blackness of the leather, the entwined silver and gold, and the glitter of jewels. He’d floundered when it came to duplicating the knot that locked it tight, though. Not surprising, it had been intricate and strangely fluid.
But for something that wasn’t supposed to be real, she and the monk had both imagined it in the same way.
Danni shivered, wondering if the monk had felt that screeching hum that still seemed to rattle her bones . . . or seen the thick and viscous liquid leaking from its pages. Had someone shown the Book to the monk as her mother had shown it to Danni? If so, who? And why?
She covered her face with her hands. Her head hurt. Her mind ached. But she felt like she was circling something and if she just kept at it, she would figure out what it was.
Sighing, she scrolled to the next link her search had pulled. This one took her to an article from the Irish Times archives, titled “The Bloody Isle of Fennore.” The date on the article was October 1999. She read the first line twice, letting it sink in before she continued.
The tenth anniversary of the murders and suicide that rocked the tiny fishing village of Ballyfionúir passed with little ceremony and no closure.
Closure. There never seemed to be any of that in her world. It was something Danni had longed for and dreaded her entire life.
Although officials insist the investigation into the disappearance and likely murders of Fia MacGrath and her children will continue until they are found or their bodies recovered, they admit the likelihood of the young mother and her children being alive is slim to nonexistent. The triple murders of the MacGraths followed by the apparent suicide of their attacker was sensationalized when two additional bodies were later found in an unmarked grave, bringing the death toll to six. One of the victims was positively identified as the son of the alleged murderer, Niall Ballagh.
Stunned, Danni paused and read that again. Niall Ballagh was the alleged murderer? Niall Ballagh ? Related to Sean Ballagh?
Rumors that the mythical Book of Fennore had been found on the island and was the catalyst to the violence that occurred that night have added to the mystery surrounding the grisly and brutal slayings, and fueled an international search for the victims, who have never been found. Cathán MacGrath, husband and father to three of the victims, is the only known survivor. MacGrath’s eyewitness account portrays Niall Ballagh as a twisted and jealous man on a killing spree, which left MacGrath’s wife and children dead and Cathán MacGrath seriously injured.
Using MacGrath’s account of the events that took place, investigators have tried without success to uncover the catalyst for Ballagh’s actions, but a head injury sustained in the attack has hindered much of MacGrath’s recall and made his memory unreliable. MacGrath has never been able to offer insight about the subsequent deaths of Ballagh’s son or the unidentified woman found buried with him.
When asked about the rumored Book of Fennore and its possible discovery on the island, Cathán MacGrath denied all speculations and accused the media of ridiculous sensationalism. Chief Inspector Byrne responded in like, “When so many innocent people are killed, the public seeks an explanation that will make sense of it. Unfortunately, some things will never be explained.”
Evidence uncovered by the Garda supports Cathán MacGrath’s accounting of what happened that night, but without the bodies of the alleged victims, much of it is inconclusive.
Danni frowned, staring at the words but seeing in her mind the vision from this morning. The boy she’d seen in the grave—was that Niall Ballagh’s son? Who else could it be? But if it was the same boy, then how— why— had the vision placed Danni in that grave with him? He’d died twenty years ago, when she was just a child. She frowned, trying to remember more clearly exactly what she’d seen. But like a dream, it had
But for something that wasn’t supposed to be real, she and the monk had both imagined it in the same way.
Danni shivered, wondering if the monk had felt that screeching hum that still seemed to rattle her bones . . . or seen the thick and viscous liquid leaking from its pages. Had someone shown the Book to the monk as her mother had shown it to Danni? If so, who? And why?
She covered her face with her hands. Her head hurt. Her mind ached. But she felt like she was circling something and if she just kept at it, she would figure out what it was.
Sighing, she scrolled to the next link her search had pulled. This one took her to an article from the Irish Times archives, titled “The Bloody Isle of Fennore.” The date on the article was October 1999. She read the first line twice, letting it sink in before she continued.
The tenth anniversary of the murders and suicide that rocked the tiny fishing village of Ballyfionúir passed with little ceremony and no closure.
Closure. There never seemed to be any of that in her world. It was something Danni had longed for and dreaded her entire life.
Although officials insist the investigation into the disappearance and likely murders of Fia MacGrath and her children will continue until they are found or their bodies recovered, they admit the likelihood of the young mother and her children being alive is slim to nonexistent. The triple murders of the MacGraths followed by the apparent suicide of their attacker was sensationalized when two additional bodies were later found in an unmarked grave, bringing the death toll to six. One of the victims was positively identified as the son of the alleged murderer, Niall Ballagh.
Stunned, Danni paused and read that again. Niall Ballagh was the alleged murderer? Niall Ballagh ? Related to Sean Ballagh?
Rumors that the mythical Book of Fennore had been found on the island and was the catalyst to the violence that occurred that night have added to the mystery surrounding the grisly and brutal slayings, and fueled an international search for the victims, who have never been found. Cathán MacGrath, husband and father to three of the victims, is the only known survivor. MacGrath’s eyewitness account portrays Niall Ballagh as a twisted and jealous man on a killing spree, which left MacGrath’s wife and children dead and Cathán MacGrath seriously injured.
Using MacGrath’s account of the events that took place, investigators have tried without success to uncover the catalyst for Ballagh’s actions, but a head injury sustained in the attack has hindered much of MacGrath’s recall and made his memory unreliable. MacGrath has never been able to offer insight about the subsequent deaths of Ballagh’s son or the unidentified woman found buried with him.
When asked about the rumored Book of Fennore and its possible discovery on the island, Cathán MacGrath denied all speculations and accused the media of ridiculous sensationalism. Chief Inspector Byrne responded in like, “When so many innocent people are killed, the public seeks an explanation that will make sense of it. Unfortunately, some things will never be explained.”
Evidence uncovered by the Garda supports Cathán MacGrath’s accounting of what happened that night, but without the bodies of the alleged victims, much of it is inconclusive.
Danni frowned, staring at the words but seeing in her mind the vision from this morning. The boy she’d seen in the grave—was that Niall Ballagh’s son? Who else could it be? But if it was the same boy, then how— why— had the vision placed Danni in that grave with him? He’d died twenty years ago, when she was just a child. She frowned, trying to remember more clearly exactly what she’d seen. But like a dream, it had
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