‘Lovely. Don’t suppose the drink is on the house, no? Seeing as I don’t get out much these days?’

Derek held out his palm for the money, while Sean made a show of searching his pockets for his wallet.

‘Tight bastard,’ he said, as the other man limped down to the till at the far end of the counter. ‘Polio as a kid,’ Sean added, catching Tom’s eye. ‘Made him bitter.’

‘I see.’

‘So. Are you going to tell me what Joe Kennedy has done or do I have to get there through a series of guesses?’

‘It’s what he hasn’t done,’ Tom sighed. ‘Or won’t do, to be more accurate.’ He twirled the stem of his glass between his fingers. ‘I take it you know what we’re dealing with up in Glendalough?’

‘I have my sources. Can’t say I’m surprised. We’ve had too many women vanish into thin air over the years. It was either a massive coincidence or a serial killer at work. He had to slip up sometime.’

‘There’s something not right, though. I don’t know if we’d have ever discovered those bodies if one of them hadn’t been buried as shallow as she was. The rest were a good six feet down. Has he slipped up or is it intentional?’

‘You think he’s challenging you? Sick of the dozy, plodding coppers not knowing what he’s capable of?’

Tom shrugged.

‘We won’t know what his game is until we catch him, or until he communicates with us in some way. I’m petrified for that girl, Fiona Holland. You know she has a baby?’

Sean shook his head. This was new information, something even the media were unaware of.

‘Maybe he’s giving you and her a chance,’ he mused.

‘Maybe. Anyway, we met with the victims’ families. Most of the women seem to fit a profile. Single, outgoing, independent. That’s how I’d describe them. Others have used … different words.’

‘Ah.’ Sean sipped his drink. ‘Not prim and proper little girls, is that what you’re getting at?’

‘Pretty much. Some of our colleagues didn’t exactly rush to launch investigations into the disappearances at the time. They presumed the women had just run off. The families’ concerns were dismissed.’

‘You raised this with Kennedy and he didn’t react as you would have expected.’

It wasn’t a question.

Tom nodded, shifting in his seat to get a better look at his friend.

‘You say that like you’re not surprised,’ he said.

‘The only thing that surprises me is your reaction.’