Free Can Anybody Help Me? by Sinéad Crowley Page B

times, he had, like, a new mortgage and stuff and he really needed the funds, you know? Really needed to get the place let. But there’s, like, tonnes of places available in Merview and the rent he was looking for was pretty high. I mean he had it set high because he needed the money, but I, like, told him he wasn’t going to get, like, a grand a month for it. No way. I mean it was madness, there are units out there for, like, six-hundred and fifty …’
    â€˜Is that so?’
    Claire jumped, having almost forgotten Flynn was there.
    â€˜Six-hundred and fifty!’ The younger guard gave a small whistle, and jerked his head. ‘Jaysus, that’s some drop.’
    â€˜I know!’
    It was the closest Berry had come to being animated. Claire shot her colleague a shut-the-fuck-up look, and nodded at the agent to continue.
    â€˜Okay, so this dude wanted a grand, and I told him that there were too many others on the market, but he was totally sold on getting his money, you know? And then we got this offer, and this guy said he’d take it and …’
    â€˜Hold on a second, please. You found a tenant for the apartment?’
    â€˜Yeah.’
    A flush had broken out under Berry’s collar and Claire watched in fascination as it climbed upwards, flooding his cheekbones.
    â€˜We found him a tenant and he moved in two months ago. It was fine until he didn’t, like, pay his rent and …’
    â€˜If I could just bring you back again, please, Mr Berry?’ Claire stared at the young man, who was now bright red and visibly sweating.
    â€˜Can I get you a drink of water or something?’
    â€˜Yeah. Please.’
    She motioned to Flynn, who left the room, returning seconds later with an overflowing paper cup. Berry downed half of it in one gulp, but remained silent.
    â€˜And can you give us the tenant’s name?’
    Berry stared into the cup. ‘Yeah. Sure. It was … Spanish, or something? Like Solana? I have it written down back at the office …’
    Claire scratched the name, or an approximation, in the notebook, but said nothing. Sometimes it was better to leave a gap that could be filled in. After a moment Berry continued.
    â€˜Yeah, so he moved in, we checked references, everything was grand and then he didn’t pay his second month’s rent, so the landlord phoned me this morning and he said there wasno money in the account and that your man wasn’t answering his phone and that he was in Cork and could I call round to see what was going on, so I did and there was no answer, and I had a key and it’s like completely legal so I, like, phoned and texted and stuff and there was no answer and I had a key and it’s fine to do that so I went in the door, I opened the door and …’
    The young man’s flow of speech halted dramatically and he stared at Claire, tears pricking in the corner of his eyes.
    â€˜I want to see a lawyer. Please.’
    â€˜Yeah, sure. Okay.’
    She closed her notebook.
    â€˜If you have someone you want to call, you can do so right away.’
    â€˜Detective Boyle?’
    â€˜That’s me.’
    Claire was dying to go to the loo, but she tried not to let her discomfort show as she leaned over the counter that separated the station from the public office. She and Flynn had grabbed a quick coffee while Cormac Berry was making his phone call, and then she’d been sidetracked listening to the messages that had built up on her landline. She’d figured she’d still have a few minutes to freshen up before his lawyer got there. But it looked like Berry had used the BatPhone.
    The young woman proffered a slim tanned manicured hand.
    â€˜Ella O’Mahony. I’m a legal representative for O’Mahony Thorpe. I believe you are holding one of our employees here?’
    â€˜Well I wouldn’t say holding …’
    It looked like the inflectious disease had