‘It’s Maggie, she’s dead. Dad, please listen. It’s me, Annie! Dad, please, I need you to listen to me. It’s me. I’m all right.’

He stood up from where he was crouching. He was listening now.

‘Dad, are you still there?’

He recognised her voice now. He didn’t answer because he wanted her to speak again. He wanted her to speak and never stop speaking again!

‘Dad, Maggie took my place. She knew, Dad. She knew something was wrong and she took my place. She took my coat and drove the car instead of me. He thought it was me in the car, but she wouldn’t let me go. She died for me. Maggie died for me!’

She was sobbing uncontrollably now.

He wanted to reach through the phone and grab her and never let her go.

‘Annie! Oh, Annie! I thought you were dead. I thought I’d never hear your voice or see your face again. Annie, I thought Maggie was part of it. All those things I said, I thought she was responsible for your death. Christ! Poor Maggie! Where are you? I’m coming to get you!’

Her voice was steady now.

‘It’s alright Dad. I’m on my way back to Killane now with the police. I’ll be there in an hour. I’ll meet you there.’

He couldn’t think of anything else to say.

‘Annie.’

‘What?’

‘Guess what?’

As he walked to the car, he looked up at the grand old castle. He saw an old man gazing at him from the last oval window on the second floor. Cormac raised his right hand to him and saw him smile. He got into the hire car and looked in the mirror. He was unrecognisable. His eyes were red glows sat deeply in a muddy mess. He smiled to no one and left the political establishment to their Champagne and canapés and drove off in search of happiness. The relief and exhilaration that his daughter was still living and breathing carried him all the way to Belfast. When he turned left to drive the short distance uphill to Killane, only then did he feel the loss of Maggie stab at his chest. He saw the commotion at Lalor’s as he drove into the village. Two police cars flanked the ambulance that was swallowing the third and largest of the black body bags. He turned left and brought the car to a halt outside his mother’s house. When he left this place three hours ago, he absolutely believed he would live, Annie would be safe and Liam Conlon would be gone forever. He achieved everything he set out to achieve. Yet as he started to walk towards the old front door, he felt the stabbing in his chest again. He turned and looked up the hill. He saw the church steeple silhouetted against the darkening night sky. He thought of Maggie. Maggie, who he thought was the enemy, who only three hours ago, he was sure he would not have mourned; Maggie, who sacrificed her life so they could have theirs. He closed the rusty gate behind him and strolled towards the church on the hill. He would light a candle for Maggie. She would want him to do that for her.