“There are deer on the estate, so I’m told,” I said, glad that for once I was the brave one.

When we set off again I noticed that she kept closer to me. The castle loomed over us, its stone glowing pink in the rays of the setting sun. We followed the path around the castle wall to the front where the driveway ended in a circle of gravel with a fountain playing in the middle. I glanced back along the drive to the main gate but could not catch a glimpse of the Garda who was stationed there. Maybe this was a good thing, I decided, or he might have come to stop us. But I would have found it more reassuring to know he was close by.

The front door was up a flight of stone steps.

“You stay at the bottom where he can’t see you and you can take a good picture of his face,” Zou Zou said.

She went up the steps and waited until I had found a position where I could focus the camera on the front door. Then she gave me a thumbs-up sign and tugged on a bellpull. We heard a jangle echoing inside and waited. And waited. Zou Zou had almost decided to turn away and give up when the front door opened with an ominous creaking sound, such as one hears in horror films. Mickey stood there and reacted with surprise.

“Who are you? How did you get in here past the constable at the gate? If you’re a reporter . . .”

“Of course I am not a reporter,” Zou Zou said in her most autocratic voice. “I am here on behalf of the barrister in Dublin who is to represent Lord Kilhenny. He wanted me to ask you a few questions. You are Mr. Roach’s manservant, are you not?”

“Would I be living in this dump if I wasn’t?” he said cockily, but his eyes darted nervously and I could tell he was rattled.

“Naturally you will be called to testify,” Zou Zou continued. “That should be no problem as long as you tell the truth. Now if you could just answer a couple of questions, please.”

“You’d better come inside,” he said.

“No, thank you. Here will do perfectly,” she said. “I have to show you a photograph and I want you to see it in good light.” She held it out to him. “Please take a look at this. You see the man standing behind Lord Kilhenny. Do you recognize him?”

He took the photograph. I focused the camera lens on him and as he looked up, I took the picture. Then wound on the film and took a couple more for good measure. I tried to make sure that my hand wasn’t shaking, which wasn’t easy. After one brief glance he handed the photograph back to Zou Zou.