I nod, letting her words filter through my head. This is not a choice for me. Faye knows that. I owe her big-time and now she’s calling in the favour.

‘Okay.’

‘I don’t want you to mention my name. Can you do that? Just leave me out of it?’

Other than the sound of my heart bashing against the wall of my chest, I’m rendered silent.

‘Your name was on the lease, Tara, mine wasn’t, so there’s no need to bring me into it—’

I interrupt her before she goes on. ‘It’s too late. Two detectives called here this morning, Faye.’

Faye doesn’t answer. I can hear her breathing, slow, heavy.

‘Are you there?’

‘Did you give them my name?’

‘Yes. Sorry, I wasn’t thinking straight. I was in shock and… they’d have found out some other way. The registrar at college or someone else would have given your name. If I left you out and they discovered it elsewhere that wouldn’t look good…’

She’s saying nothing, so I continue. ‘They probably won’t come back anyway, Faye. I got that impression.’ I didn’t get that impression but I don’t want to worry her any more than I already have.

‘What did they ask?’

‘Just who lived in the house and did I remember anything suspicious going down.’

‘And you said?’

‘I told them lots of people stayed there but only myself, you and Andriu lived there on a permanent basis.’ I realise that I forgot to tell the detective about Robin living there for a while.

Faye is silent; I can tell she’s thinking.

‘Well, good luck to them trying to track Andriu down,’ she says.

‘Actually, he’s coming to Dublin next week.’

The silence that follows is warranted. Faye will not be able to comprehend how I’m in touch with Andriu. Not after what he did to her. She’ll probably see this as a betrayal on my behalf. I want to explain to her that he was the one who contacted me but I don’t think that’ll excuse me.

‘Andriu… you’ve been in touch with him?’

I feel awful now. I probably should not have engaged with him when he made contact but it had been months since I’d heard from anyone. I’d given up trying to contact Faye. She wasn’t replying to any of my calls or messages. Then when I saw the message from Andriu, I was delighted and replied straight away. We stayed in contact after that. Not every day or even every week, but now and then he sends a message.

‘Just a few little messages.’

‘But you’re meeting him next week, are you?’

I can hear someone calling Faye in the background.

‘Hang on Tara, I have to go… I’ll be there in a minute,’ she says to whoever is looking for her.