Kennedy returned to his seat and sat down wearily.

‘This is very concerning,’ he said, picking up a pen and fiddling with its lid. He seemed unnaturally calm.

‘I agree,’ Tom answered. ‘What will you do?’

‘I’ll have to think about it for a while. This has to be dealt with carefully. We have to make sure we don’t overreact.’

‘Well, I don’t think we should be jumping up and down, making this the focus rather than the actual case. But if these disappearances weren’t investigated properly, the chance to save one or more of these women may have been missed. We can’t let that go.’

Kennedy adjusted his glasses and pushed back into place the fringe that had fallen onto his forehead.

‘Of course not, Inspector. But, in all our responses to allegations of garda impropriety, we must remember what this force is up against. Gangland crime is on the rise. Guards are risking their lives every day to protect the citizens of this state, with fewer and fewer resources. We need people to respect their local guards. Fear them a little, even. Not think that if they drop a scurrilous word here or there, the force will start turning on itself.

‘You said it yourself; the sergeant in West Cork investigated the girl’s disappearance. We have to accept he had local knowledge and work with him – not against him.’

Tom was disappointed. He’d expected more from the chief. Moreover, he felt like he was being lectured on something about which the man in front of him had very little actual experience.

‘I’m well aware of the dangers officers face,’ he said, his voice steady. ‘There isn’t a member of my team who hasn’t had direct or indirect threats made to them in the course of murder investigations related to gang feuding, including me. But in all my years working for this force, I’ve learned that the way to earn the respect of citizens is to do my job and to ensure that the people who work for me are doing theirs. I fail to see how ignoring or airbrushing incompetence and lack of professionalism serves that aim. It certainly hasn’t worked for us in the past.’

Kennedy sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.