Read Online Borderlands by Brian McGilloway - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brian McGilloway
Ads: Link
Diet
Coke. At some point she took what she may have believed to be an Ecstasy tablet,
no bigger than a one cent coin and speckled yellow and brown. The tablet was of
very low purity and had been cut with, amongst other things, talc, rat poison,
DDT, nutmeg and strychnine.
Shortly
after taking the tablet, and perhaps even as a consequence of it, she began to
have sex with someone who wore a condom, as we had been told earlier. Perhaps
during the act itself, the compound of chemicals she had taken caused something
in her brain to misfire; her synapses sparked with electrical currents which
eventually sent her into an epileptic seizure. The strychnine was probably
responsible for spasms which tore her leg muscles from their ligaments. In
addition, her lungs began to slow and enter paralysis, though whoever was with
her may not have realized this, for they knelt on her chest and covered her
mouth with a cotton cloth until she stopped breathing. Perhaps they realized
that the drug would kill her, but wished to speed the process along. Or perhaps
they simply put her out of her misery.
After
she had died her body was washed and her pants were put back on, inside out.
Then two people - for she would have been prohibitively heavy for a person
small enough to kneel on her to be capable also of carrying her - must have put
her into a car. They drove her to behind Lifford Cineplex several hours after
she died and threw her body down to the spot where we discovered it.
We
waited until everyone had finished reading, Williams going over the report more
slowly than the rest of us. "So," said Costello finally, "it
fairly much confirms what we knew already, with a few more details thrown in.
Especially the drug thing."
"Yeah,"
said Holmes. "Not uncommon to get low-grade drugs, especially E tabs.
Though in saying that, I haven't heard of any of these substances being found
before."
"I
have," said Costello and I saw Williams nod slightly, as though in
agreement. "Read this and see if it sounds familiar."
He
handed each of us a copy of a letter dated September 1996, the paper still warm
from the photocopier. The letter read:
Dear
Student
As
you are aware, An Garda work closely with your school to
develop
drugs awareness programmes to educate you about
the
dangers of drugs and ensure that none of you get caught in the cycle of criminal
activity which drugs use can cause.
However,
we are also aware that some of you may be using drugs or have been tempted to
experiment with them. Therefore I write to you in particular to be vigilant
over the coming weeks.
It
has come to our attention that a batch of highly dangerous Ecstasy tablets has
appeared on the Irish drugs scene and, while none has reached Donegal to date,
it has been decided that all students in all schools in the area be made aware
of this danger. The tablets, which are round, are about one centimetre in
diameter. They have a yellow/brown speckled appearance and might taste slightly
bitter. The Customs Office in Dublin has informed us that these drugs, which
originated in Holland, will not have the effect of an Ecstasy tablet, but in
fact contain a number of deadly chemicals and poisons, including rat- and
flea-killer. The tablets can cause a range of symptoms, including breathing
difficulties, convulsions, brain damage, and could cause death.
If
someone offers you one of these tablets - or if you are suspicious of anything
you are offered - DO NOT TAKE IT.
You
can contact Letterkenny Garda station in confidence on 074 55584, or else
contact your local Garda station or tell a member of your school staff. You
will not get in any trouble and you might help save lives.
The
letter was signed by Costello, with a further reminder to avoid the drugs
completely. I vaguely remembered the letters being distributed by schools,
though at the time I was working in Sligo on a breaking-and-entering team who
were targeting local hotels and hostels.
"Sound
like the same things,"
Coke. At some point she took what she may have believed to be an Ecstasy tablet,
no bigger than a one cent coin and speckled yellow and brown. The tablet was of
very low purity and had been cut with, amongst other things, talc, rat poison,
DDT, nutmeg and strychnine.
Shortly
after taking the tablet, and perhaps even as a consequence of it, she began to
have sex with someone who wore a condom, as we had been told earlier. Perhaps
during the act itself, the compound of chemicals she had taken caused something
in her brain to misfire; her synapses sparked with electrical currents which
eventually sent her into an epileptic seizure. The strychnine was probably
responsible for spasms which tore her leg muscles from their ligaments. In
addition, her lungs began to slow and enter paralysis, though whoever was with
her may not have realized this, for they knelt on her chest and covered her
mouth with a cotton cloth until she stopped breathing. Perhaps they realized
that the drug would kill her, but wished to speed the process along. Or perhaps
they simply put her out of her misery.
After
she had died her body was washed and her pants were put back on, inside out.
Then two people - for she would have been prohibitively heavy for a person
small enough to kneel on her to be capable also of carrying her - must have put
her into a car. They drove her to behind Lifford Cineplex several hours after
she died and threw her body down to the spot where we discovered it.
We
waited until everyone had finished reading, Williams going over the report more
slowly than the rest of us. "So," said Costello finally, "it
fairly much confirms what we knew already, with a few more details thrown in.
Especially the drug thing."
"Yeah,"
said Holmes. "Not uncommon to get low-grade drugs, especially E tabs.
Though in saying that, I haven't heard of any of these substances being found
before."
"I
have," said Costello and I saw Williams nod slightly, as though in
agreement. "Read this and see if it sounds familiar."
He
handed each of us a copy of a letter dated September 1996, the paper still warm
from the photocopier. The letter read:
Dear
Student
As
you are aware, An Garda work closely with your school to
develop
drugs awareness programmes to educate you about
the
dangers of drugs and ensure that none of you get caught in the cycle of criminal
activity which drugs use can cause.
However,
we are also aware that some of you may be using drugs or have been tempted to
experiment with them. Therefore I write to you in particular to be vigilant
over the coming weeks.
It
has come to our attention that a batch of highly dangerous Ecstasy tablets has
appeared on the Irish drugs scene and, while none has reached Donegal to date,
it has been decided that all students in all schools in the area be made aware
of this danger. The tablets, which are round, are about one centimetre in
diameter. They have a yellow/brown speckled appearance and might taste slightly
bitter. The Customs Office in Dublin has informed us that these drugs, which
originated in Holland, will not have the effect of an Ecstasy tablet, but in
fact contain a number of deadly chemicals and poisons, including rat- and
flea-killer. The tablets can cause a range of symptoms, including breathing
difficulties, convulsions, brain damage, and could cause death.
If
someone offers you one of these tablets - or if you are suspicious of anything
you are offered - DO NOT TAKE IT.
You
can contact Letterkenny Garda station in confidence on 074 55584, or else
contact your local Garda station or tell a member of your school staff. You
will not get in any trouble and you might help save lives.
The
letter was signed by Costello, with a further reminder to avoid the drugs
completely. I vaguely remembered the letters being distributed by schools,
though at the time I was working in Sligo on a breaking-and-entering team who
were targeting local hotels and hostels.
"Sound
like the same things,"
Similar Books
