With a gesture, Sandilands indicated to Lily that he was allowing her precedence and stood back a pace. Trying to keep her voice level, Lily introduced herself to this nightmare figure and asked: ‘Sean, will you show me your back, please?’
The figure growled and shrank further into the wall.
‘You’ll get no cooperation from him, miss,’ said Kent who was standing protectively at her side. ‘Bullet’s out if that’s what you’re bothered about. Taken away for evidence. The doc had to put him out cold to extract it. Ether it was, to get him to be still. That’s what you can smell. He’s been patched up good and proper. They’ll take him to the hospital when he’s heard his charges.’
The sudden roar from the bandaged head took everyone by surprise. A torrent of abuse in Gaelic poured out. Joe couldn’t understand a word but every one was unmistakably a curse.
Kent put a hand on Lily’s arm and she started at the touch. ‘It’s all right, miss. But I’m afraid that’s all you’re going to get from him. Better come away now.’
The voice came again through the hole in the bandage. Louder. And, alarmingly, it was speaking in English. ‘Not quite all. I have something to offer the lady. Where are you, miss? Not seeing too well … my eyes have been pounded to a pulp.’
The padded head moved slowly from left to right, seeking her out, until she took a step forward and whispered, ‘I’m here.’
Joe’s hands clamped round her upper arms and jerked her backwards out of shot, as, with a spitting hiss, a broken tooth in a gobbet of blood landed at her feet.
Lily was still twitching with shock as Kent locked up the cell behind them. ‘Sorry, miss. Who’d ever have thought it? He must have been saving that up in his cheek. Little offering for the magistrate is probably what he had in mind.’
Joe, embarrassed and uncomfortable, gave her a moment to pull herself together and then asked, confident of her answer: ‘No need to take a look at the other one, I think, Wentworth? Just more of the same.’
‘No, sir, I’d like to see Sean number two if you wouldn’t mind.’
Kent sighed and shrugged and sought out the key for the second cell.
The same sorry spectacle presented itself in here. The same carefully arranged concealing bandages were in place. Sandilands judged they had been applied by the professional hand of a nurse or doctor following the police interrogation.
Kent performed the introductions.
‘Sean – I don’t know if you can see me? No? I’m a woman police officer. I’ve not come to take a statement.’ Her carefully prepared questions ran into the sand as she stared with pity at the small, battered body. ‘I just wondered if there was anything you’d like me to hear. But it doesn’t matter. I’ll go away and leave you in peace.’
The voice spoke in English. English with a London twang. ‘Peace? If only you could. I’m going to hang, aren’t I?’
‘It looks very much like that, Sean. You killed a very distinguished man and a London bobby and left a butler and a cab-driver wounded.’
After a pause: ‘The butler. I’m sorry about him. And the cabby. Wasn’t their business. Just doing their jobs. How are they, miss?’
‘They’re going to recover. It’ll take a week or two but they’ll be all right,’ Lily said.
‘Well that’s something. I’m glad of that. It’s a crumb of peace you’ve brought me. Now all I can do is stand up and take my punishment like a man.’
‘I must go now,’ Lily said and, unbearably moved by his dejection, she evaded Joe’s outstretched arm, ignored his shouted reprimand, and went to take hold of the boy’s hands. ‘God be with you, lad,’ she said. ‘I’m sorry I can’t call you by your given name. But I’m sure you’re known to God.’
He called to her as they reached the door. ‘Miss? My name. It’s Patrick. Can you find my mother and tell her how it is with me? Tell her they used me? Say I’m sorry for the trouble I’ve caused?’ Into their surprised silence he muttered: ‘She’s in Little James Street, number fifty-seven. Name of Dunne. They’d find out soon enough anyway. And I don’t want her waiting and wondering …’ He turned to the wall, sobbing.
Neither Sandilands nor Kent attempted to stop her when Lily walked back over to the boy, held his hand and waited for the storm of grief to subside. ‘My name’s Lily. I’ll see that your mother hears your message, Patrick.’
The duty staff gathered round the sergeant at the reception desk the moment the door swung to behind Sandilands and his assistant.