Murder at the Cottage | Sky

Looking at the picture of the pump house,

That block had been taken from that wall some time before that photo was taken.

It's unlikely the killer would go back to the shed, lift the roof and remove a block from the wall.

Instead looked around for something to finish the job and there it was,

as MonkieSocks said sitting there keeping the gate open.

If it's Sophie's shed which I think it is, on the other side of the lane by the gate into her lawn

someone was leaving her a message.

Wrecking her shed roof to get a block from the wall to keep the gate open, the gate she insisted on being kept closed.

Not as if there were no rocks around to do the job.

But looking at the gate I'd say the default position would be open and no block needed to keep it open

unless of course you wanted to make it as difficult as possible for a petite French woman .

I would say all was not well in that little piece of Heaven , and maybe it all started when Sophie arrived in Dreenane.

One other thing, someone being assaulted up against an iron gate that's hinged to a steel post via an iron eye

would make some racket.

The murderer must have made sure at some point that the block was loose and could be picked up as a murder weapon with ease.

I don't know if it's known if the murderer brought the rock with him or picked it up somewhere near the house?

I think it is understood that Sophie has first been hit with the rock, and later on with that block?

I dont know... to me the clean surfaces on the lower blocks of the pump house make them look recently exposed... no moss, dirt etc

Why would anyone (innocent) remove a block from a pump house with a roof/cover in frosty winter time and not replace it.... Every country person knows how important the pump is.

When approaching that pump house they knew it was loose and needed little effort to lift as it was already at waist height.... (Local remote knowledge)

Every now and then, there is mention of issues of property rights and right of way issues.

Just wondering, what was that pump house used for? Running water for the houses there? Did they possibly argue over water and the argument had gotten out of hand? Is it supposed to tell us something that the cavity block was used in the murder?

If there were water pressure issues then Alfie and Shirley would have had the problem first, as his house was higher up.

But again, that's a very far fetched speculation for a possible motive.

I think that Bailey is still the number one suspect but the fact that the Ungerers seem to have not been investigated is a bit strange.

When when the story came out years later that she was meeting someone about an art project would Mr Ungerer not fit that description?

If Sophie was going over to meet someone then I think they are the only people she is known to have visited while their. Plus she was there with Mr U for an unknown time before Mrs U showed up at the house?

I'd agree. Is it just the top row of blocks on the wall that are loose? The lower rows look cemented. Also looks like the half block was removed along with the full one. That may be it left to the side?

How would you end up looking at what would look like a solid block wall and think I'll just go up there and pull a block out of it?

There were plenty other rocks/blocks behind the gate which would have been easier to access if they were looking for a weapon.

fasanating thread. my summary so far

there is 1 area i think is 100pc , true. the guards were up to there neck in it as in corrupt.

i had a conversion with an old ff fanatic years ago, all scandals at time. he said "shure a bitta corruption no bother cover up is for the greater good.

it struck me at time that just insert catolic church, banks, etc u have same outcome.

so this culture and mind set was in cork also.

percentages:

Bailey 10pc i think he is innocent but i would not swear on bible to it.

gardai or detective 40pc

the guards maybe clowns but deliberate tampering on a large scale is apparant WHy?

protect the institution like i said above not sure if this was a rage crime. she did seem to be totally dismisive of say a lover

drugs

15pc this is where it gets murky. it is very possible guards and say detective above intermingled in this. its sorta a big leap but not really in this mad case

other lovers: 35pc

to me this seems most logical. i could see a lover writing poetry song etc she says its utter rubbish he flips totally.

insert german lad here guy in boat or most likely young french lad

husband 10pc

i just dont see it it may be possible. these high up french like in ireland will always get a dig out somewhere....

others 5pc

alphie lr random encounter i doubt but again like a spiders web what looks unlikely...

it would be great to get an expert to review it profile killer etc.

great example was detective who caught milly dwyer killer also reviewed rapes of 100s of old people in london caught killer in 3 weeks.... after he not caught for 20 years

Here's that guy's American cousin

dat is epic.

I do think it seems there was an altercation at the gate.. That she walked down there - she'd seen something (from her window) that made her quickly put on her boots and run out the door.

I don't think the killer arrived at the door and then dragged her out.. I know there was a blood mark found by the door but this may have been the killer coming back to quickly check if anyone else was in house? And I think if she was running away from someone surely she'd run to Alfie and Shirley?

What did she see at the gate? Maybe a guard in high viz jacket? Maybe Leo or Alfie doing something with those bricks or the gates that she had previously said she unhappy with? I don't suppose we'll ever know.

Are you asking about the pump house with the missing blocks?

Would it be faster to get away running down hill, Alfie's house looks to be up a hill so would easier to be caught if trying to escape from the house, but if the alteration happened at the gate, it means there must have had some daylight to be able to see what was happening down there and head down that way to meet someone or approach someone ( she may have had the small axe with her ) and things escalated.

Like most people not only in rural Ireland know, you keep a spare key hidden somewhere in case you get locked out.

She'd had a problem with her boiler. It appears like it was electric in that house, the kind that might burn out with an intermittent water supply. Was there a group water scheme for those three houses? Where was the power for the water pump coming from? I'm pretty sure Sophie wasn't fully aware of the kind of headaches with the basics you can get in a rural area. Although someone coming into your house to use your bath is a bit much.

I can see why she might go running out in a hurry if she thought someone was up to something with her water supply.

The door with the keys in it - that is the front door as far as I am aware?

That door does not appear locked to me in that photo - am I wrong there - was this door definitely locked behind her?