Into the Den

‘I know, honey.’ I patted Kieran’s hand, placating. ‘But I can’t rest easy until I find whatever it is hidden in the backyard of my parents’ house.’ While he drove, I filled him in on what Carole told me. ‘A trapdoor? Secret basement?’ He wondered out loud. ‘What do you think it is?’ ‘I’ve no idea. Best guess? Files, documents, evidence that’s linked to Desmond Murray’s accusation.’ ‘Do you really think Brennan had been stealing money from his own company?’ ‘If you asked me this a year ago, I would have said no without a moment’s hesitation. But now? I’m not so sure. I don’t think I really knew him, my adoptive father, at least not as well as I thought I did.’ The Finnegans’ house sat at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac inside a gated community. I moved out after I went away to college. Technically, the house must belong to Niall now, since Brennan bequeathed all his belongings to the boy. But no one lived here now. The once magnificent two-storey house sat in sad neglect, with weeds over