‘You know full well that some of them don’t give a monkey’s. They’ll just crack on with it, no matter what all the big men cook up between them. Anyways, he bashed his own head in driving into a tree.’ He gave them a sardonic look. ‘Always wear a seatbelt.’ He stood up.

‘Are you not staying to eat?’

‘No. Got to get off. See you later.’

After he’d left, Brigid looked at Matty. ‘He died from the crash. You’re safe.’

It still didn’t feel that way. ‘Is he good at his job?’

‘He was arresting people at the age of five.’ When Matty didn’t smile back, Brigid softened her voice. ‘He is, but you heard him. It sounds like that man had a lot of enemies. It can happen around here.’

And none of them helped kill him. ‘The van.’ Matty scratched at the tabletop.

Brigid took a breath. Nodded. ‘I think it’s best to stay where it is. For a bit longer.’ She put her hand on top of Matty’s.

Matty stopped scratching the table. ‘Sorry.’

Brigid didn’t remove her hand. ‘No need.’ She didn’t look away. She smelt heavily of cherry blossom, of coconut.

They sat still, the vegetables simmering in the pot.

***

Sheanna was squatting down at the near end of the jetty, throwing stones into the lough. She looked round as Matty parked up, shouted, ‘Are you following me or something?’ Sounding pleased with herself.

‘No.’ I just have to come, Matty thought, wandering up and staring at the water that called all the way up to Brigid’s windows. That called even in bed. To the side of the jetty was a curved beach, trees hanging down with hard, blood-clot berries. It looked sandy, not too yielding. You could wade in, and then – in an instant, Matty’s chest and throat stiffened, locked themselves up. And then Dale would be there again, with his words and fists.

Deep breath, or the deepest breath possible with the pain. Back to the present. ‘All right, mate?’

Sheanna threw a stone and held up another, grape-sized. ‘I’m trying to hit that.’ There was a solitary leaf, bright green, a few metres out. ‘My coordination is not very good.’ She sounded self-deprecating and strangely adult again.

Matty crouched down, lobbed the stone. It landed a few feet away.

‘Your coordination is not very good either, Scout,’ she said.

It was startling to hear the false name in anything other than Joe’s voice. Tiger, crackerjack, scout. ‘Practice makes perfect.’

They spent a few minutes on their target practice, Sheanna getting up once to gather another handful of gravel.

‘Did you bring your wetsuit today?’ she said as she dropped them all on the concrete with a spatter.

‘Nope.’

‘Don’t you want to swim in it anymore, then?’

Yes. No. Yes. It’s all I want and I’m too fucking scared.