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Back Darkest Truth
Chapters (54)
  1. COVER
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. EPILOGUE
  54. Acknowledgements

‘I collected them in a taxi this morning. There are a lot of them. Two banker’s boxes, in fact. Deirdre had a long psychiatric history that started in the months after the 12th of December 1998, and none before it. Frequent readmissions. Self-harm. Serious depressive episodes. And a lot of therapy. I was worried that she wouldn’t give any details of the attack. As it turns out, my fears were groundless. Her version tallies almost exactly with Rhona Macbride’s. How the incident took place in a hotel room, unnamed hotel unfortunately but, as you saw earlier, Lorcan Lucey puts her in Muskerry Castle on the 12th of December, the same night Gill stayed there, according to the guest book, with him leaving on the morning that Ann Carney found her daughter bruised and bleeding, having been out all night. The medical records describe alcohol, and possible sedative use. A threat to kill her if she reported the rape. And the name she refers to him by throughout is ‘J’. There are hundreds of pages of notes detailing her severe trauma secondary to rape and violence at the hands of her assailant, her inability to pursue a criminal complaint as a result of ongoing psychiatric disability, and her fear for her personal safety if she were to do so. Near the end of her life, she was working with her therapist towards making a report about ‘J’. But his Oscar nomination seems to have made her change her mind. That’s what her suicide note said. That he’s too strong now. She must have thought she’d never be believed.’

There was a knock at the door. I let Tina in.

‘Thanks,’ I said, and took the box from her.

‘These are some of the records. I didn’t have time to prepare slides. And I haven’t yet obtained a formal psychiatric report but once I get it I’m certain that I will have enough evidence to draft and file the Carneys’ claim against Gill. Absent the full psychiatric report, maybe you’ll bear with me, Dermot, as I read out a few extracts.’

‘Is this necessary?’ Dermot said.

‘I think it is,’ Gabriel said. ‘Go ahead, Finn.’

‘Before you start, Finn, Detective O’Riordan is in reception for you,’ Tina said.

‘What does she want?’ I said.

‘All I know is she’s here to collect you. You’re wanted in Dublin immediately.’

44

‘You’re not seriously expecting me to believe that you don’t know what this is about?’