To Jude those few words, which could have been maternal and consoling, seemed the most devastating of all. It really didn’t matter because nothing mattered.

A few minutes later Andy came back into the room with another teapot, strangely shaped and decorated with flowers. He looked at it as if he was noticing it for the first time and gave a twisted smile.

“It was a present. Not my taste. It’s the first time we’ve ever used it.”

When everyone had their drinks, there was a moment of awkwardness.

“How’s the will business going?” Andy asked.

Jude didn’t reply. She couldn’t face talking about all of that here, in this setting.

“Jude says it’s a mess,” said Dermot. “If someone killed Liam for the money, then they’re going to be sorely disappointed.”

“Dermot, please,” said Andy, in a reproving tone.

“It’s not a criticism,” said Dermot. “It’s just the truth.”

Tara looked at Jude. “Is that true?”

“I don’t know,” said Jude. “There were clearly financial problems. Maybe something can be sorted out.”

“Who’s going to sort it out?”

“If Danny wants to keep the house, she might be able to arrange something.”

Andy snorted and Tara glared at him. Jude glanced at Dermot.

“Maybe we should be . . .” she said meaningfully.

“I heard you were talking to the detective,” Andy said.

Jude didn’t know how to answer this question. She was tempted to reply with another question: How do you know? Why are you asking? What business is it of yours?

“I’ve been interviewed,” said Jude. “Like everyone else.”

“She was at the funeral.”

“Yes.”

“Did she say how the investigation is going?”

“No.” Jude tried to catch Dermot’s eye, to signal her desire to leave, but he was staring at his shoes.

“Do they have a suspect?”

Tara interrupted sharply. “Andy, why would the police tell Jude about things like that?”

“I’ve got a bad feeling. I’ve heard that if they don’t catch someone in the first couple of days, they probably won’t catch anyone at all.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Tara said.

Jude didn’t think it was so ridiculous. She had no sense that the police had done anything except eliminate suspects.

“It’s about closure,” said Andy. “I don’t think we’ll achieve closure until someone is caught and pays the penalty.”

“Closure,” said Dermot bitterly. “What does that even mean? If you found out that he was killed by a random mugger, would that make you feel better? Or what if he was killed by . . . ?”

He stopped.

“Killed by who?” said Tara softly. She leaned toward her son. “What were you going to say?”

“I don’t know what I was going to say. If he was killed by someone he knew. Would that make you feel better?”