Lake of Sorrows

Brona dropped the collar and went for the knife, but by that time he’d recovered. He lunged, pinned her to his chest with one hand, and with the other lifted the gleaming knife to her throat. Nora struggled to her feet, panting, with her hands still bound behind her. Quill’s clothing and hair were disheveled. Brona’s blow had opened a gash on his forehead, and blood was now trickling into his eyes. The golden collar lay on the rough wood planks between them.

“Right back where we started, Dr. Gavin,” Quill said. “What was the point of all that? It just means that another person has to die.”

Brona’s eyes were still defiant. She drilled Nora with her gaze, then let her eyes sweep down toward the collar, and Nora knew she had to do something.

All at once the sound of an enormous explosion split the air, and a huge ball of smoke and fire erupted from the other side of the hill. Nora had no time to wonder what was going on; realizing that this was her only chance, she tipped the collar with the toe of her shoe and, with one fluid kick, hurled it into the air. She saw the whole thing as if in slow motion: the collar gracefully turning end over end, flashing gold, and Quill’s eyes following it. He flung out his right hand, the one holding the dagger, but he couldn’t reach the collar; he lost his balance and toppled over the edge of the dock into the water below. There was a cry and a splash.

Nora’s eyes traveled back to Brona. She’d been cut. The girl looked down at the scarlet tide advancing down her chest; then her head dropped forward and she sank into a small heap on the weathered planks. Nora ran to Brona’s side, but her hands were still bound, and she watched helplessly as the stain grew larger. There was nothing she could do to stop the bleeding. She felt tearing pain in her chest as she lifted her head and shouted to anyone who might hear, “Help! Help! Please, someone, help us!”

She thought she was dreaming when she heard heavy footsteps pounding down the dock, and Charlie Brazil’s terrified face appeared beside her. “Have you got a knife?” she gasped. He just looked at her. “To cut me loose! We’ve got to stop the bleeding if we can.” Without a word, Charlie took a penknife from his pocket and sliced through the leather cords that bound her. Nora went to work, oblivious of the blood on her hands, keeping pressure on Brona’s wound while Charlie removed his shirt to use as a bandage. He looked dazed, slightly singed and sooty, and Nora remembered the explosion. A growing wail of sirens was audible in the distance.

“The house is gone,” Charlie said. “The house is gone and my father—” His gaze turned toward Dominic’s body in the apiary.

“I know,” said Nora. “I’m sorry; there was nothing I could do.”

When help arrived, Nora heard voices as if through a fog. It wasn’t until the Guards lifted her away from Brona’s side to let the ambulance attendants take over that she felt her knees falter, and noticed the sharp bite of the wind. “Can someone get a blanket over here?” the Garda beside her shouted.

As they draped the blanket around her, she saw Cormac moving toward her through the blue-and-yellow crowd, his face haggard and drawn. His mouth dropped open at the sight of all the blood on her. “Not mine,” she said. “It’s not my blood.” She looked down at her hands and fell against him, suddenly so tired she could barely stand. She felt his chest contract as he let out a long, ragged sigh of relief and pulled her close. “Ah, Cormac, I never meant for any of this to happen.”

“Shhh. Be still now. Be still.” They stood in the middle of the dock as the Guards and emergency medical personnel moved in a constant mill around them, hurrying with stretchers, blankets, and rescue equipment.

“Don’t let go of me,” she whispered. “Please don’t let go.”

A few minutes later, the ambulance men took Brona away on a stretcher, but her face was uncovered. Detective Ward, following, stopped to speak to them. “She’s lost quite a lot of blood, but she’s alive,” he said. “I believe you saved her life, Dr. Gavin.”

Nora wanted to tell him that wasn’t the way it had happened at all—that it was Brona who had done the saving, who had nearly made the ultimate sacrifice to save her. She would tell him later. Ward turned to leave, and Nora caught his sleeve. “Wait—what was that explosion? Does anyone know? Charlie said the house was gone.”

“It was the Brazils’ house. Looks like a gas explosion. I don’t know any more, Dr. Gavin.”

“And what happened to Quill? He admitted killing Ursula and Rachel, and I saw him murder Dominic Brazil with my own eyes.”

“Yes, we know all that, Dr. Gavin. We know.”

“Then what happened to him? We were struggling, and he fell into the water. He didn’t get away?”