Laced

“You gave him one of your paintings?” Brian asked in disbelief.

“Yes. He said he really liked it.”

“Where is his gym?”

“Somewhere around Galway. I think it’s called Get in Shape.”

Sheila pulled out the cell phone, called information, and wrote down the address. “Should we call first?”

“No,” Brian said. “Absolutely not.”

“This is going to be strange,” Margaret said. “I’ve never been inside a gym in my life.”

“Think of May Reilly,” Brian urged. “Now what’s the address?”

“Wait a minute,” Sheila said. “What if this guy has the painting hanging in his house? He probably doesn’t have it at the gym.”

“He told me he has it hanging proudly in his office,” Margaret said. “He noticed the use of lace in my work-not like you two.”

They drove to the Get in Shape gym and were about to pull into the parking lot when Brian spotted Regan and Jack Reilly coming out the door. “Good God,” he muttered as he stepped on the gas.

Judging by the look on Sheila’s face, she had seen them, too. Luckily, Margaret hadn’t.

“What’s the matter?” Margaret sputtered. “That was the place we were looking for.”

“We didn’t get you your tea yet.”

“I want to get this over with-”

“I insist you have your tea first,” Brian said. “I absolutely insist.”

They found a little deli. Brian ran in and came out with teas for all three of them.

“It’s pretty good for city tea,” Margaret allowed as she downed the large container in two gulps. “Let’s go. If we don’t get the painting now, I’m afraid I’ll lose the wee bit of nerve I have. Setting foot in a gym for the first time at my age has got to be bad luck.”

Brian briefly considered suggesting they not bother with the painting at the gym. It might be too risky. What if the Reillys come back? And if he and Sheila ended up with every painting on the list, they’d have one to spare. But then he realized he wouldn’t be able to explain this change of plan to Margaret. In her world, everything was about bad luck or curses.

They drove back to the gym and dropped Margaret off at the entrance to the parking lot. “We’ll wait for you down the block by the deli,” Brian told her.

“Why can’t you just wait for me out front?”

Brian’s eyes welled up with tears. “I told you-you remind me of my aunt Eileen. The time I’m sacrificing helping you…well, I’m offering it up for her soul. Aunt Eileen believed in doing good and not looking for the glory. Whenever she donated money, she did it anonymously. She’d be so proud of me… If anyone finds out what I’m doing, then I might not help her get out of purgatory. I think she’s already made it to heaven, but just in case…”

“I understand,” Margaret said solemnly. “Have you heard a ringing in your ears?”

“What?” Brian asked, perplexed.

“A ringing in your ears means a friend in purgatory is asking for your prayers. I would think you would know that!” She pushed open the stubborn back door. “I’ll meet you down the block in a few minutes.”

After Margaret got out of the car, Sheila stared at Brian. “As Sister Leo used to tell us, God is going to punish you.”

“All I know is that if we don’t deliver those paintings, we’ll definitely be punished by Dermot Fi

They drove down the block and waited.

20

Jack couldn’t believe how much he instantly liked Gerard Reilly. For some reason, after the phone call early this morning, he was sure that spending time with Gerard would be well spent but leaning more toward family obligation than pleasure. But the moment Gerard came out of his office to greet the newlyweds, his charismatic air and big commanding presence made Jack feel a camaraderie he shared with many of his law enforcement colleagues back home.

Dressed in a blue jacket and open-collared shirt, Gerard had a casual yet professional appearance. He was a broad, good-looking man in his early fifties, with salt and pepper hair, dark eyes, and black-framed glasses. “Regan,” he said, enveloping her in a hug. “How’s my little cousin keepin’ herself?”

Regan smiled broadly and kissed him on the cheek. “Your little cousin is now a happily married woman.”

Gerard extended his hand. “Jack, it’s good to finally meet you. Come into my office. I’m so sorry we couldn’t make it to the wedding. My wife’s niece was getting married the very same day, you know, and we’d already committed ourselves. It was grand, but we would have loved to be at yours.”

“We realized it would have been tough for you to fly over for just a weekend anyway,” Regan assured him. “But we wanted you to know you were invited.”

“Ah, Regan,” Gerard said, “we’d have been there in a heartbeat if not for the other nuptials. Believe me. I might not have seen you many times over the years, but I remember when you were born. I remember when your parents brought you over when you were a little girl, and I remember when you came to visit with that lovely friend of yours… What was her name?”

“Kit.”

“That’s it, Kit.”

“You were here with Kit?” Jack’s voice was surprised. “What kind of trouble did you get into then?”

“No trouble, Jack,” Regan said quickly, making a face at him. “That’s when Kit and I first met. We were juniors in college, spending a semester in England. We visited Ireland for a long weekend and took a train here from Dublin. We stayed a night at Gerard’s house.”

“I have pictures to prove it,” Gerard volunteered. “I’ll show you tonight. They were so sweet, Jack. Regan was very interested in the Reilly family history. She had long hair then.”

“Jack doesn’t need to see those pictures,” Regan said with a laugh.

“You were a cute little lass. Now, sit, sit, sit,” Gerard said, gesturing to a couch in his office.

The room had a large window overlooking the busy street below. Framed photos of Gerard’s family were resting on a shelf behind his desk. He had two sons, both in Dublin-one at university and the other working at a computer software firm. Various awards were hung on the wall heralding Gerard’s career as a radio show host.

“We have an empty nest,” Gerard told them with a touch of regret. “It’s very strange. Louise and I didn’t know what to do with ourselves when Timmy went off to Trinity. He’ll be back for the summer, which makes us happy. We miss having people around the di

“We’re looking forward to it,” Jack said. “And we hate to bother you when you’re at work-”

“You’re not bothering me at all. Not a whit. It’s lovely to have you here. I’m so sorry that you have those two thieves making trouble for you.”

Regan looked puzzled. “How did you know?” When she had called Gerard and asked if they could stop by the radio station, she hadn’t said anything about the reason they were already in Galway. And when they had spoken earlier this morning, Regan and Jack were still unaware that the tablecloth had been stolen or that Jane and John Doe were involved.

“Didn’t you know?” Gerard asked. “Word’s gotten out that the thieves of the tablecloth left you their calling card.”

“Great,” Jack said. “I just don’t understand how they could have known I was going to be here. We talked to the bellman at the hotel who brought the couple to their room.” He told Gerard about Jane and John Doe’s history, the decal, and how he and Regan had visited the Get in Shape gym and secured the list of names of people from the Galway race whom Rory did not know personally.

“That Rory has been after me to join the gym.”

“He told us,” Regan said.

“I suppose I should. But Louise and I often go for walks on the prom.”

“The prom?” Regan asked.

“You should check it out. It’s a lovely promenade overlooking Galway Bay, just west of here in Salthill. More than a mile-long, it’s a wonderful spot for a stroll or a run. There are lots of restaurants and bars where you can stop for a gargle. A lot of people exercise every day on the prom.”