Friday Feature & Giveaway: The Silent Speak by Val Collins

Did you speak to Detective Moloney?’

‘Yes.’

‘Thank you. When will he meet with me?’

‘He’s not going to meet with you, Lisa. As I said, he’s on holidays for a few weeks.’

‘What? Didn’t you tell him—’

‘I told him exactly what you said. Conor understands why you believe your brother is innocent, but he says all the evidence points to Shane’s guilt.’

‘But that just means the murderer did a very good job of covering his tracks.’

The waitress arrived with a large plate of sandwiches and two coffees. Aoife pushed the plate towards Lisa. ‘You need to eat.’

Lisa shook her head. ‘There’s something the police missed. There has to be.’

‘Do you know that the note was in Shane’s handwriting?’

‘Somebody obviously forced him to write it.’

‘And you know Shane didn’t have any defensive wounds? Do you think he would have allowed his attacker to cut his wrists without making any attempt to defend himself?’

‘He must have been tied up.’

‘There are no rope marks. No signs of restraint at all. There’s not even one other scratch on his body. Everybody else…’ She couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.

‘Their throats were cut, I know that, and you think a murderer would have cut Shane’s throat as well but, don’t you see, the murder wanted it to look like Shane killed his family. That’s why his wrists were cut.’

‘Forensics are positive Shane cut his own wrists. Apparently they can tell from the angle and the depth of the cut.’

‘Either they’re wrong or the murderer figured out a way to fool them.’ When Aoife didn’t reply, she said, ‘Do you have brothers or sisters?’

Aoife shook her head.

‘Well, if you did, you would understand what I’m saying. I grew up with Shane. I knew him before he learned to hide the less acceptable facets of his personality. I know what he’s capable of.’

‘People change. Life happens, we grow up, we become different people.’

‘People’s attitudes and beliefs change. Their basic nature doesn’t. And anyway, I moved in with Shane after my relationship broke up. I lived with them for almost three months while I looked for a place of my own. I’d only moved out two weeks before the murder, and we all had dinner in my mother’s house the weekend before. Shane was perfectly normal on Sunday. You’re telling me he had turned into a homicidal maniac by Thursday? That isn’t possible.’

‘I know it’s hard to accept, but—’

‘I can’t accept it because it isn’t true. I don’t know how the murderer managed to fool the forensic guys, but I am absolutely certain that Shane didn’t kill anybody.’

‘I don’t know what to say, Lisa.’

‘I need you to understand.’ Lisa sipped her coffee, then put the mug down with a clatter. ‘It’s like this. Shane worked for my uncle. My uncle has this big firm that employs an entire sales department, but Shane and my cousin are his top salespeople. They’re both outgoing and can talk to anyone, but the difference between them is that Shane has a genuine interest in people. He loves everyone and wants to help them. My cousin is only interested in making money.’

‘I don’t see what this—’

‘The point I’m trying to make is I know my cousin almost as well as I know Shane. Keith spent most of his summers in our house when we were kids, and from as far back as I can remember, he was selfish and sly. He’d steal my toys, pinch me when nobody was looking and get me into trouble any chance he got. He hid that side of himself from the adults and, as he grew older, he learned to hide it from everybody. He’s conned people into thinking he’s a great person, but I know his basic nature. He’s not a nice guy. He never was and he never will be. I doubt he’d murder his wife or his kids, but I’d be prepared to consider it as a possibility. I know Shane even better and it simply isn’t in him.’ She swallowed. ‘It wasn’t in him.’

‘Even if you’re right, Lisa, there’s nothing Conor can do to help. He takes his job very seriously and he’s investigated everything thoroughly. The evidence just isn’t there.’

Lisa reached for her coffee and took a sip. ‘I asked around about you and I looked you up. I read the article you wrote about your father-in-law’s murder. You were the one who solved that case, not the police.’

‘I got lucky.’

‘It was more than luck. Aoife, I need your help. If the police can’t prove Shane’s innocence, I need you to do it.’

‘What? No! I’m a journalist, not a detective.’

‘You solved one case, you can solve this one.’

‘No, Lisa. I’m sorry. I can’t. I wouldn’t even know where to begin and I can’t get involved in a case that Conor is investigating. I could get him into serious trouble.’

‘But he’s not investigating it. That’s the whole point. He’s decided Shane is the murderer.’

‘Conor says the investigation is ongoing. There are a few loose ends they need to tie up.’

‘What loose ends?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘You said Detective Moloney’s on holiday. Start your investigation by talking to his replacement and follow up with him. You don’t need to involve Detective Moloney at all.’