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Authors: Gerard O'Donovan
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a hand.
‘Was the girl raped, then?’ the uniform asked, self-conscious in front of all the detectives.
‘How long are you out of Templemore?’ Brogan asked him, meaning the training college in Tipperary that every candidate Garda
attended, on and off, for three years, before graduating.
‘Since April twelve months,’ he answered, nerves betraying more of his thick Kerry accent.
Brogan’s response was as brittle as ice. ‘Well, in that case,Garda, you shouldn’t need me to tell you that Section 4 of the Criminal Law Rape Act, 1990, states unequivocally that any
penetration of the vagina, however slight, by any object held or manipulated by another person constitutes rape.
Any
object,’ she repeated emphatically. ‘I think that probably includes a red-hot metal bar, don’t you?’ She looked at each of
them in turn before continuing. ‘Which means that when we get the sick fucker who did this, he’s going down for life.’
As soon as everyone else had filed out of the room Brogan came over to Mulcahy. She didn’t smile or offer a hand in welcome. Then
again, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about being foisted on her himself, so what could he expect? What she said next, though,
surprised him.
‘Sorry about Cassidy back there. I’m sure he thought he was being funny.’
‘He’s not the only one pissed off about me being brought in on this.’
Mistaking his meaning, Brogan put up a hand to stop him. ‘You’re right, I’m not ecstatic, but let’s not get too hung up about
it, okay? Anyway, far as I’m concerned, liaison isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So long as you keep your Spanish pals off my
back, then I’ll be happy.’
‘They’re no more my pals than they are yours.’ Mulcahy bridled. ‘And if your hair-trigger sergeant hadn’t lost his rag, neither
of us would be in this mess.’
Again she put her hands up, this time a thin smile playing across her lips.
‘Okay, okay, so neither of us wants this. In which case, you stick to your brief, I’ll stick to mine, and we’ll put on a united
front whenever necessary.’
‘Fair enough,’ Mulcahy said.
She stopped, one arm crooked and resting on her hip, and looked around the room as if she’d rather be anywhere else in the
world. Then she came out with it: ‘While you’re here though, y’know, I thought we might as well make use of you.’
‘Did you have something specific in mind?’
‘Well, just from what you were saying yesterday, I was wondering if we shouldn’t be putting some emphasis on
who
she is, as being a possible motive.’
Mulcahy raised an eyebrow. ‘Who her father is, you mean?’
‘Yeah, just that as Interior Minister he must have a lot of enemies, right?’
‘In Spain, maybe,’ Mulcahy frowned. ‘But why would they do anything
here
, and to his daughter? Then leave no sign that it had to do with him, not her. A bit unlikely, don’t you think?’
‘Who knows?’ she shrugged. ‘I’m ruling nothing out at this stage. I’ll go whatever way the evidence takes me, so if we turn
up something to point us in that direction, we’ll go down that road. In the meantime, you could ask the Spanish police if
they have any leads or suspicions along those lines to pass them onto us. I’m sure you can cover all that as part of the liaison
brief.’
‘Sure,’ Mulcahy said. ‘Leave no stone unturned.’
She turned to move away, but then stopped and looked back at him.
‘Actually there was something else I was hoping you could do for me, as well. It’s a bit dull, though.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah,’ she said, smiling now. ‘Like I was saying yesterday, it’s a racing certainty that this guy’s done something, if not
exactly like this, then at least similar – less obvious, maybe – before. I’ve asked one of the lads to do me a PULSE trawl
of all reported violent sexual assaults in the greater Dublin area over the last year – everything that’s been logged either
‘Was the girl raped, then?’ the uniform asked, self-conscious in front of all the detectives.
‘How long are you out of Templemore?’ Brogan asked him, meaning the training college in Tipperary that every candidate Garda
attended, on and off, for three years, before graduating.
‘Since April twelve months,’ he answered, nerves betraying more of his thick Kerry accent.
Brogan’s response was as brittle as ice. ‘Well, in that case,Garda, you shouldn’t need me to tell you that Section 4 of the Criminal Law Rape Act, 1990, states unequivocally that any
penetration of the vagina, however slight, by any object held or manipulated by another person constitutes rape.
Any
object,’ she repeated emphatically. ‘I think that probably includes a red-hot metal bar, don’t you?’ She looked at each of
them in turn before continuing. ‘Which means that when we get the sick fucker who did this, he’s going down for life.’
As soon as everyone else had filed out of the room Brogan came over to Mulcahy. She didn’t smile or offer a hand in welcome. Then
again, he wasn’t exactly thrilled about being foisted on her himself, so what could he expect? What she said next, though,
surprised him.
‘Sorry about Cassidy back there. I’m sure he thought he was being funny.’
‘He’s not the only one pissed off about me being brought in on this.’
Mistaking his meaning, Brogan put up a hand to stop him. ‘You’re right, I’m not ecstatic, but let’s not get too hung up about
it, okay? Anyway, far as I’m concerned, liaison isn’t necessarily a bad thing. So long as you keep your Spanish pals off my
back, then I’ll be happy.’
‘They’re no more my pals than they are yours.’ Mulcahy bridled. ‘And if your hair-trigger sergeant hadn’t lost his rag, neither
of us would be in this mess.’
Again she put her hands up, this time a thin smile playing across her lips.
‘Okay, okay, so neither of us wants this. In which case, you stick to your brief, I’ll stick to mine, and we’ll put on a united
front whenever necessary.’
‘Fair enough,’ Mulcahy said.
She stopped, one arm crooked and resting on her hip, and looked around the room as if she’d rather be anywhere else in the
world. Then she came out with it: ‘While you’re here though, y’know, I thought we might as well make use of you.’
‘Did you have something specific in mind?’
‘Well, just from what you were saying yesterday, I was wondering if we shouldn’t be putting some emphasis on
who
she is, as being a possible motive.’
Mulcahy raised an eyebrow. ‘Who her father is, you mean?’
‘Yeah, just that as Interior Minister he must have a lot of enemies, right?’
‘In Spain, maybe,’ Mulcahy frowned. ‘But why would they do anything
here
, and to his daughter? Then leave no sign that it had to do with him, not her. A bit unlikely, don’t you think?’
‘Who knows?’ she shrugged. ‘I’m ruling nothing out at this stage. I’ll go whatever way the evidence takes me, so if we turn
up something to point us in that direction, we’ll go down that road. In the meantime, you could ask the Spanish police if
they have any leads or suspicions along those lines to pass them onto us. I’m sure you can cover all that as part of the liaison
brief.’
‘Sure,’ Mulcahy said. ‘Leave no stone unturned.’
She turned to move away, but then stopped and looked back at him.
‘Actually there was something else I was hoping you could do for me, as well. It’s a bit dull, though.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah,’ she said, smiling now. ‘Like I was saying yesterday, it’s a racing certainty that this guy’s done something, if not
exactly like this, then at least similar – less obvious, maybe – before. I’ve asked one of the lads to do me a PULSE trawl
of all reported violent sexual assaults in the greater Dublin area over the last year – everything that’s been logged either
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