Let's Play Dead

CHAPTER 22

As arranged, Saturday morning found me driving to the city. Arabella lived in a quiet neighborhood east of the Philadelphia Art Museum. She had probably bought it years ago when she first married, when the neighborhood had been a bit seedier-and more affordable-than it was now. The house itself, when I located it, proved to be small and charming, its trim newly painted, its brass knocker gleaming. I parked on the street, then approached the door and knocked. I heard the tap-tap of shoes on what must be bare wooden floors, and then Arabella opened the door.

“Oh, good, you found it. Nell, I’m so sorry to interrupt your weekend, but I thought this was important. Come on in. Can I get you some coffee?”

She led me down the narrow hall with a steep staircase along one side, to the living room at the back. I stopped on the threshold, because there was someone else there I thought I recognized: “You’re Nolan Treacy.”

The man had risen when I appeared, and now stepped forward to offer his hand. “I am. I hear my name’s been getting tossed about lately.”

“It’s come up,” I said cautiously.

Nolan raised both hands in protest. “I’m a respectable man with nothing to hide.”

Arabella interrupted. “The FBI got in touch with me the other day to ask if I knew where Nolan was. I hadn’t seen him since we split up, decades ago, but it turns out he’s been in town for the past few weeks. The FBI talked to some of his old friends, and they passed the word to him, and he got in touch with me late yesterday. I wanted you to hear what he had to say, Nell, since you’ve been so helpful to me. Unfortunately it doesn’t seem to get us any closer to figuring out who messed with the exhibit, but I guess we can eliminate a few possibilities. Let me set the food out so we can eat. I’ll just be a minute.” Arabella bustled toward what had to be the kitchen. I stood in the doorway, unsure of what to do next. Nolan looked equally ill at ease.

“So,” I finally began, “you and Arabella were married?”

“We were, years ago. Nineteen eighty, it was. Caitlin was born in 1985, but we were already having problems by then. I returned to Ireland shortly after we split in 1990.”

I felt uncomfortable talking about such personal matters with a man I didn’t know. Heck, I barely knew Arabella. “What brought you back now? Have you been back to this country since you two split?”

“I haven’t. I had a lot of things to sort out, back home, and I guess my life kind of went on. Arabella divorced me after I left. I’ve remarried, and I’m a father again now.”

“Come help yourselves,” Arabella called out.

I got up and made my way to the dining room, relieved to be able to put off this conversation. Arabella had laid out a pretty spread of breakfast goodies, nicely arrayed on fine china. Was she showing off for Nolan? Given the way she was keeping as far away from him as possible, I guessed that there was no lingering affection on her part. I wondered about the whole story behind their split, but no way was I going to ask. I took a plate and filled it, and when we were all ready, we returned to the living room.

“I don’t mean to spoil this lovely food, Arabella, but can you tell me, why was it so urgent for you to speak with me in person?” I asked.

She sighed, and set her plate down on a delicate side table. “I thought you’d want to hear the story. The FBI asked me if I knew where Nolan might be staying. At the time I told them the truth, which was that I hadn’t seen him, or at least I wasn’t sure-and then yesterday he called me out of the blue.” She sent an angry look Nolan’s way. “I didn’t want to meet him alone, and that’s why I asked you to join us. But I don’t know what to do about the FBI. Should I call them? I don’t want to get myself in any trouble about this by not telling them. I thought perhaps you had more experience dealing with the FBI?”

I wondered why she hadn’t just asked me for a contact name at the FBI, but I could see that she might hesitate at just turning her ex-husband over to them, whatever her past or current feelings were. I tried to work out the best way to explain my odd connection to the FBI, and settled for the simplest. “When we had our problems at the Society, I got to know the local agent in charge, James Morrison. Normally he wouldn’t be involved in the investigation of the incident at Let’s Play, but when they found the connection between you and Nolan, he was called in.” Both looked blank, so I added, “The IRA terrorist angle.”

It took Nolan a moment to figure out what I’d said, and then he burst out laughing. “That old business! So that’s what this is about? That was mostly blather back in the day-it was a different time, and tempers ran a bit high. But beyond sending a few punts back to the boys at home, I was never really involved with the IRA or anything like it. I’m almost flattered that they’d see me in that light, but it’s got nothing to do with this now.”

Arabella was watching him coldly. “You certainly talked a good line, Nolan. That was one of the things that split us up-you were always going off to some bar to recruit people or collect more money.”

Nolan looked at her. “That’s what I told you, love, but mostly I wanted to get out of the house. I’ll admit it now-I wasn’t ready for marriage then, especially after Caitlin came along. I was too young and too full of myself. It wasn’t fair to you, and I figured the best thing I could do for you was to walk away.”

Arabella’s color darkened. “Well, thank you so much for running back to Ireland and leaving me with a baby and a mortgage and no way to support myself! You never sent a penny. You never even asked how we were.”

Nolan held up his hands in surrender. “I was wrong, Bella. I signed the divorce papers, didn’t I? I figured you were better off without me. I did think you’d remarry, though.”

Arabella was not placated. “And when did I have time to find a new husband? I was holding down a job and taking classes at night and trying to be a mother to Caitlin. And after the way you’d treated me, I wasn’t exactly eager to find a replacement.”

“I’m sorry-I know it can’t have been easy. You’ve done well for yourself, though.”

If I’d been uncomfortable before, it was ten times worse being in the middle of a couple rehashing old grievances. “Listen, you two-you can argue all you want about what’s past, but what’s it got to do with the mess at Let’s Play?”

Arabella took a moment to steady herself before she answered. “I apologize, Nell. You’re right-you don’t need to hear about our dirty laundry. But this FBI inquiry really threw me, because I didn’t expect it, and until this morning I hadn’t seen Nolan for years.”

“You saw him two days ago at the Market, right?”

Arabella nodded. “I thought I was seeing a ghost. I couldn’t be sure, and he looks so much older.”

“Ah, you cut me to the quick, darlin’,” Nolan said lightly.

Arabella turned back to face him. “Don’t you make a joke of it, Nolan. You left me in the lurch. Now you’re back, and so far all you’ve done is make more trouble for me. Don’t you realize this is serious? You’ve got the FBI looking for you now, and the police.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right, of course. But it’s just a case of bad timing. You can’t think I had anything to do with that problem at your museum, can you?”

“I don’t know what to think, and it really doesn’t matter. What counts is what the FBI and the police think. You’re an electrician, or at least you used to be, and you’ve had ties with organizations on their watch list. That makes you suspicious to them. You certainly could have set up that death trap at Let’s Play, and if you’re wondering about motive, they might guess that for some insane reason you had decided to get back at me by attacking what I’ve made of myself, what I love. Can you even see that? Or are you still completely clueless?”

I’d had enough. “All right, that’s it. The quickest way to move forward is to talk to the FBI. I’m going to call my friend. Nolan, if you really want to clear up old issues- and if you have nothing to hide-you should talk to him.” Before he could respond, I turned on my heel, stalked to the hallway, and called James on my cell phone. Without thinking, I hit the speed dial for his office first and was startled when he answered. “What are you doing in your office? It’s Saturday.”

“So I’ve been told. Hunting for terrorists, among other things. Why did you call my office if you didn’t think I’d be here?”

“Force of habit. In any case, if you’re looking for Nolan Treacy, I’ve got him.”

“What? Where are you?” James sputtered.

“I’m at Arabella Heffernan’s house. Want to come over?”

“Nolan’s there?”

“Yes, unless he’s sneaked out the back door in the last three minutes. You coming?”

“Yes.” He hung up without formality.

I went back to the living room, relieved to see that Nolan hadn’t vanished, though Arabella still looked none too happy to have him there. “Arabella, you might want to get out another coffee cup. Agent James Morrison is on his way over. Nolan, James is one of the good guys. If you play it straight with him, he’ll do right by you.”

Arabella finally smiled. “See? That’s why I called you, Nell. You know how to make things happen.”

I tried not to choke on my coffee.

James arrived precisely seven minutes later. Arabella answered the door and escorted him in, making twittering noises about coffee and pastries. He bore it with patience, but when he walked into the living room, his eyes fixed on Nolan Treacy and didn’t move. Nolan stood, and the two men sized each other up. Arabella hovered between them, eager to keep the peace-it was, after all, her home. Me, I stayed out of the way.

“Mr. Treacy,” James began, “were you aware that the FBI and the police wanted to speak with you?”

“Not until I spoke with my former wife yesterday. And it’s Nolan, if you will.”

“Won’t you all please sit down?” Arabella pleaded. “Would you like coffee?”

Everyone turned down coffee, but at least James and Nolan took seats, which reduced the tension in the room. “What brings you to Philadelphia at this particular time?” James asked.

“Making amends for my sinful ways. Sorry, that sounded a bit flip. Let’s put it this way: I’ve finally grown up, or so I hope, and I thought I owed it to Arabella to apologize to her face for the trouble I caused her, back when I left.”

“How long have you been in the country?”

“A couple of weeks. All nice and legal-want to see my passport?”

“Yet you waited this long to contact your former wife. Why was that?”

“Cold feet? I was trying to get my bearings again, after so long. The city has changed a lot in twenty-odd years. People have changed. And then I heard about the trouble at the museum, and I thought maybe I shouldn’t make her life any more complicated than it already was.”

“Have you seen your daughter, Caitlin, yet?”

Nolan’s eyes darted to Arabella. “I wasn’t sure how she’d take me showing up out of the blue. She was no more than six when I walked out of her life. I thought I should test the waters with Arabella first.”

I noticed that Nolan hadn’t quite answered the question. James launched his next question. “Were you planning to stay around long?”

“What’re you asking? Do I have a home, a family, a job to go back to? The answer would be yes to all three. My wife understands why I need to do this. My children back home are in their teens, and I hope they have happier memories of me than those I gave Caitlin. I’ve been running my own business for years. But this… It’s closure you say over here, isn’t it?”

“Why now?”

Nolan looked away. “My health-I’ve got prostate cancer. I’ve probably got a good few years left to me, but it’s an uncertain world. I thought I should get my traveling out of the way while I could still manage it.”

James studied him silently. I held my breath. Everything that Nolan had said seemed reasonable, and I had little reason to doubt him, but the timing was troublesome. Nolan had come back to this country for the first time after twenty years, and a few days later there had been an electrical accident at the institution run by the wife he’d abandoned years earlier. Coincidence?

I didn’t like coincidences. Neither, apparently, did James. “At the time you left this country, you were a member of the electrician’s union. Are you still an electrician?”

“I am. I have my own business in Bagenalstown.”

“Are you aware of the circumstances of the accident at Let’s Play?”

Nolan didn’t answer immediately, and when he spoke I thought I understood why-still covering for his union pals. “I might have heard mention of it, here and there.”

“Could you rig up something like that?”

“I don’t know the details, but I’d wager I could-sounds simple enough. But why on earth would I want to?”

James ignored the question. “Did you know the dead man?”

Nolan cocked his head. “And who would that be? I haven’t been reading the papers, you know.”

“Joe Murphy.”

“No, may the poor soul rest in peace.” Nolan shut his eyes for a moment.

“Were you aware that your daughter’s boyfriend was injured before Joe was killed?”

Nolan snapped to attention at that. “No, sir, I was not! I know nothing about any boyfriend, but if he’s my daughter’s choice, why would I do him harm? This whole thing’s a joke! Why would I come back to this country after twenty years and try to destroy Arabella’s business and my daughter’s happiness? You’d have to think me mad, man!” He sat back and glared at James.

I had to admit he had a point. Twenty years was a long time to hold a grudge, and if there were a grudge to be held, that honor went to Arabella rather than Nolan. I turned to James to see how he would react. His slumped shoulders told the story. He sighed. “Mr. Treacy, I have no reason to suspect you of anything. Your former connections with Irish malcontents put you on our local watch list, and I was asked to follow through on that. I’ll choose to believe you when you tell me that you didn’t know we wanted to speak with you. I’ve spoken with you now, and I don’t doubt your story, although I would be remiss if I didn’t verify it.”

“Of course,” Nolan said, gracious in his triumph. “I’ll be happy to give you anything else you need.”

“I’ll ask that you keep me apprised of your whereabouts, at least until we’ve cleared this up. How long did you intend to stay in Philadelphia?”

“I’d planned to go home in a couple of weeks. I’ve booked my flight, if you want to see that.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Mrs. Heffernan, could I trouble you for some of that coffee now?”

We maintained a strained civility for as long as it took to consume a cup of coffee, and then I stood up. The men politely followed suit. “If you don’t need me for anything else, I’ve got a desk full of paperwork waiting for me,” I said, to no one in particular.

James looked surprised. “You’re going to the office today?”

“I am. If you recall, I’m still the new kid at the Society, and I’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”

“I’ll walk you out,” he said. He turned back to Nolan and Arabella. “You can stop by my office and leave me a list of names to verify your whereabouts, Mr. Treacy. I’ll let the police know I’ve talked to you.”

Arabella was fluttering. “Nell, thank you so much for coming by. And Mr. Morrison, I hope it wasn’t too much trouble for you…”

“Not at all, Mrs. Heffernan. At least I’ve accounted for your ex-husband. Nell, let’s go.”