CHAPTER 9
When Rachel arrived at work the next morning, Bailey was already there, talking in the conference room to George and Grace. "Gracie's finished the report on the latest body pulled from the river, we need to get some information on this killer before he strikes again," he started. "And if Mr. Grant does not appear this morning, I am definitely filing a report, I will not tolerate this sort of slackness with my staff!" They began to go over details of the case, each of them putting forward ideas and encouraging Rachel to enter the mind of the killer and develop a profile. George slipped away once, and dialed John's mobile number, but got the same message as yesterday. He returned to the conference room, just as the phone rang. It was for Bailey, and he answered curtly, then his face changed expression, and George and Rachel stopped talking to look at him. "Send him down," he said into the phone, and hanging it up turned to look at the others. "That was Patrick O'Doyle on the phone, he's here, in Atlanta, and wants to speak to me - to us."
"Isn't O'Doyle John's father?" asked George, in amazement "What could he possibly want to talk about with you Bailey?" "Well he does have gangland connections," said Bailey "But he has never made any attempt to come into this office - as you know John had nothing to do with him for many years - won't even hear his name spoken. Maybe it's to do with the mob?" He stood up and walked up the steps towards the elevator.
Rachel looked at George in surprise. Grace sat down at the end of the table. "This will be very interesting," she said, "I've always wanted to meet the infamous Patrick O'Doyle." Rachel looked incredulous. "Are we talking about the money guy, in Boston, that O'Doyle? Did Bailey say he was John's father? What's going on?" "Long story," said George, "Bad blood between them, John doesn't like talking about it. Changed his name a long time ago."
Bailey returned to the room. "This is Patrick O'Doyle," he said, by way of introduction. The man that followed him down the steps smiled briefly at those in the room. Rachel looked intently at him, he was slightly taller and heavier than John, and was younger than she expected, had dark thick graying hair, longer than John wore his, but exactly the same shaped dark blue eyes, and prominent bottom lip. He was expensively dressed in a charcoal suit, immaculate grey shirt, and silver tie. He wore a heavy gold signet ring on the small finger of his right hand. Bailey turned to face him, his face very hard. "What can I do for you?" he asked abruptly. Patrick O'Doyle gazed into Bailey's black eyes for a minute, then indicated if he could sit down. "I have for some time - years, been stalked by a woman," he said slowly. Bailey didn't move "That's what we have a police force for," he said. O'Doyle smiled wryly. "The police and I are not on the best of terms, as I'm sure you know boyo.," he said, and Rachel could hear a soft Irish lilt in his voice. "This woman, who was my 'assistant' many years ago, has for a long time believed herself in love with me, and with little or no encouragement. I did have a relationship with her for a while, many years ago, but broke it off when I found out what she was capable of doing. I believe she is not quite right in the head." "This is of course, very interesting," said Bailey frostily, "But what it has to do with me, I don't see!" "This is her picture," said O'Doyle, and passed Bailey a photo. He looked at it, then handed it to Rachel in stunned silence. "It's Carolyn," said George in shock. "No - her name is Christine Landers. Carolyn Ross is my wife; this woman has assumed her identity. She did it to get close enough to my son to do him harm." Rachel closed her eyes in shock - and looked at Bailey. "Bailey the blonde woman in the car - it must have been her." She said, biting her lip, feeling the unease of yesterday sweep back into her veins. Bailey swore violently. "We haven't heard from John since early yesterday - no it would be the day before. We had a disagreement, and he stalked out of the office, and hasn't been heard of since."
"Christine Landers left several messages for me on my voicemail yesterday. Well, she does nearly every day, but this is something different. She wanted me to come to Atlanta today. She has something of interest to show me. Something that will change my life - something that will free me from the constraints and disappointments of the past, - something that will make me understand 'how much she loves me', and take her back into my life." Patrick O'Doyle looked around at them. "The last time she was this animated she killed my wife - John's mother, pushed her car off the road and over a cliff!" George gasped, the others all looked shocked and worried.
"She would never believe in a million years I would come to the law for help," he continued "She knows how the Law and I feel about each other, but I truly believe that it's time we buried our differences and worked together on this. I have been a bastard for a long time, but I can't let this go on. I can't let her kill my son, even if he hates me, which he does. And with good reason."
Bailey sat down heavily in his chair. "What do you need us to do?" he asked "Where does she want this meeting to take place? O'Doyle described the meeting place, and Bailey began mobilising his forces. He spoke to the local police chief and began arranging back up. George began to search through maps on his screen, and arranged to hook O'Doyle's mobile up to the tracing mechanism, so if she called again, they would be able to pin point more accurately where she was. O'Doyle had already arranged for his staff to patch calls from Carolyn/Christine through to his mobile, and filter out any others.
Rachel then offered him coffee, while they waited for events to unfold. She sat opposite him, watching his face and the emotions that animated him. He looked up to see her regarding him, and smiled at her. She felt a lump come into the back of her throat, he smiled exactly the same way John did. "I work very closely with John," she said to him. "I can't understand why you and he are so..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she was getting to a very private area of his and John's life, but he shrugged his shoulders and bit his bottom lip, (another of John's habits she thought) and leaned forward towards her. "It's a very long story," he said, "and one that is not flattering to me at all. But I'm willing to tell it to you, if you are willing to listen. Just one thing though - are you a friend to my son, or just a colleague?"
When Rachel arrived at work the next morning, Bailey was already there, talking in the conference room to George and Grace. "Gracie's finished the report on the latest body pulled from the river, we need to get some information on this killer before he strikes again," he started. "And if Mr. Grant does not appear this morning, I am definitely filing a report, I will not tolerate this sort of slackness with my staff!" They began to go over details of the case, each of them putting forward ideas and encouraging Rachel to enter the mind of the killer and develop a profile. George slipped away once, and dialed John's mobile number, but got the same message as yesterday. He returned to the conference room, just as the phone rang. It was for Bailey, and he answered curtly, then his face changed expression, and George and Rachel stopped talking to look at him. "Send him down," he said into the phone, and hanging it up turned to look at the others. "That was Patrick O'Doyle on the phone, he's here, in Atlanta, and wants to speak to me - to us."
"Isn't O'Doyle John's father?" asked George, in amazement "What could he possibly want to talk about with you Bailey?" "Well he does have gangland connections," said Bailey "But he has never made any attempt to come into this office - as you know John had nothing to do with him for many years - won't even hear his name spoken. Maybe it's to do with the mob?" He stood up and walked up the steps towards the elevator.
Rachel looked at George in surprise. Grace sat down at the end of the table. "This will be very interesting," she said, "I've always wanted to meet the infamous Patrick O'Doyle." Rachel looked incredulous. "Are we talking about the money guy, in Boston, that O'Doyle? Did Bailey say he was John's father? What's going on?" "Long story," said George, "Bad blood between them, John doesn't like talking about it. Changed his name a long time ago."
Bailey returned to the room. "This is Patrick O'Doyle," he said, by way of introduction. The man that followed him down the steps smiled briefly at those in the room. Rachel looked intently at him, he was slightly taller and heavier than John, and was younger than she expected, had dark thick graying hair, longer than John wore his, but exactly the same shaped dark blue eyes, and prominent bottom lip. He was expensively dressed in a charcoal suit, immaculate grey shirt, and silver tie. He wore a heavy gold signet ring on the small finger of his right hand. Bailey turned to face him, his face very hard. "What can I do for you?" he asked abruptly. Patrick O'Doyle gazed into Bailey's black eyes for a minute, then indicated if he could sit down. "I have for some time - years, been stalked by a woman," he said slowly. Bailey didn't move "That's what we have a police force for," he said. O'Doyle smiled wryly. "The police and I are not on the best of terms, as I'm sure you know boyo.," he said, and Rachel could hear a soft Irish lilt in his voice. "This woman, who was my 'assistant' many years ago, has for a long time believed herself in love with me, and with little or no encouragement. I did have a relationship with her for a while, many years ago, but broke it off when I found out what she was capable of doing. I believe she is not quite right in the head." "This is of course, very interesting," said Bailey frostily, "But what it has to do with me, I don't see!" "This is her picture," said O'Doyle, and passed Bailey a photo. He looked at it, then handed it to Rachel in stunned silence. "It's Carolyn," said George in shock. "No - her name is Christine Landers. Carolyn Ross is my wife; this woman has assumed her identity. She did it to get close enough to my son to do him harm." Rachel closed her eyes in shock - and looked at Bailey. "Bailey the blonde woman in the car - it must have been her." She said, biting her lip, feeling the unease of yesterday sweep back into her veins. Bailey swore violently. "We haven't heard from John since early yesterday - no it would be the day before. We had a disagreement, and he stalked out of the office, and hasn't been heard of since."
"Christine Landers left several messages for me on my voicemail yesterday. Well, she does nearly every day, but this is something different. She wanted me to come to Atlanta today. She has something of interest to show me. Something that will change my life - something that will free me from the constraints and disappointments of the past, - something that will make me understand 'how much she loves me', and take her back into my life." Patrick O'Doyle looked around at them. "The last time she was this animated she killed my wife - John's mother, pushed her car off the road and over a cliff!" George gasped, the others all looked shocked and worried.
"She would never believe in a million years I would come to the law for help," he continued "She knows how the Law and I feel about each other, but I truly believe that it's time we buried our differences and worked together on this. I have been a bastard for a long time, but I can't let this go on. I can't let her kill my son, even if he hates me, which he does. And with good reason."
Bailey sat down heavily in his chair. "What do you need us to do?" he asked "Where does she want this meeting to take place? O'Doyle described the meeting place, and Bailey began mobilising his forces. He spoke to the local police chief and began arranging back up. George began to search through maps on his screen, and arranged to hook O'Doyle's mobile up to the tracing mechanism, so if she called again, they would be able to pin point more accurately where she was. O'Doyle had already arranged for his staff to patch calls from Carolyn/Christine through to his mobile, and filter out any others.
Rachel then offered him coffee, while they waited for events to unfold. She sat opposite him, watching his face and the emotions that animated him. He looked up to see her regarding him, and smiled at her. She felt a lump come into the back of her throat, he smiled exactly the same way John did. "I work very closely with John," she said to him. "I can't understand why you and he are so..." Her voice trailed off as she realized she was getting to a very private area of his and John's life, but he shrugged his shoulders and bit his bottom lip, (another of John's habits she thought) and leaned forward towards her. "It's a very long story," he said, "and one that is not flattering to me at all. But I'm willing to tell it to you, if you are willing to listen. Just one thing though - are you a friend to my son, or just a colleague?"