a bloody lousy job at that.”

“I get your bitterness at losing your mom, before your own eyes at six, Declan. But, you shouldn’t say that. The Garda in general, and me in particular, conducted a very thorough investigation. That has always been very clear to me. I felt guilty I didn’t arrive in time to save her.”

“Oh, so you think accidental death covered all the bases, do you? In your thorough investigation, you must have overlooked that little part my father played in her death. You know, the murderer part.”

“Come on, Declan, that has never been proved.”

“My point exactly, Brandon. Heller here didn’t prove it.”

“Guys, I know this was a theory back then, but…”

“A theory?” Declan interrupted the detective, shouting in frustration. “The bastard made a habit of beating mom up every chance he had – for no reason at all. I know my mother never pressed charges against him, but you should have taken their past history into account in your precious investigation. How could you believe that his last attack was anything less than an attempt on her life? Can you honestly say my father’s family’s money had nothing to do with the investigation’s conclusion?”

“Most certainly not, Declan. I’d be insulted if you thought that could be true. I had personally responded to a couple of domestic disturbance calls made by your neighbors. I was aware of that nasty habit your father had. However, I had my hands tied. Without a formal complaint from your mom, no police officer could do anything about that. So, yes, your father was the Garda’s first suspect. On the other hand, I had seen the crime scene and your father’s first reactions to Mrs. Slane’s death. He was a brute, but he wasn’t an actor. He wouldn’t be able to put on such utter devastation. He was sincere. He didn’t want to kill your mother. He loved her deeply.”

“He had a very twisted way of showing that.”

“I can’t argue with that, Declan. He was a disturbed man, who should have sought proper treatment for his issues, before they caused other people any harm. Unfortunately, he didn’t and ended up destroying five lives in the process. Still, he couldn’t be trialed for that.”

“What do you mean by ‘he destroyed five lives’?”

“I followed what happened to the Slane family for a while after Mrs. Slane’s death, Keira. I watched Mr. Slane’s self-destructive behavior. He was clearly in pain, didn’t know how to deal with it, and his family thought money was the answer. It was a recipe for disaster. Candidly speaking, I was surprised he didn’t take his own life or destroyed his sons’ lives further. All things considered, you three turned out fine, wouldn’t you agree?”

Declan’s scowl spoke volumes and Brandon looked pensive so Colin became the Slane brothers’ spokesperson, “You’ve got a point there, Heller. Each one of us had to learn to deal with our own demons. We’ve probably had more stumbles and falls along the way than victories, but I guess the final balance was positive. For all of us.”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Heller offered before turning to Declan and looking him in the eyes. “I am sorry I wasn’t able to save your mom. I am sorry she had a rough life, and a tragic death. Even though I blamed myself for a long time, I came to understand it was humanly impossible for any person to have saved her that night. I’ve accepted that and I dare say you should do it, too. I know you witnessed part of the scene but you were too young to understand what you saw then or before that night. Your mother and father loved each other, regardless of how their relationship might have looked like to the outsiders. Mr. Slane was a despicable husband and a horrible father. However, while no man has the right to beat up a woman, your father wasn’t a murderer, Declan.”

Keira knew Declan well enough to read his eyes at that moment. She was certain that Heller’s words were gradually sinking in as well as answering most of his life-long questions. But, he was too stubborn to admit it, even to himself. He’d need some time to admit it to others. He just stared back at the detective in silence.

It was no surprise Heller was a good detective because he read people very well and he understood Declan wasn’t ready to respond to the new information he had just heard. The older man respected that. He stood up and offered his hand in goodbye. First Colin, then Brandon shook it. Declan reluctantly shook it for last.

“I’ll be in touch, Keira, about the trial.”

He was surprised when she hugged him tightly instead of shaking his hand. The young American had always had the ability to surprise him, turning him into a pitiful emotional old man, every time she reacted so spontaneously. She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek and whisper a throaty ‘thank you’ in his ear. The bright smile she gave him, when she let go of him, made Heller wish he were twenty again. He would have given Declan a run for his money. He shook his head and chuckled as he drove away.

Meanwhile, back in the house, Keira figured the brothers could use some privacy to discuss what they had just heard but Declan didn’t let her go, when she started to say she was going to go to their bedroom. The three brothers sat there for a long time, quietly staring into space. Erin had taken the girls out on some errand and Keira was the only witness to the Slane brothers’ peculiar way of dealing with the information they had received – utter silence. When she couldn’t bare it any longer, Brandon stood up.

“I’ve got to go. Kim will be home soon and we’ve got a lot of stuff to do.”

“That’s okay, Bran. Catch you, later,” Colin replied, and as his brother left, he turned to Declan. “It’s almost time to leave for the airport. Are you guys ready?”

Declan nodded and stood up to get a hold of Keira’s bag. He caught his on the way to the front door and took both to the car parked on the street in front of the house, placing them in the trunk.

As she followed the two brothers to the car, Keira wondered if their behavior could cause them emotional problems in the future and decided she wasn’t a shrink to evaluate that. She was a worried fiancée whose option seemed to be standing by her man and hoping for the best. She laced her fingers through Declan’s as they settled in the back seat.

“I guess I’m the designated private driver, right? Is there any way I can convince you to sit here with me, Declan?” Colin gazed at his baby brother through the rearview mirror. “I guess not,” he had to laugh when the only answer Declan gave him was turning to Keira to kiss her.

* * * *

After an intense and emotional goodbye to her family, filled with tears and promises of future phone calls, Keira felt drained. Declan, noticing her mood, didn’t insist on maintaining a conversation during most of their trip back to Dublin. They sat on the plane, holding hands, as each one reflected on their own issues.

She was astounded to realize it had been little over forty days since she had left the capital of Ireland. It felt more like forty years to her. Obviously, she wasn’t the same young woman who had set out to face her insecurities and test herself in the biggest adventure of her life. Although she had gotten so much more than she had planned for out of that trip, she didn’t regret any of her choices because they had led her to Declan. Looking out the window, she realized that most of her newfound self-confidence was a direct result of having seen herself through Declan’s eyes. He had told her, time and again, that she was stronger than she had thought. He had done that so many times that she ended-up believing it might have been true, until the day she had to prove his theory and the outcome had convinced even herself. Declan
was
right.

He fought his inner demons as Heller’s words took root in his mind. He had hated his father for so long that now it was hard letting go of the feeling, even though that sounded nuts. However, he felt an unsettling void inside his chest, where that hatred used to be, and it would take him a while to substitute it for any positive feelings towards his old man. At least, Declan’s fundamental fear that he might have inherited his father’s murderous nature seemed to gradually vanish into thin air. For the first time, he actually allowed himself to think there might be a bright future ahead of him. He looked at Keira’s profile as she gazed out of the airplane window and his heart skipped a couple of beats. She had always believed in him. She had seen goodness in him from the start. Relieved, Declan realized he now believed in himself enough so that he could be the kind of man she had always told him he was – a stable and confident man - just like she deserved.

Feeling Declan’s eyes on her, Keira turned to face him and the feeling she saw in those green depths took her breath away. Again. She leaned in and pecked him on his gorgeous lips, “I love you, too, baby.”

* * * *

The next day was a busy one for them. Declan quit his job, then, paid a visit to the owner of the apartment he rented to tell her about their wedding and his moving back to Cork.

“Oh, congratulations, my dear,” said old Mrs. Dunphy. “It’s about time you settled down. And you’ve chosen such a beautiful girl. I’m sure you’ll be very happy together.”

“We are, Mrs. Dunphy. Keira has worked a couple of miracles and turned me into a decent man.”

“That’s exactly how it works, my child,” the sweet elderly lady winked at Keira, patting her hand with her thin, wrinkled one, and laughing. “We, women, must stay strong and in control so that our men can thrive. The stronger we are, the more they prosper, inadvertently thinking they are the masters in the relationship. It seems Declan here is a smart one, Keira. He has figured it out.”

They laughed at her good-humored remark and she refused to take the key ring Declan offered to give her.

“Stay in the apartment as long as you need to settle everything up, kids. When you’re done, stop by and give me the keys. If don’t have time for that, just lock the door and leave this in the mailbox. I’ve got a spare set.”

“Will do, Mrs. Dunphy. Thank you.”