The Celtic Riddle

"Thanks," I said, but knew I wouldn't. Being picked up at the airport by Clive was more than I could manage, friendship with Moira notwithstanding, but I knew I'd have to try harder. "Tell Clive how much I appreciate what he's doing for Sarah and the store, and that I can't wait to hear his idea for the promotion," I said, gritting my teeth.

"I will," she said, sounding pleased.

When I'd hung up, I resolutely turned to execute my decision to tend to business right away. I called my shipper in Toronto, Dave Thomson, and asked for names of contacts I could use to send stuff home if I found anything. Then I called my bank and had them fax a letter of introduction to the Inn. Next, I made enquiries of the proprietors about places to look for furniture of the antique variety, old houses up for sale and so on, and armed with a couple of leads, headed out in the car to see what I could find. I spent a pleasant enough afternoon and was rewarded with a couple of great purchases a terrific dining room suite, early 1800s, and a beautiful silver tea service that I was so in love with, I thought I might keep for myself if it didn't sell soon after I put it out for sale, within minutes, say. After making arrangements to have them picked up and taken to a shipper in Waterford, I went back to the Inn feeling altogether pleased with myself, promising myself a nice glass of wine as a reward, and to do the same thing again the next day.

My intentions were good, but my actions were thwarted.

I may have wanted to give up on the treasure hunt and go back to my shopkeeping, but there was renewed enthusiasm for the quest in other quarters, as I learned the minute I got back to the Inn. Gilhooly had been good as his word, and had gone off to find the clue that went with salmon in a pool. Translated from ogham, it said simply Axis Mundi, presumably the center point around which the world turned. Very helpful, I'm sure, but Gilhooly and Jennifer were fired with enthusiasm for finding the rest of the clues, and had enlisted the support of Malachy and Kevin to do so. It was quite clear by this point that we didn't need the rest of the family's clues: we just had to find the clues that went with the lines of Amairgen's song and decipher the ogham. By the end of that one day, while I was out antiquing, the intrepid foursome, who must have been a sight, the two old guys, the blond Canadian in her pink and purple Take No Prisoners jacket, and the local sailor, twice her age, had found not only Axis Mundi, but the clue that went with a flame of valor. The clues now looked like this.

AMAIRGEN'S SONG

I am the sea-swell

The furious wave

The roar of the sea

A stag of seven slaughters

A hawk above the cliff

A ray of the sun

The beauty of a plant

A boar enraged

A salmon in a pool

A lake in a plain

A flame of valor

OGHAM CLUES

May's sunrise by Tailte's Hill is seen

A curse be on these stones.

Leinster's Hag to Eriu's Seat

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Aine's Mount to Macha's Stronghold

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Raise a cup to the stone

Ahnu's white to Maeve's red

Axis Mundi

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All seen and seeing eye of fire.

It was still all rather baffling, and the clues were not my only source of bewilderment. Strangely enough, Deirdre had come back and asked for her old position at Second Chance, only a few days after I'd seen her in Dublin. According to the gossip in the bar, Margaret Byrne had leapt at the opportunity to take her back, there being no one else in town who would stoop so low. Townspeople said Deirdre hadn't liked Dublin, noisy and dirty as it was, and the pay was poor, even worse than the notorious Margaret was prepared to shell out, and some said Margaret couldn't afford to pay Deirdre what she'd been paid before, a rumor I sincerely hoped wasn't true. I did know that I had had the unfortunate experience of overhearing a shopkeeper tell Eithne that she could be extended no more credit until the outstanding bill was paid, an encounter that brought cheeks pink with embarrassment to both of us. I could understand that Deirdre might prefer the lovely Dingle to Dublin, but I was surprised, nonetheless. I'd thought Deirdre would never even consider returning to these parts, so terrified she had been by the murders of her colleagues.