Contents
Chapter Eighteen
Overview
Cal corners Eugene and reveals witnesses place Tommy near the old bridge the night Rachel died, shaking Eugene’s loyalty. Meanwhile, Lena receives a deliberate show of solidarity from local women, who craft her alibi and share a lead that Rachel visited Noreen’s earlier. That night, Trey spots Tommy moving toward Cal and Mart—possibly armed—but he withdraws when Mart’s dog barks. The pressure on Tommy and Eugene mounts, and Lena agrees to pass the new clue to Cal.
Summary
At dawn, Cal intercepts Eugene on a secluded lane. He calmly dismantles Eugene’s denials, disclosing that multiple people saw Tommy heading toward the old bridge around 9:30 the night Rachel died. Cal presses Eugene’s grief and resentment, arguing Tommy cost him his future with Rachel. Eugene briefly wavers but retreats to defiance, leaving with a threat to call the Guards.
As rain sets in, Lena braces for intimidation but instead receives Sheila, Yvonne, and Julie, who arrive separately to signal public support. They dump the antifreeze left at her door, craft a collective alibi for Lena on the night of Rachel’s death, and vow to counter Tommy’s smear. They brief her on the pub fight and shifting village factions. Yvonne then reveals she saw Rachel, around seven, knocking on Noreen’s door with a box, likely seeking Mrs. Duggan while the family was out.
Lena resists letting Rachel’s death become ammunition, angered at all sides using her, but Sheila’s pragmatism and the women’s solidarity shift her view. Recognizing where she stands, Lena agrees to tell Cal about Rachel’s visit to Noreen’s.
Later, Cal updates Mart on rattling Eugene and anticipates movement. That night, with Cal and Mart keeping vigil, Trey and Kate report someone leaving the Moynihans; they confirm it’s Tommy, possibly armed, heading toward Cal’s road. Cal alerts Mart and cuts his lights, but Mart’s dog barks and Tommy withdraws. By dawn, Cal finds nothing left behind, yet the confrontation has pushed Tommy and Eugene closer to breaking.
Who Appears
- CalConfronts Eugene with witness intel, coordinates stakeouts with Trey and Mart, keeps vigil as Tommy approaches, and prepares to act on new leads.
- Lena DunneTargeted by intimidation, then bolstered by women’s solidarity; accepts a crafted alibi and agrees to tell Cal Rachel visited Noreen’s.
- Eugene MoynihanShaken when told Tommy was seen near the bridge; denies wrongdoing but shows cracks under grief and loyalty.
- Trey ReddyStakeouts Moynihans with Kate; spots Tommy leaving at night, possibly armed, and alerts Cal.
- Tommy MoynihanImpicated by sightings near the bridge; later leaves home at night, potentially armed, but retreats after Mart’s dog barks.
- Sheila ReddyArrives to support Lena, helps craft alibi, urges pragmatic action, and steadies the group.
- Yvonne McCabeShows public allegiance to Lena, proposes the alibi, and reveals seeing Rachel at Noreen’s door around seven.
- Julie QuinnJoins the solidarity visit, supports the alibi plan, and encourages Yvonne to share her sighting.
- Mart LavinAdvises Cal, waits ready nearby, and inadvertently spooks Tommy off when his dog barks.
- KateAssists Trey on the nighttime stakeout, helping identify Tommy on the lane.