But as I made my way back up the street, I could see that they weren’t alone. Glendara was a hive of activity, with the church bells pealing out for Sunday morning Mass and crowds trooping up the path through the graveyard, deriving comfort from some return to routine, I assumed. I spotted Amanda Jameson among them, fully made up and dressed in a coat and scarf. For the first time it occurred to me that she’d packed quite the wardrobe for a few days watching a charity cycle. I’d seen a few changes of outfit already. This morning she was alone, with no brother-in-law to support her, but her head was held high. Amanda was another woman I struggled to make out – one minute she was vulnerable and scared, the next unexpectedly confrontational. It was impossible to tell whether she meant anything she said.

As I pushed open the pub door, I calculated that I’d spent more time in the Oak in the past forty-eight hours than I ever had over a weekend. The pub was busy again, the smell of coffee and turf fire hitting me as soon as I walked in. Maeve and Phyllis were at the bar ordering drinks.

Tony greeted me with a cheerful smile, tea towel tossed over his shoulder. “We have milk!” he announced. “The supermarket found some plant milks that they didn’t know they had when they were clearing the shelves. We’re going hipster!”

“In that case I’ll have a hipster latte,” I responded with a smile.

“The pathologist is here,” Phyllis said, when Tony had turned back towards the steamer.

“How do you know?” I asked. This was certainly a new day; two major pieces of news, straight off.

“She wanted to see the snake,” Maeve said. “She’s been down at the clinic already this morning, brought a reptile expert with her.”

“No post-mortem results yet?”

“No. I don’t think she’d tell me anything anyway, but I think she’s only doing it now.”

We took our coffees to the window. It was too tempting not to. The sun was streaming in, making the place brighter than it had been in days.

“I’m going to try and go for a walk somewhere today, since I have to go back to work tomorrow,” I said, taking a sip of my coffee. “On the shore if I can. I’m getting a bit cabin feverish.”

“How was your night in the sergeant’s house?” Phyllis grinned mischievously. “Was that cabin feverish?”

I ignored her with a half-smile. “How’s the road out to the Isle of Doagh?”

“I’d say you could get to Pollan beach out by the Castles,” Maeve said. “It’s tidal.”

“Anyone want to come?” I looked from one to the other.

Maeve shook her head. More work I assumed.