As far as the local population was concerned, whatever about his talent, Gill’s later success was entirely due to the fact that Cork had discovered him. ‘He’d be nowhere only for us,’ taxi drivers said, too often for my liking, even before I’d heard about Deirdre.

‘I was volunteering that year. I did it for a few years back then. I didn’t meet Jeremy myself, unfortunately. Did you?’

‘I did of course,’ Jessica said. ‘We did the workshop with him.’

‘Oh yes, the workshop. I have some photos of it. Didn’t know you were at it.’

‘Well, to be honest, it wasn’t really my thing. But Deirdre was doing it and at that stage we were joined at the hip. And it was a day off school, of course.’

I took out my iPad and got up the scanned photos, the group shot first. Jessica squealed.

‘Oh my God, look at me, I was so fat,’ she said.

She pointed to a round mousey-haired girl, and looked at me expectantly.

‘I wouldn’t say fat exactly,’ I said. ‘But you look a lot different, that’s for sure.’

‘I took up running down by the Lough to get out on my own for half an hour a couple of times a week. And the weight fell off me. Mind you, it’s a struggle to keep it off. I nearly have shares in Special K. But look at Deirdre, God help us, may she rest in peace. She was so pretty, such a star. No wonder Jeremy Gill was mad about her.’

‘Really? How do you mean?’

‘Just asking her opinion and things,’ Jessica said. ‘And if he had to demonstrate anything, he got her to help him, all that. Teacher’s pet. But we were used to that with Deirdre. Everyone loved her. Mr O’Donnell the art teacher adored her. Even after she got sick and gave up art in school and dropped down to doing all pass subjects, he kept asking about her all the time. We used to say that he was in love with her.’

‘Was he?’

‘Dunno. Doubt if it was love, really. But it happens, doesn’t it?’

I’d need to talk to Mr O’Donnell, find out more.

‘I suppose. But tell me, do you recognise anyone else in these photos, Jessica?’

‘Well there’s Joey,’ she said.

She pointed to a thick-necked, surly youth in the second row.

‘And Aifric Sheehan, she was Deirdre’s friend more than mine. Aifric’s still around. I bump into her occasionally. She went on and did teaching. Works in our old school, would you believe? I don’t think I’d send our two there, though I don’t know, they’re still young. But from what I hear, the school’s changed a lot since our day. Less mixed, more exclusive.’

I had to get her back to the case.