Rock Point. Carla Neggers

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СКАЧАТЬ a cynical man, Sean Murphy.”

      “You know what ecclesiastic strings to pull to get this parish?”

      “That’s one way of putting it.”

      The village lights disappeared, and the hill became more steep, the cliffs closer—a sharp plummet across a narrow strip of grass and a low stone wall. Sean had grown up here on Shepherd Head. Finian had grown up on a farm in the Kerry hills, if not one as prosperous as the Murphy farm. He and his twin brother Declan were eldest of five. Declan was married with three small children. Two of their three younger sisters were married, also with small children.

      Finian braked his thinking and returned himself to this moment, this quiet walk along the edge of sea cliffs. He could hear sheep now in the dark, distant fields. When he’d arrived late that afternoon, Sean and his uncle, who worked the farm, had just brought several vulnerable pregnant ewes down to the barn and an adjoining field.

      “I suppose I should have been nicer to Kitty,” Sean said.

      “I wouldn’t have mentioned the coyote killing the newborn lamb, I have to say.”

      “As if she’s never heard of such a thing. She’s been coming to Declan’s Cross since she was a baby, and she’s lived here for two years, fixing up that blasted house of hers.”

      “You wish it’d been torn down.”

      “Leveled,” Sean concurred with a hand motion to go with the image.

      Finian didn’t know if his friend meant what he said. “Is that why you asked me here? You want to talk to me about Kitty—”

      “Kitty? Why would I want to talk to you about her?”

      “The art theft, then?” Finian asked.

      “I didn’t ask you here about Kitty O’Byrne or an old art theft.”

      Finian would have been surprised if he had. In their friendship of almost seven years, anytime Finian had brought them up, Sean had changed the subject. Sean came down to Declan’s Cross as often as he could, given his demanding work in Dublin. He’d always wanted to be in the guards. An Garda Síochána, in Irish. The Guardians of the Peace. He’d never discussed with Finian the sacrifices his position required. He preferred, he’d said many times, to leave the job in Dublin when he was home in Declan’s Cross.

      Finian had sold his house in the southwest of Ireland years ago, but he still owned a traditional stone cottage in the Kerry hills. The home of his heart. His wife, Sally, had seen its possibilities, and they’d set to restoring it, doing much of the work themselves. He couldn’t bring himself to stay there but loaned it to friends. He’d cleaned out all the personal items and put in a new bed, but it was still decorated with Sally’s taste.

      He hadn’t slept there since the first anniversary of the tragedy that had taken her life, and the lives of their two small daughters. He’d been in and out of a drunken haze for months. Friends, family and even perfect strangers had tried to help, but he hadn’t wanted help. He’d wanted oblivion.

      He’d drunk bad whiskey that night. Why waste good whiskey on a man such as himself?

      He’d been half asleep on the cottage floor when Sean Murphy had burst in, dragged his friend’s drunken carcass to the bay and shoved him into the ice-cold water, swearing next time he’d let him drown.

      Freezing, furious, Finian had crawled out of the cold water, staggered to his feet and taken a swing at Detective Garda Murphy. Sean easily could have sidestepped the blow but he took it square in the chest. Finian had been too weak—too pathetic—to hurt him.

      He’d vomited on the pebbled beach until he collapsed onto his knees with dry heaves and then sprawled face down on the hard, cold ground.

      He’d wanted to die. For the past year, he’d wanted nothing else.

      Sean had fetched a blanket and a bottle of water and set them next to Finian on the beach.

      “Live or die, Fin. It’s your choice.”

      Then he’d left.

      Finian remembered mist, rain, wind, wails—a banshee, he’d thought at first, then realized it was himself. Keening, cursing, sobbing. He’d flung stones, clawed the cold, wet sand and attempted to dig his own grave with his hands, and he’d cried.

      Dear God, he’d cried.

      Sally, Kathleen, Mary.

      My sweet girls.

      Gone, gone, gone.

      Sober, desperately sad, Finian had collapsed again, hoping to die in his sleep of hypothermia, or something—anything. Instead he’d awakened to sunlight streaming through high, thin clouds and the soothing sounds of the tide washing onto the pebbled beach.

      He’d sat up and drunk Sean’s water, and then he’d walked back up to the cottage.

      He didn’t stay. He’d loaded up a pack, emailed his brother not to worry and walked out of the cottage, past Sally’s empty colorful flowerpots, hearing her laughter, and kept walking.

      For days, he’d walked.

      When his mind would wander off, he’d bring it back to where he was—he would notice the warmth of the sun, the crunch of stones, the cry of birds, the taste of cheese, apple and brown bread, the green of distant hills and the deep pink of foxgloves on old stone walls. He’d passed waterfalls and cliffs, cold lakes and misty bays, sheep wandering down grassy lanes, lively villages, lonely cottages and tourists oohing and aahing at the gorgeous Kerry scenery. He’d stopped in pretty places for a bite to eat, sitting in the sunlit grass, or on a hilltop, or amid wildflowers, taking in his surroundings.

      When he heard the voice of God calling him to another life, he had no doubts. It wasn’t the work of depression, grief, alcohol withdrawal, loneliness or insect bites. He couldn’t explain and eventually realized he didn’t have to. He just had to decide what to do.

      It hadn’t been an easy road. It still wasn’t.

      Finian slowed his pace as he and Sean came to the top of the hill. With the lights of the village no help to them now, Finian produced the key-size flashlight he had with him, a lesson learned from previous walks up to the Murphy farm with his friend. Sean would never have a flashlight. He didn’t need one on this land.

      “I have a favor to ask, Fin,” Sean said, still clearly preoccupied.

      “Of course.”

      “Don’t be too quick. There’s only so much I can tell you, even as a priest.”

      “It’s about an investigation, then.”

      Sean gave a curt nod.

      “I’ll do anything I can,” Finian said. “You know I will.”

      Sean walked a few steps ahead, then stopped, a dark silhouette against the shadows of the night as he turned to Finian. “This you won’t want to do.”

      Finian heard a sheep close СКАЧАТЬ