Neither of us talked about it until we were clear of the village, the car rattling and whining as we made our way back down the track. It was too risky to leave Healy at Black Gale now, so we’d made sure the four properties were exactly as we’d found them, light fixtures screwed in, picture frames returned, the feet of the sofas placed into the same indentations in the carpets. We’d been quiet and we’d been careful, but ultimately none of that really mattered much: we’d talked enough before we realized we were being recorded, and our complete silence in the aftermath of Mills’s appearance would almost certainly arouse suspicion once the recordings were played back, as would the minor snaps and clicks close to the microphones. Those noises would appear like someone trying to suppress the sound of their movements, which was exactly what it was: it wouldn’t take a genius to realize we’d found the hard drive and then gone looking for the bugs.

‘So what now?’ Healy said.

It was obvious from his voice that he was battling to stay focused on anything other than the fact that his voice was on tape somewhere, three and a half years after his name had been etched into a headstone. His gaze was fixed on the road and his fingers were forming a fist and then opening again, like a pulse, something that happened when he was nervous. It was a hangover from his days as a smoker, when he’d have already sparked up at this point.

‘I have to get the car fixed,’ I said.

‘And where does that leave me?’

‘You need to disappear for a few days. I don’t know who the hell this guy Mills is. I don’t even know if he’s the one that put bugs in those houses. So while I’m trying to figure it out, I can’t be worrying about you.’

Healy looked at me. ‘You don’t think Mills installed the bugs?’

‘I’m saying I don’t know for sure.’

But he could see what else lay unspoken in my face.

‘Wait a second, you think Ross might be involved?’

I didn’t reply immediately, because I was still trying to get my head around the idea, to figure out why Ross would do something like that. But one thing was certain: Ross had keys and alarm codes for all four houses.

‘I need to look into Mills and I need to speak to Ross,’ I said, ‘so until I know either way, I think it’s better for both of us if you lie low.’

He nodded, seeming to accept his fate.