I think you’re revenge theory is more accurate for Kieran because in Chapter 2 some of the O’Driscolls hanging around Valentine will say something along the lines of “This one looks like he’s been riding with Kieran Duffy” or something like that. I think they were tracking him down as soon as Six Point Cabin happens for revenge.
Yeahhh, I think regardless of whether or not there was any interrogation, the revenge thing is consistent on all possible paths. Or more so, I feel like “revenge” is probably poor phrasing on my end. I don’t think Colm was personally offended-- it was like most of making an example of traitors, honestly. To me revenge is more like... getting back at a specific person because they caused you emotional harm. Kieran definitely wouldn’t have been the first person to leave the O’Driscolls, but Colm uses fear as one of the primary ways of controlling people, so. He absolutely couldn’t just let Kieran live. I honestly don’t think he would’ve bothered sending Kieran’s corpse back to anyone other than the Van Der Linde’s. His rivalry with Dutch, and the fact that Dutch took in an ex O’Driscoll... really gave Colm a reason to be extra mean.
And on that note... it really makes me feel like they already knew where the gang was when they took Kieran. Already in chapter two, they somehow know that Kieran is A) alive B) was captured by the gang and C) is one of them now
How... would they know that? Every O’Driscoll that wasn’t Kieran was killed up in the mountains. And if Kieran actually DID leave camp for supply runs or just to get out, why didn’t they just take him? Kieran’s not exactly a fighter. An O’Driscoll is never solo, so the fact that they knew, THAT early on, that Kieran Duffy is alive and part of the Van Der Linde gang, seems kinda telling to me. The only logicl reason I can think is that some of the O’Driscoll’s who bailed might’ve seen Kieran hiding at the cabin, but even then like... that’d be a bit impressive. Also, like. Seeing Arthur Morgan in Valentine? It would’ve been so easy to track and keep tabs on the Van Der Linde’s. So. I feel like “where are they” isn’t hard at all for Colm to know.
IF Kieran was interrogated at all, it would’ve been secondary at best, and not the primary reason to capturing him.