‘Fannigan,’ Dympna said.

‘Fannigan. What he did to the young one.’

Dympna’s tongue skittered between his teeth.

‘You heard about what he tried to do. She’s okay. We’re taking care of it. We have taken care of it, as a matter of fact.’

‘Have you now?’ Hector said.

‘Yes,’ Dympna said.

‘I care about my family. About my brother’s family. Me and Paudi both,’ Hector raised an inclusive palm towards Dympna, then put out the other hand, like Paudi was right there, sitting beside him.

Paudi was the scarier seeming of the uncles. He was thin and very tall, with a briar patch of grey-black hair and a torrentially unkempt Taliban beard. He had hard black eyes that put Arm in mind of the taxidermied foxes and stoats his own Uncle Fred kept in glass display cabinets behind the bar of his pub.

‘So do I,’ Dympna said.

‘She’s a child,’ Hector said, ‘a child. What have you done about it?’

Dympna was about to say something but Hector put the hand up. Stop.

‘It’s my business to sort,’ Dympna said, looking levelly at his uncle.

‘Is it now?’ Hector said. The crinkle crept back into his mouth corner.

Dympna shifted in his chair.

‘If you can’t handle it you should’ve called us in.’

‘It’s. Fucking. Handled,’ Dympna said.

‘Is it now?’ A derisive whicker escaped Hector’s nose. ‘I don’t know about that at all, and Paudi doesn’t know about that. And your father, God bless him, would never leave it end there, either. Retribution wouldn’t have even begun, as far as he’d be concerned.’

Dympna closed his eyes and opened them.

‘Believe me,’ he said. ‘Fannigan won’t step out of line in his life ever again.’

Hector was silent for a moment. He plucked at a cufflink, apparently considering Dympna’s assertion, then turned his eyes on Arm.

‘The muscle,’ he said, ‘young Armstrong. Tell me, Douglas. If what happened to that child happened to yours, would you leave the matter as is?’

Arm said nothing.

Dympna sighed. ‘We can’t be attracting attention, Heck. It’s dealt with.’

Hector rapped the table with his hand.

‘Just be glad, lad, we don’t hold you more accountable. Just be glad we consider you a fool rather than a coward.’

Arm could see Dympna was on the verge of going over. Blood flooded the plains of his face. He nipped his bottom lip with his teeth and breathed out hard.

‘And so what do you think you’re going to do?’

Hector pushed back his chair and stood up. He surveyed the room, and the other patrons made sure they were looking some other way. Satisfied those within earshot were at least feigning obliviousness, Heck smiled sadly and leaned down close.

‘What we shouldn’t have to, cos it should already be done.’

Arm watched him go. Dympna stared hard at the wall, waiting for his simmer to abate, and Arm knew enough to say nothing.