A few weeks after the latest murders and theories about the identity of the killer abounded on the radio, television and the internet.  Some thought that he worked in construction.  They speculated that this was the reason for the significant distance between the murder sites; perhaps he was a bricklayer or a plasterer. 

Others thought that maybe he worked in the medical field perhaps as a doctor or nurse, as he may have targeted women he worked with and it chimed with the victims. 

Perhaps the most worrying theory was that he was a Garda.  Being in law enforcement may even be aiding him in his crimes.  Most people join the Gardai for good and noble reasons, such as wanting to help and serve their communities. 

However, if a person with abusive tendencies joins, the tools and authority that come with being a Garda would make them even more dangerous.  The lack of evidence left behind at the scenes was worrying.  It was either someone on the inside or someone who had researched assiduously. 

Everybody presumed it was a male but it was still even possible that a vibrator was used on the female victims.  That’s how much they really knew about the killer. 

Sean was now watching and listening to every theory as well as working long hours so he could review the evidence time and time again after his normal work was completed.  So much so that; those around him grew worried about his well-being. 

Even his colleagues berated him for spending so long in the office.  It was obvious to all except him that he was using the chase for the killer as a crutch rather than facing his new life head-on.   

Eventually, his occupational therapist had had enough and told him that he needed to focus on something else, at least for some part of the week.   Wheelchair basketball was a good option to take his mind off things.  It catered for people of differing abilities and it would help him meet people from different backgrounds.  The training was every Wednesday at seven besides the Central Remedial Clinic in Clontarf and they had already been told to expect him. 

She saw the displeasure on his face but told him he also needed to keep fit, knowing the different buttons to press.  So, eventually, he conceded and promised to go.  But if he didn’t like it, he wouldn’t be back.  She smiled and told him it was exactly what he needed. 

The following Wednesday Sean found himself waiting in the car outside the gym.  He had arrived ten minutes early but he should have known not to.  Sean was rare for an Irish-man; he liked to be places ahead of time.  Irish people generally are usually ten minutes late and this group was no exception.  

Sure enough, ten minutes later, the place started to become a hive of activity.  The first sign of life was an elderly man who started to unlock the door, which Sean took as a sign to get out of the car and into his wheelchair.   

By the time he had completed the maneuver, others had already made it inside.  He began to feel nervous now, wondering would the new group accept him when he went in.   

Up the ramp and in the door, he went, where he was met a wall of noise and excitement.  The middle-aged man he had seen opening the door immediately came over to him and introduced himself. 

“You must be Sean; I was told to expect you.  My name is Terence Naughton, people call me Terry.  I’m afraid you’ll have to get a different chair.  That one won’t suit” he said emphatically as he reached out to shake his hand. 

Sean shook it, nodding in the affirmative and then Terry clapped his hands loudly, which reverberated around the gym to get everyone’s attention and then motioned for them to approach him.  They formed a semi-circle and then Terry told them to introduce themselves, once he said that this is Sean. 

One by one, they did so but there were too many names to remember.  It was a mixed group with more women than men; each with a varying degree of disability.  This didn’t surprise Sean as he had done his research and knew it was an inclusive sport. 

This is due to a unique classification system used ostensibly to maximize participation.  Classification is an international regulation for playing wheelchair basketball to harmonize players’ different levels of disabilities. All teams which compete above a recreational level use the classification system to evaluate the functional abilities of players on a point scale of 1 to 4.5. Minimally disabled athletes are classified as a 4.5, and an individual with the highest degree of disability (such as a paraplegic with a complete injury below the chest) would be classified as a 1.0, this is where Sean expected to fit in. Competitions restrict the number of points allowable on the court at one time. The five players from each team on the court during play may not exceed a total of 14 points.  It was even possible for able-bodied people to compete.  People with disabilities apparently didn’t believe in discrimination. 

It was also immediately apparent that Sean was indeed in the wrong sort of wheelchair.  He had an inkling that this might be the case but wasn’t sure how seriously things would be taken.  But now he had his answer, very seriously. 

Their wheelchairs were sleek and designed for stability.  Sean now found himself getting quite embarrassed about the yoke he had shown up in.  It won’t happen again, he thought to himself. 

Terry then clapped his hand once more and told them to get back to training.  Then he started explaining the sport in intricate detail to Sean.  The most important part was dribbling.  He explained that a player may wheel the chair and bounce the ball simultaneously, however, if the ball is picked up and/or placed on the player’s lap, he/she is only allowed to push twice before they are obligated to shoot, pass, or dribble the ball again. There is no double dribble rule in wheelchair basketball. A traveling violation occurs if the player takes more than two pushes while in possession of the ball without dribbling. A player is not allowed to touch the playing surface with his or her feet while in possession of the ball. 

A goal is credited to the team attacking the basket into which the ball has entered as follows: 

• A goal from a free throw, counts as one (1) point; 

• A goal from the two-point field goal area counts two (2) points; 
• A goal from the three-point field goal area counts three (3) points. 

Every team has 24 seconds to complete its attempt to score a basket. If the team with the ball exceeds this time limit, then the ball and the right of play is granted to the opposing team. 

Surprisingly to Sean, it was played on the same court with the basket at the same height as running basketball.  It was also a very physical sport with wheelchairs regularly whacking off one another. 

Terry explained that in this sport, the wheelchair was seen as an extension of the body and that this was important in establishing responsibility for contact on the court in the case of charging, blocking, going out of bounds, and other violations.   

There were other rules about how long you could stay in parts of the court but Sean had taken in as much as he could and was now anxious to give it a try.  But Terry told him there was too much risk of injury without the proper wheelchair.  Sean had to spend the rest of the session watching the others have fun.  But that night he resolved he would be ready for the next time.  The next day he had one of the specially designed wheelchairs ordered and bought himself a basketball.   

He found himself thinking less about work and more about his strategy for the game.  Fortunately, the wheelchair arrived on the fourth day so he got to have some time adjusting to his new equipment. 

He did have some problems though.  One was the lack of space in his house to practice the dribbling and he often found himself crashing into different parts of furniture.  Fortunately, there was no girlfriend there to scold him about trashing the place.  Although the Filippa cleaner he employed to come in every three days looked at him funny as if wondering had he lost the plot. 

The other problem was that he didn’t have any hoop so he had to imagine one as he bounced the ball back and forth up against the wall.  He hoped that this would help him with his accuracy when it came to the real thing. 

The week passed quickly and Sean found himself in a better mood even though there had been no breakthrough in the case.  Before he knew it, it was time for training again.  He still arrived early; it was just the way he liked to do things.  This time though, he found that he was nervous about how he would perform rather than any trepidation about who he might meet. 

Terry waved towards him as he went to unlock the door.  Sean made sure he was first in so he could practice a few hoops without too many watching.  Sure enough, despite a few hours of practice, his aim was way-off.  But he didn’t let it get to him. 

Soon enough everyone had arrived and there was an air of excitement in the gym.  Terry was soon dividing the group into two teams and Sean found himself in fierce competition. 

He was wheeling up and down the court as the attack would change back and forth to defense and back again.  It took a while for any one of his teammates to pass him the ball but it happened eventually.  Terry immediately yelled at him to shoot and Sean foolishly did so to much laughter.  It was a terrible shot and he cringed on the inside.  Next time he’d think first. 

Alas after just ten minutes Sean was feeling very tired.  It was definitely a good way to keep fit.  It was much to his own relief that soon he found himself being substituted.  The sweat was pouring over him. 

A fellow athlete had also been benched.  The game was an easy ice breaker and they were soon engrossed in conversation.  Her name was Aimee.   She had a similar level of injury to him, except for a bit more weakness in the hands.  She had curly hair tied in a bun and big brown eyes. 

Sean immediately liked her warm smile and congenial personality.  She was very impressed by the fact he was a detective and she quickly mentioned “The Ripper”.  Sean reassured her that they’d catch him in the end although he really wasn’t sure it was the truth. 

Then they were both called back onto the court for another go.  He didn’t get to talk to her again that night, but over the weeks they gradually grew closer.  Eventually, Sean plucked up the courage to ask her over to his house for dinner.  She said yes. 

It had been a long time since Sean had been so nervous about meeting a woman.  He felt like a teenager again.  Before his accident, he would have been more into random hooks ups than having date nights.  But that seemed like a long time ago now and he just hoped everything went okay.  He was a terrible cook though so he enlisted the help of his cleaner with the chicken enchiladas.  That and some soft classical music should do the trick, he thought to himself.   

They had arranged to meet at seven and sure enough, the bell rang on the dot.  Sean eagerly went to the door to let her in, but not before producing some flowers.  She blushed, giving Sean a tinge of enjoyment.  This time her hair was no longer tied up but flowed over her shoulders.  She was stylishly dressed in a black dress and top tank, which accentuated her slim body. 

Everything was laid out on the table; the lights were dimmed.  Sean hoped she would appreciate the romantic gesture and not cringe.  Fortunately, it was the latter.  He offered her some wine, but it was declined; she said she had to drive.  That would have been old Sean’s main tactic down the drain but this was no longer him.  No point him not having a glass, he reasoned. 

It didn’t take long for the banter to start over the basketball and who was the better player.  But then it turned into a deeper, more nuanced conversation.  The first alternative topic they discussed was how they both came to be in wheelchairs.  Sean explained that he had been involved in a car crash, a head-on collision though he did leave out where he was coming from.  She reached out and held his hand as he told his story.  It had been some time since he had talked about it with anyone.   

Her story was just as tragic.  It happened on her way home from work one very breezy morning five years previously.  She had a temporary contract in a place in town at the time.  There were some weather warnings in place but she hadn’t heard them after going early to bed the night before. 

She was going down the same back road as every other morning and then she remembers nothing, till she came around a few weeks later.  A large branch from an Ash tree by the roadside had finally given way and it had smashed into her car leaving her seriously injured. 

Her voice was raw with emotion and Sean told her she didn’t have to continue.  But she looked into his eyes and replied that it was therapeutic to talk and she wanted him to know what happened.   

Then just like Sean she had to spend months in a hospital and rehabilitation.  It was grueling and she hoped never to experience anything like it again.  They were now firmly holding hands as Sean trying to somewhat lighten the mood asked her about her hopes for the future. 

“A job!” she said jokingly. 

She hadn’t worked full-time since her accident and also wanted something permanent.  Just to give her something to do, she didn’t really mind what it was despite having an advanced degree.  It was just so difficult to find something with a disability.  She was offered a good job six months ago but crushingly it was up two flights of stairs. 

Sean replied that he was fortunate that the Gardai had been so good to him, they had the job open for him while he was in rehabilitation and then set him up in an accessible location.  He would have hated having to look for a job in a wheelchair. 

She was only half-listening to him now though; she was lost gazing into his eyes.  He knew that he could not afford to lose the moment and gently caressed her face before kissing her.  It was deep, long and passionate.  When it was finished, they both giggled as if they were naughty teenagers.  After dinner, they retreated to the sitting room and watched a film. 

It was past midnight when she finally left.  There was a final kiss and a promise from Sean to contact her the next day.  There was no chance he would let this slip away.