‘I need to put a few more things in place first. I think it’ll be okay. I won’t be spending office funds. And I’ve done everything so far on my own time. I want to have something concrete before I talk to him. That’s where you come in.’

‘If you’re sure you know what you’re doing?’

‘I am,’ I said. ‘I need you to open up a file for Sean and Ann Carney, set them up as clients, check what information I need that I haven’t got already. I know I didn’t get their identity docs – they’ll have to bring in that stuff this week. You can prep the client contracts for them, the standard litigation ones, and do up all the Section 68 bumph. And make an appointment with them to come in tomorrow afternoon and tell them what to bring along.’

‘Say 3.30 or 4?’

‘Make it a bit earlier, 2.30 if you can – but 3 p.m. is fine at a push. And I need you to make some calls for me, find a few people, get their contact details.’

‘The boys from the youth jury first, I s’pose, what were their names again?’

I smiled. Tina could read my mind.

‘Yes, smarty pants, Lorcan Lucey, who went to Pres. I reckon we should concentrate on him. It’s hardly worth our while looking for the other boy. There must be hundreds of Patrick McCarthys in Cork, that’s if he still lives here, and thousands around the country. As well, can you see if you can track down Joey O’Connor?’

‘The boyfriend.’

‘Exactly. Used to go to St Finbarr’s School, now possibly working in the family motor business, somewhere on the Kinsale Road.’

‘What about the two teachers?’ Tina asked.

‘Aifric and Mr O’Donnell? Yeah, I’m wondering how best to get to them. I’m thinking that the best thing to do is for me to make an appointment to see the school principal first. Might be hard to get talking to them otherwise – I presume they’re teaching classes most of the time. And I’ll drop the photos into Camera World to get copied and enlarged on the way to court. Oh and where could I buy a lockable box, do you know?’

‘Ronnie Moore’s?’

‘Marlboro Street. On my way, sure, so I can do that too,’ I said.

I locked the exhibits into my office desk drawer and grabbed my bag, double-checking that my files were in it, along with a pen, a barrister’s notebook and the photos for copying.

‘I’m gone. Talk later,’ I said. ‘Thanks Tina.’