Chapter 4

You can't make the Pizza if you aint got the dough $

It was a beautiful morning in Ballykissangel. The spring flowers were still glistening with the morning's first dew.

Off in the distance a small brown dot flittered in the breeze. As the wind grew in strength the small brown dot slowly began to form a recognizable shape. As it drew closer to the towns mainstreet the small brown dot was not a dot at all, but a small brown owl. The wind took the owl straight to the window ledge of the Egan's guestroom. The owl rested on the outside ledge the wind slowy parted the curtain to the barely open window.

The owl began to hoot at the one that was sleeping inside the room. It didn't have any better luck at waking him than the rustling wind had. As the curtain parted though a small beam of sunlight struck Brian Quigley squarely in the face. With a stretch of his arms he awoke and took a quick survey of his surroundings. He didn't immediately remember where he was. His confusion began to fade as the owls hoot grew in strength.

Brian remembered asking Niamh and Ambrose if he could spend the night. Originally he had intended on asking to borrow their car. That plan fizzled when the smoke pouring from the hood of his car was painfully visible from Ambrose's front doorstep.

He slowly pulled himself from the bed. With a yawn he slowly walked over to the cracked window and with a push closed the window. The small owl satisfied that he was awake flew off. Brian Quigley had no way of knowing that the small owl held the key to all his hopes and dreams. And he was blissfully unaware.

He dressed rather quickly and soon he was walking into his daughters kitchen. He half expected to see Niamh and Ambrose eating breakfast together. What he instead saw was Niamh sitting alone at the kitchen table reading the morning edition of his former paper, the Cilldargen Democrat. He still was angry that it had slipped away from him because of his debt. While Brian sat down at the table he had no idea that his two employee's were right now shopping for supplies at Hendley's store. If he could have seen them he would have been amused.
C'mon Donal, I know how to make it. I had one In Dublin once. Liam shook his head as Donal was picking up all the wrong ingrediants.

What are you boys making? Kathleen asked.

She asked this while looking at all the Italian items they had picked up, like flour, mushrooms, green peppers, black olives.

We're gonna make uhhh, .... a cake. Donal said quickly without thinking.

That should be quite a cake! Kathleen said this with a smile and a funny look.

Liam had a 'I can't believe he just said that' look on his face, then with a word paid Kathleen for the supplies and watched as Donal bagged them up.

Outside her store out of what they thought was Kathleen's range of hearing Liam said, "I can't believe you! You dint have to say nuttin. And now she probably figured out what we're up too."

Inside her store Kathleen was turning a little volume knob a bit higher. What Liam and Donal didn't know was that they were standing right near a small hidden microphone that she often used to keep up on the local gossip. Kathleen smiled and then said, "I don't know yet what you're doing Liam but if you keep talking I soon will.

How would she know that we are going to open the first Pizza Delivery place in Ballykissangel? Donal asked with a hint of humour in his voice.

Kathleen didn't hear anymore as the pair had moved out of the microphone's range. But she had heard enough so she turned it off. "Wait til I tell Father Mac about this." she said as she picked up the phone to call him.

Father MacAnally was sitting at his desk contemplating the sermon he would give for next sunday's mass. Since Father Clifford had left he was pretty much having to do double duty at St Josephs. It still irritated him the way that he had dropped off that small package for him. "The least he could have done was ...." he didn't get a chance to finish his sentence because just then his phone rang. "Assumpta Fitzgerald if that's you trying to haunt me, I'll ...." He picked up the phone and without thinking said, "How many times are you going to call me?"

When Kathleen heard Father Mac it startled her so bad all she could do was hang up. She knew it was rude, but she had never heard him speak in such tones. Maybe it would be better if he didn't know it was her on the phone. Her news could wait.

Back at the Egan's home Brian Quigley was wondering why there was no sign of his son in law this early in the morning. Niamh looked up from the paper she was reading and said, "Good morning Dad. Do you want some breakfast?"

Before Brian could answer she said, "Well don't be expecting me to fix it. I've already fixed one breakfast this morning that went uneaten, I'm doing another."

After a moment of silence he asked, "Wheres Ambrose?"

"You might ask Brendan Kearney that question. He called this morning early from Siobhans home. All Ambrose would tell me was a crime wave was hitting town." Then she smiled and said, "I'd be more interested in what Brendan Kearney was doing at Siobhan's home at six in the morning. Because that's when he called."

Sensing an oppurtunity since Ambrose was gone Brian in as fatherly a voice as he could do said, "Since Ambrose isn't here I want to tell "You" about a business oppurtunity that'll be good for both you, and me.

The room fell silent again until in the far back room his grandson woke up and began to cry. Walking from the room Niamh said to him, "It'll have to wait Dad, you might talk about it with Ambrose when he gets back. She picked up Kierans babyfood, and then went to his small room to feed him.

Alone now in the kitchen Brian glanced at the paper that at one time had been his own. He thumbed through the paper not even noticing a ad that had caught the attention of Liam and Donal days before. The ad was for an Italian style Pizza Restraunt located in Cilldargen.

Now that the moment had been shattered by the crying of his grandson, Brian decided he would see about getting his car fixed. It wasn't a Rolls-Royce, but it was at the moment his only means of transportation.

Niamh didn't even hear him say his goodbyes as he left since she was so busy with Kieran.

Brian grimaced as he noticed that his car still had a small bit of smoke pouring from underneath the hood. "At least he didn't have to worry about someone stealing it." He thought to himself. He walked past it on his way to Padraig O'Kelly's home.

Padraig looked at his son's face again and asked in a not so jokingly manner, "So did you get lucky last night Kev?"

Kevin was now speachless, in his mind he was struggling to remember his dream. It had been Assumpta, but what had she told him? He looked at his dad and said one word , "Later" then he rushed out of the house as he remembered the dream. Kevin almost collided with Brian as he raced out of the house.

Brian mumbled something about where his father was. Kevin pointed back at their home, then he raced away.

As Brian entered the O'Kelly home a 18 wheel truck pulled up next to his car. And when he was out of sight a lone figure jumped from the cab of the truck. The man stood in the shadows until he was certain he wasn't being observed.

He Remembered the injustice that the people of Ballykissangel had afforded him on his last visit to Ballykissangel. And he would have the final revenge on them all.

The back of the truck began to lower and two men quickly attached chains to the front of Brian's car. The two men had often wondered why they had been hired. The smarter looking of the two asked , "Mossie, why is it so important that we steal think junk of a car?"

The man quickly motioned for them to be quiet, he didn't want the slightest chance that someone might overhear his name. They would learn soon enough that their old friend Mossie Phelan had returned. He had great plans for the folk of Ballykea. A devilish laugh escaped from his lips as he flipped the switch that towed Brians small car into the back of the giant truck. Within moments there was no evidence that Brian Quigley's car had been parked anywhere on the street. The 18 wheel truck drove away with no one the wiser.

Kevin was out of breath as he approached the payphone. He had no one to call, yet still he picked up the reciever.

Father MacAnally had been increrasingly busy. He had made arrangements for a replacement priest for the long absent Peter Clifford. But it would be months until he would arrive. He had made sure of one thing though, this time he was making sure he didn't get a English curate. He didn't have any of the details on his new priest, but his Bishop assured him he wasn't English. Today would be no different than any day from the last two weeks. He would have to be in two places at the same time for most of the day. He was only in Cilldargen to get a bite to eat. As he began to make his sandwich his phone rang.

He almost hesitated to answer it. Someon had been calling and just left the line open without saying a word.

He picked the reciever up and was startled to hear a very familiar voice, "You Had no Right ......" then the line went silent.

He was stunned, either someone was good at imitating her voice, or the ghost of Assumpta Fitzgerald just rang him on the telephone.

end chapter four