Interview with Moira Rourke
Conducted at: 7 Mayola Street, Cloraine, Londonderry
April 20, 2025, 10:15 a.m.
Interview conducted by Detective Sergeant Faye O’Keefe
F.O’K.: How long have you lived here, Mrs. Rourke?
M.R.: About six years. But we do not actually live here. The house belonged to my parents. I wanted to sell it, but my husband talked me out of it. It is a beautiful place, the lake is just a short walk away. My children enjoy swimming there from time to time. We come whenever we manage to get some time off.
F.O’K.: How often do you come to Cloraine?
M.R.: More often in summer than in winter. This year, this is our first visit.
F.O’K.: Do you know anything about the former residents of number six? Perhaps you were acquainted with any of them?
M.R.: I saw a man and a woman many times, but unfortunately I do not know their names. They were very unsociable. Once my husband tried to greet them and start a conversation, but all he got in return were unfriendly looks. We are outsiders here. That is how I took it.
F.O’K.: Did you try to speak with them again after that?
M.R.: No. I did not see the point.
F.O’K.: When was the last time you saw these people, Mrs. Rourke? Can you recall?
M.R.: Honestly…
[Pause]
I am afraid of being mistaken, but I believe it was a year or two ago. One day, they simply stopped appearing.
F.O’K.: Thank you, Mrs. Rourke. If you remember anything else, you know how to contact me.
M.R.: Of course, detective.
Interview with Rhys Cody
Conducted at: 3 Mayola Street, Cloraine, Londonderry
April 20, 2025, 10:40 a.m.
Interview conducted by Constable Anita Foley
A.F.: Good morning. I need to speak with the owner of the house.
R.C.: This house is rented. My friends and I rented it for the weekend. My name is Rhys Cody. How can I help you?
A.F.: Is this your first time renting this house?
R.C.: No. Every year since I was fifteen, I come here to celebrate my birthday. I book the house a year in advance, invite my friends, and for two whole days we have a good time here…
[Pause]
Within the law, of course. I turned eighteen today.
A.F.: Congratulations. Tell me, Mr. Cody, do you happen to know who lived in house number six?
R.C.: Yeah, some old woman and her husband, I think. There were rumors they were crazy.
A.F.: Who did you hear that from?
R.C.: About two years ago. We met a guy from house number ten. He told us all sorts of scary stories about them.
A.F.: What kind of “scary stories”?
R.C.: What, did they kill someone or something? Sorry, but students are always curious about this stuff.
A.F.: I hope not. So, about those “scary stories”.
R.C.: Well…
[Thinking]
According to him, they were cultists. People from Derry used to gather at their house. At midnight they performed rituals or prayed by the lake, or whatever cultists do. Maybe they even sacrificed animals. They walked along the shore with candles, like ghosts.
A.F.: And did you personally witness any of these gatherings?
R.C.: If I lived here, I probably would have. But unfortunately, as I mentioned, I only come to Cloraine once a year.
A.F.: One more question, Mr. Cody. Do you know what happened to the people from house number ten? Did they live here permanently?
R.C.: I think so. They were not here this time last year. I suppose they sold the house and moved to Derry. But that is just a guess.
A.F.: Thank you.
R.C.: Have a nice day.
Interview with Callum Brannigan
Conducted at: 8 Mayola Street, Cloraine, Londonderry
April 20, 2025, 10:32 a.m.
Interview conducted by Detective Sergeant Faye O’Keefe
Stolen novel; please report.
F.O’K.: I will ask you just a few questions.
C.B.: If I can answer them, I will.
F.O’K.: How long have you lived in Cloraine?
C.B.: As long as I can remember.
F.O’K.: Then you were familiar with the former owners of house number six. They were your neighbors.
C.B.: They were. But I did not know them, detective. I am a fisherman. And since I became a widower, I prefer spending my time at the lake. When my wife was alive, I enjoyed spending time with her. We traveled, climbed mountain peaks. Dzhimara. Have you heard of it? A mountain on the Bokovoy Ridge in the central Greater Caucasus. We never managed to climb it. But it is beautiful.
[A sad sigh]
After that, only fishing interested me. I do not know my neighbors and I do not wish to know them.
F.O’K.: But you must have seen them at least. Surely you noticed them?
C.B.: You asked whether I knew them, detective. I answered. I saw them, of course. But I cannot tell you anything substantial. I do not know their names, and I cannot say where they went. My wife might have told you more, but unfortunately she passed away a year ago.
F.O’K.: My condolences, Mr. Brannigan. And I apologize again for troubling you.
C.B.: It is nothing. All the best.
Interview with Jodie McCormack
Conducted at: 4 Mayola Street, Cloraine, Londonderry
April 20, 2025, 11:02 a.m.
Interview conducted by Constable Anita Foley
A.F.: Please tell me everything you know about your neighbors from house number six, Mrs. McCormack.
J.M.: What exactly would you like to know?
A.F.: Who they were. What kind of people. When they moved in, when they moved out, and for what reason.
J.M.: When we moved into this house in 2012, the O’Flahertys were already living there.
A.F.: You said O’Flaherty?
J.M.: Yes, yes. Greg and his wife Judith. They also had a son, but he lived somewhere outside the county. I am not sure exactly where. Scotland, I think.
A.F.: Can you tell me his name?
J.M.: Oh, of course. It is easy to remember. Tim. Judith always called him Timothy. He rarely visited them. And whenever he did, nothing good came of it.
A.F.: Why is that?
J.M.: You see, I love opening my windows wide to let fresh air into the house, especially when I am frying meat or fish. Who would enjoy the smell of burnt fish lingering in a room? And if it burns badly, even worse. Well, during Tim’s visits, I constantly heard shouting. They argued, yelled, and then Tim would get into his car and drive away.
A.F.: Did you hear what they were arguing about?
J.M.: No. Unfortunately, I could not make out the words. I am not the kind of person who listens in on such things. It is none of our business. But the family was certainly unusual.
A.F.: They were a religious family, were they not?
J.M.: In a sense, yes.
A.F.: In a sense?
J.M.: Yes. They were believers. They read the Bible, preached. Judith even tried to involve me in their… well… how should I put it properly?
A.F.: A sect?
J.M.: Well, perhaps. I am an atheist and do not believe in God, so I politely refused.
A.F.: So who were they exactly? Catholics? Christians? Perhaps Jewish?
J.M.: That is the thing. I am not familiar with their denomination.
A.F.: You have been very helpful, Mrs. McCormack. If we have any further questions, we will contact you.
J.M.: I will be glad to help.
Faye looked at Shane.
“What do you think?”
The chief inspector sat in his chair, a folder of reports lying on the desk in front of him. He was not looking at Faye. He was thinking. New questions had appeared in his observation notebook.
“What can I say? We need to find Stan Dillon, the O’Flaherty family, and their son Timothy. Faye, look into them. These people must be living somewhere now.”
“I am already working on it, boss. What about house number ten? I think if we track down the lad who told those ‘scary stories’ to Rhys Cody and his friends, we might learn more about the O’Flahertys.”
“Proceed,” Shane replied without objection. He spread his hands slightly. Faye was doing her job well. Once again, the detective noted to himself that despite the police chief’s dissatisfaction, he had a reliable team.
Faye did not leave. Although Shane had hoped to be alone and eat the sandwich growing lonely in his desk drawer, he looked at the sergeant expectantly.
“That is not all?”
“No.” She shifted from one foot to the other. “There is something else.”
“What is it? Surprise me, Sergeant O’Keefe.”
“Anita Foley and I went door to door along the entire street. There are eleven houses on Mayola Street. Not everyone answered the door. It appears that many owners live in Derry, like the Rourke family. Mostly retirees live in Cloraine. Others rent out their houses or come only for holidays. So, in house number one lives a man named Seamus Byrne. Originally from Hamburg. We did not formally record an interview with him because he was drunk at the time of our visit. However, he answered a couple of questions and said something very interesting, which we are still checking. He stated that…”
At that moment, Shane’s phone rang. It was Clive Daniel. What he reported stunned O’Halloran. He stood up and began pacing the room, glancing irritably at his watch.
“So what exactly did Byrne say?” he asked Faye impatiently after ending the call.
“Uh… everything alright, boss?”
“Faye, I need to leave. But first, finish what you were saying.”
“Yes. Right. He told us that the O’Flahertys had lived in that house their entire lives. The house passed to Judith O’Flaherty after her brother’s death. That is where the story ends.”
“And did he happen to mention when the O’Flahertys left the house?”
“No. He could barely speak. We did not risk asking him anything else.”
“Alright. Once he sobers up, we will question him properly. And now excuse me, but I need to get to Cloraine.” Shane took his jacket from the hanger and put it on.
“Did something happen?”
The detective’s face suddenly lit up.
“Yes. There has been a breakthrough in our case.”
Frozen in place, Faye looked at O’Halloran questioningly.
“Angela, our girl from the basement, has come up to the surface. She is currently at Molly Daniel’s house. But please, Faye, no one at the station should know about this yet. I want to see her myself first.”
In the car, Shane thought only about Angela. The interviews with the neighbors did not concern him at that moment. He could think about them later. In his mind lingered the image of a small, gaunt girl in a dirty dress, her chest heaving with fear, and her sad voice humming a lullaby, wordless yet beautiful. Above all, he wanted to see the girl in daylight. He did not expect her to speak with him. It would be enough if she accepted him as a friend. He would postpone calling Doctor Leary until later. That was Molly’s request. She intended to invite them one by one. What Shane truly did not understand was why she had ignored a professional psychologist and chosen to call an inspector instead.
