medical one, but it should be, based on the conversation I had with him during the night,” he remarked. “When he woke up, he was quite eager to tell me why he killed your friend Julia. In his words, she was a lying, cheating, whore, who got what she deserved.” Fuller paused for a moment. “I apologise, but as I said, those were his words. When I was able to get him to clarify, Mr O’Herlihy revealed that he recently discovered Miss Lincoln cheated on him while the two of them were involved.”
“That’s hardly news. Jules is, was, a lovely girl, my best friend, but she couldn’t stay faithful to save her life,” Holly remarked. “We all knew it,” she said a little defensively, responding to the look her friend threw her. “Patrick was the only one who didn’t, and I don’t know how he didn’t, she wasn’t exactly discreet.”
“Miss Lincoln’s lack of discretion aside, Mr O’Herlihy only recently found out about her infidelities, when his brother let slip that he had slept with her. Upon hearing that his brother had slept with his girlfriend, Mr O’Herlihy lost the plot and attacked him; we found the body of David O’Herlihy in his flat in the early hours of this morning, as his brother told us we would. He had been dead for several days.”
Kirsty was so shocked that almost ten seconds passed before she was able to speak. “So, Patrick murdered Jules and his brother because they cheated on him together? That’s crazy.”
“You’ll get no argument from me on that score,” Fuller remarked as he shifted himself on the uncomfortable chair. “I’ve investigated several murders during my time as a detective, but these were the worst.”
“I take it Gary was murdered because he had the misfortune of being with Jules when Patrick came for her.”
“Regrettably, yes. If he had not been there, Mr Turner would still be alive.”
“Okay, so I get why Patrick killed his brother, and Jules, and even Gary, even if his reasons are crazy. But why did he attack me?” Kirsty wanted to know. “I had nothing to do with Jules cheating on him with David.”
“That was a case of mistaken identity as far as I could gather. At this point in his story, Mr O’Herlihy became less coherent, mumbling something about the right dress, but the wrong girl.”
“He must have been talking about the dress I was wearing the night he attacked me, Jules lent it to me, and if I remember right, Patrick bought it for her. He bought her lots of things. I suppose it would have been easy for him to mistake me for Jules in that dress, people do say we look alike, from the back.”
“Well that explains that.” Fuller seemed relieved to have that cleared up. “And it brings us all up to date. The two of you now know everything that happened, not to mention why it happened, and I have the answer to the one thing Mr O’Herlihy didn’t clear up for me.”
“What happens now?” Holly asked. “You said Patrick confessed, does that mean he’ll go straight to jail? Or will there still need to be a trial?”
“Given the nature of the murders he has committed, Mr O’Herlihy will be examined by a psychiatrist, who will decide whether he is fit to stand trial. I think it likely he will be found unfit and sent to a secure facility; most probably he’ll spend a significant amount of time there. I’ll keep you both informed, as and when I know anything.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
Kirsty shook her head. “No, thank you, detective. I think we need to be alone for a bit.”
Detective Sergeant Fuller nodded his understanding and got to his feet, quietly closing the door behind him as he left.
About the author
Alex R Carver has worked in the clerical, warehouse and retail industries over the years, without gaining much satisfaction, and has now quit to become a full-time writer. Where There’s A Will is the first in his Inspector Stone series, with the second book due out in 2017, along with a serial killer thriller, Written In Blood.
You can find out more about his writing on his blog https://arcbookblog.wordpress.com/ including previews of the novels he is working on, short stories and reviews.
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