‘No. She’d been drinking in Murphy’s, up the road. It’s closed down now. It was in a fierce state of disrepair, couldn’t compete for the tourists and the locals were getting tired of old Murphy never cleaning his glasses properly. Walking across the floor was like stepping through treacle. It was already on the downturn when Mary Ellen was drinking there, but …’

‘What?’

‘Ah, you know. My old mammy, God rest her soul, used to say you never speak ill of the dead.’

‘Please,’ Laura said, already noting how much tact this man was showing, in contrast to Doyle. A bit of class cost nothing. ‘It’s important that we get a full picture of Mary Ellen’s life. It could help us with our investigation.’

‘Aye, I suppose you’re right. God bless her, but she liked to have a good time, did Mary Ellen. She was barred from a couple of places. Temporarily, like. A small village like this, you can’t go writing off custom. Tourists only come in the summer. Mary Ellen enjoyed herself. Probably nothing out of the norm for you lads and lassies in the city, but in a quiet village – well, people are cruel. Frustrated housewives with their curtains twitching, worried about a pretty cailín flashing a bit of leg and leading the husband or son astray.’

‘Did she have many boyfriends?’

‘I wouldn’t say that, now.’ The landlord shook his head. ‘Just because she liked a flirt didn’t mean it was leading anywhere. I didn’t believe everything they said about her. She helped out here one summer, collecting glasses for me, and I got the impression it was a bit of a front with the lass.’

Laura flashed Michael a triumphant glance. Doyle’s analysis was starting to crumble and they’d only had to speak to the first local they met.

‘When she disappeared, do you feel it was taken seriously?’ she asked, on a roll now. ‘Did the guards put any effort into finding her? Please, be honest. We need to know what happened at the time.’

The landlord looked puzzled.

‘I’d have said so, yes,’ he said. ‘They put the effort in. I know this is a bone of contention between Nora and Ultan Doyle but to be honest, I thought that Mary Ellen had just upped and left as well. Who’d have blamed her? But after a couple of days Ultan started asking around about who’d seen her that night. Then he questioned the lad who was doing the taxi at the time. Cormac, I think his name was. Even searched his house. I think the guards took it more seriously than the rest of us. I suppose Ultan had to prove a point once Nora started pointing fingers and claiming he wasn’t doing his job.’

Michael had sat back and let Laura do the talking, but now he leaned forward.