The Celtic Riddle Read Online Free PDF

thousand Irish punt in it-his fortunes had clearly
improved over the intervening years-but no return address. I never
cashed it. There was no reason for him to do that, really."
    "It makes perfect sense to me," I said. "As he said, you gave him a
second chance. He even named his house and property Second Chance,
didn't he? It was an important moment, a watershed of some sort in his
life." Alex shrugged. "I wonder where this Rose Cottage of yours is," I
added. "I hope it's nice."
    At this moment Michael Davis hove into view. "I didn't find Breeta,"
he said. "I looked everywhere. What'll we do?"
    Michael's news required a major consultation on the part of
Tweedledum and Tweedledee, but in the end they opted to proceed with
the reading of the Last Will and Testament of Eamon O'Neill Byrne of
County Kerry, Ireland. There were no surprises, except perhaps to learn
that both Deirdre and John had two names, like tne rest of us: Flood in
Deirdre's case, Deirdre Flood, and Herlihy in the case of John. Michael
Davis looked suitably grateful for the gift Eamon had bestowed upon
him, John Herlihy surreptitiously poured himself a congratulatory drink
from a crystal decanter on a side table, and even Deirdre of the
Sorrows showed something akin to a small smile when she heard what she
would get. They were reasonably generous sums, Deirdre's not being as
large as John's, which I took to mean she had joined the staff at
Second Chance rather later than he had. The lawyer for Padraig Gilhooly
sat stone-faced through the whole affair, and shoulders stiffened once
again when Tweedledee came to the part about Alex and Rose Cottage. The
sons-in-law squirmed with pleasure when their wives' inheritance of
Byrne Enterprises was confirmed and Margaret looked suitably shocked,
as her husband had predicted, by the mere pittance, though plenty by
most standards, that he'd left her. There were the usual puts and
takes: an unbelievably complicated formula on how, if any of them died,
where the remaining funds were to go, and so on. I confess I didn't pay
much attention.
    Then came the moment, considered unorthodox even by Byrne himself,
when the two lawyers went about the room handing all those named in the
Will, an envelope with their names on it scrawled in a shaky hand:
Eamon Byrne's, no doubt, written with one last dying effort. Margaret
got one, as did both Eithne and Fion-uala, and also, surprisingly,
since this was to have been a family exercise, Alex, Michael, and
Padraig Gil-hooly's lawyer. Only one envelope remained unclaimed:
Breeta's, since she wasn't there to receive it. Tweedledum took that
one and, with fanfare, locked it in the safe in the wall of Byrne's
office.
    Everyone sat looking at their envelopes, nice creamy linen ones with
the initials EONB embossed on the flap, as if opening them might set
off a letter bomb. All except Alex that is. He opened his immediately
and stood up. "I'm not sure I approve of this," he said, "but, in the
interests of getting it over with, mine says T am the sea-swell.' "
    The rest of them all sat there for a moment staring at their hands,
not looking at Alex, nor anyone else for that matter. Then they got up,
every last one of them, and clutching their envelopes, unopened,
hastened from the room.
    Chapter Two
    THE FURIOUS WAVE
    "NlCE," I sighed. "Very nice," I added. "Lovely people. I think I've
had about enough of this place for now. How about you?" I said, turning
to Alex, who like me was watching the family beat their hasty, and
nasty, retreat. "Why don't I buy you a drink back at the Inn?" I went
on. "Rob and Jennifer are probably back from sight-seeing by now, and
we can hear about their adventures. There isn't anything you need to do
here right now, is there?"
    "I don't think so, although I suppose I should ask," he replied,
tucking the envelope and its obscure contents into his jacket pocket.
We looked about us, but Tweedledum and Tweedledee were nowhere to be
found. "I can always telephone later," he