I shake my head. ‘No. I didn’t. Look, I’ll be honest. You might find this hard to believe of me, but I’ve no desire to make things worse for the Dohertys. Bernie asked me not to tell anyone what she told me and I won’t. She seems scared, and I understand that.’

I fidget in my seat, pull the arms of my jumper down to my wrists and then I take a deep breath. ‘He did say that he believed, and always believed, that Liam Doherty might be aware of some or all of what really happened that night. That he has kept quiet while Jamesy rotted in prison. He said maybe karma had caught up with him, or words to that effect.’

‘Has Jamesy given you any reason to believe he still has any contacts in Derry? Anyone here he would have any sway over?’

I shake my head. ‘No. Absolutely not. I’d be certain of that. It’s been twenty-five years since he lived here. He’s been out of jail eight years and hasn’t set foot back in Derry. He’s too scared to and I believe that fear is genuine. I don’t think he has the wit about him to lie to that level.’

DI Bradley nods. ‘You think he’s genuine? When you spoke to him, you had a feeling he was telling you the truth?’

‘I can’t be certain, but yes. I do feel he was being honest, and with everything that has happened in the last week, to me and now to Liam, I’m pretty sure he’s right. Something else is going on behind the scenes here.’

I watch as DI Bradley glances momentarily towards DS King. If they have any idea of the truth of the matter, they sure aren’t letting me in on it.

‘How did the call with him end? he asks.

‘He hung up on me. He was upset. Maybe I should’ve called him back, but I was exhausted.’

My face roars red with shame as I speak. DI Bradley makes a note of it and looks back at me. ‘Would you allow us access to any notes you have from your conversations with him?’

I stiffen. That goes against every journalistic principle I hold. But if Harte is a danger to others, or himself, or me, then maybe I should. No. No, a journalist must protect their sources and their source material, no matter how unsavoury that source might be.

‘Where do you think he is?’ I ask.

‘We’re not sure, but we can’t rule out the possibility that he is either in Derry or on his way to Derry. Nor can we rule out the possibility that something has happened to him – that he may have been targeted too, in the same way Mr Doherty has, or that he is a danger to himself.’ DI Bradley’s expression is grim.