‘’Twas an accident. They didn’t mean to. Mammy and Daddy wouldn’t have wanted to leave me. I just like to keep their stuff nice. So they’ll know. Up in heaven, like. I’m a good man.’

Tears welled in Carney’s eyes again and he tried to wipe them, awkwardly, because his wrists were bound.

‘Ray, take those cuffs off,’ Tom said.

His deputy circled the table and removed the restraints.

Carney kept his eyes on Tom. When the cuffs were off, he rubbed his wrists and reached out for the drink. He raised it to his lips, then screwed up his face with distaste.

‘Bitter,’ he said, spitting the liquid back into the cup.

‘Sorry,’ Tom said. ‘Our canteen isn’t the best. Will I send for some sugar?’

‘Never had coffee before. Mammy didn’t like me to have it. Tea with two sugars and a hot cocoa at night.’

‘I see.’

Ray stood again and opened the interview-room door.

‘Can we get a tea with two sugars, please?’ he asked the guard outside.

‘There, we’ll get you sorted,’ Tom said.

The other man blinked. He bowed his head, a sign of gratitude.

‘Sorry I shot at you. I was scared. I wouldn’t have hurt you.’

‘You didn’t just miss, then?’ the inspector probed. ‘You knew what you were doing?’

Carney snorted.

‘Never miss.’

That solved one puzzle.

‘Vincent, you’ve been questioned by the guards before, haven’t you? You were even convicted for assaulting a girl.’

Carney shrugged.

‘I didn’t mean to do nothing bad. I’m a good-looking man. Mammy always told me. I have a house. ‘m not stuck for money. I can get married. I was telling the girl that. I did nothing wrong. I just wanted to have sex. But she got upset.’

‘When you said the people in the village made fun of you – who in particular upset you?’

A pause.

‘All the girls. Mammy said I’d be a heartbreaker when I grew up. But I’m not. They laugh. When I try to buy them a drink or kiss them, they laugh and push me away. Call me names. “Fucking retard”. “Stupid ‘capper”.’

‘Did Fiona Holland call you names?’

Vincent stared down at the table.

‘She had pretty hair. I touched it. I wanted to hold her. But I made a mistake.’

‘What was that, now?’

‘I called her Fi.’

‘What was wrong with that?’ The inspector leaned forward in his seat, barely able to breathe. He didn’t know if this was a confession to the incident last year, or something more recent. ‘What did she do when you touched her?’

‘She spat at me. “Only my fucking family call me Fi, you fucking loser. Get off me.” Pushed me away.’

‘And what did you do, then?’

‘Nothing.’