‘Don’t worry, I will. At the time I was sure he was going to kill me but I don’t think I’m going to bruise,’ I said. ‘I think he knew what he was doing. It’s what I was saying to you before, if anything happened to me, he’d be the number one suspect.’

‘I’m nearly more worried about Joey,’ Sadie said. ‘He’s local. And he’s highly dangerous.’

‘And I knew he was, from his record and the way he behaved when I met him.’

‘You barely mentioned him to me at the time, though.’

‘I know. He just didn’t fit with the story I’d constructed in my head about Gill.’

‘Rookie mistake,’ Sadie said. ‘Ignore the facts, stick with the theory.’

‘You’re all heart. Hopefully he’s on his way to being arrested for my car, at least.’

If he had raped Deirdre – and I still wasn’t convinced he had – he would never serve prison time for that. All the same, it would give me some satisfaction to see him put away. He’d probably argue that he was upset after I’d reminded him of Deirdre’s death, but hopefully the main influence on his sentence would be his previous convictions for violence.

‘I’m sure he is. I’ll check what’s happening when I’m back at base,’ Sadie said.

‘Thanks,’ I said. ‘But Gill is still the one taking up most of the space my head.’

‘And it’s pretty crowded in there at the minute,’ I added.

‘Rhona, you mean?’

‘Rhona, and the girl from New York State, and all the others he’s hurt and damaged, and that he’s going to in the future. Rhona’s dead now, so she can’t give evidence against him. And all Gill’s other victims seem to have stayed schtum so far. In the end, what we have on him amounts to nothing that would get him prosecuted for anything. The trouble is, he’s so clever. If he walks away scot-free from this, I don’t know what I’ll do.’

After Sadie was gone, I emptied the washing machine and transferred the bed linen and towels into the dryer. Then I left the house.

I needed to check something before I could get my head clear on anything else.

37

I didn’t bother making an appointment this time. I walked through the main hall, up the stairs and past his astonished secretary, and into his office.

‘What on earth are you doing?’ Eoghan MacGiolla shouted.

He leapt out of his chair and made for the door but I blocked his path.

‘You lied,’ I said. ‘And I want to know why.’

‘I’m going to call the guards.’

‘Please do. Or you could tell me the real story about you and Deirdre Carney.’

I kicked the door shut behind me, walked around MacGiolla, and sat in his chair.