We Solve Murders
by Richard Osman
Contents
Chapter 62
Overview
After Amy escapes Eddie Flood in Dublin, Rosie responds by using celebrity instead of secrecy. She goes on national Irish breakfast television, invents a rescue story, and offers €20,000 for sightings of Eddie, publicly circulating his face and turning him from hunter into hunted. The move shifts the group’s strategy as Amy arms herself, Steve struggles to keep up, and Rosie turns media attention into a weapon before they head for Cork.
Summary
As Rosie D’Antonio is prepared for television by make-up artist Mark, the narration emphasizes Rosie’s talent for creating chaos and using it as cover. After Amy’s return to the hotel the previous night with a limp and evidence of a violent encounter, Amy told Rosie and Steve that Eddie Flood was in Dublin, armed and still trying to kill them. Amy withheld some details, but Rosie immediately understood that Eddie would likely follow them to Cork, so the group needed a way to turn the threat back on him.
During a long drinking session in the hotel bar, Rosie developed a plan that matched her strengths better than a direct confrontation. She contacted Michael O’Doherty, the producer of An Irish Breakfast, and promised a scoop in exchange for airtime. Early the next morning, a car took Rosie, Steve, and Amy toward the RTÉ studio, with stops along the way for photocopying, for Steve to be sick after too much Guinness, and to drop Amy on a suburban street with cash so Amy could buy a gun.
While Steve recovers in a dark dressing room and Amy handles the practical danger, Rosie waits to go on air. On a studio monitor, Rosie sees news coverage of the shooting at Dublin Airport, a reminder that Amy’s escape has already become a public incident. Rosie then enters the studio and charms the hosts, Kellie and Ryan, establishing a playful, relaxed tone before delivering the real purpose of her appearance.
On live television, Rosie invents a story about nearly drowning while swimming in South Carolina and being saved by an Irish tourist with a Cork accent. Rosie says she wants to thank the man who rescued her and asks viewers to help find him. The story gives Rosie a public, sympathetic reason to circulate Eddie Flood’s face without revealing that he is actually a hired killer stalking them.
The producers show Eddie’s photograph on screen, which Steve had found online, and Rosie announces a €20,000 reward for information leading to his exact location, especially in Cork. Rosie broadens the appeal by inviting ordinary viewers and even the police to report sightings through an email address Amy created. By doing this, Rosie transforms Eddie from a hidden hunter into a visible target, using her celebrity and the media to make all of Ireland watch for him.
After the interview, Rosie meets Steve on the studio floor and asks whether she performed well, only to learn that Steve was too ill to watch. Still pleased with the result, Rosie immediately pushes them onward, telling Steve that they have a helicopter to catch. The chapter ends with Rosie’s plan in motion and the pursuit of Eddie shifting to a much larger stage.
Who Appears
- Rosie D’AntonioUses her charm and fame to launch a public hunt for Eddie on live Irish television.
- SteveTravels with Rosie and Amy, but is badly hungover and largely sidelined during the plan.
- AmyAfter surviving Eddie’s attack, she helps set up Rosie’s trap and goes to buy a gun.
- Eddie FloodArmed killer pursuing the group; Rosie exposes his face on TV and puts a reward on him.
- MarkRosie’s make-up artist, who banters with her before the television appearance.
- RyanCo-host of An Irish Breakfast who interviews Rosie during her public appeal.
- KellieCo-host of An Irish Breakfast who supports Rosie’s on-air story and appeal.
- Michael O’DohertyProducer of An Irish Breakfast who books Rosie after she promises him a scoop.