It was the following evening, in Betty’s. They’d taken the same booth as the night before except now Karen and Tony sat on one side, Kelly and Duggan on the other.

Tony, to whom the statement had been addressed, raised his shoulder lightly in a half shrug.

‘Are you in or not? All this other shit you have to ignore.’

‘Ignore? A kid died taking drugs he sold.’

‘I liked Shauna,’ Kelly protested. His nose was swollen, both his eyes ringed in purple, his left eye bloodshot. Tony had resisted smiling when first he saw him, though felt silent satisfaction at the state in which he had left him. He sat erect in his seat, his own bruised fist in front of him on the table, a trophy.

‘You liked her? Is that why you let the whole bar see she’d blown you in the toilets to get a ten spot?’

Kelly shrugged. ‘I didn’t force her to do it. Same way I didn’t force her to buy anything, or take anything. She didn’t need leading to anything.’

‘You should have warned her.’

‘Aye, right. Warned her not to take three E tabs? Who the fuck would need to warn someone not to OD?’

‘Her death is on you.’

‘Seriously?’ Kelly asked. ‘Her death is on me? What the fuck do you think we’re doing here? The guy with no legs? He’s on you and your thermometers. And this fucker–’

Duggan raised his hand and Kelly responded, lowering his own voice, leaning across the table. ‘This fucker goes the same way, are you going to wash your hands of that? She has more balls than you do,’ he added, nodding at Karen.

‘Martin’s right,’ Duggan said. ‘You were angry, youse had a barney and now it’s done. That’s it. Martin’s ready to see this through, so the question is, are you?’

Tony straightened a little, glanced at Karen who stared at the table top, her fingers worried the edges of a beer mat, peeling back the layers of card beneath.

‘I didn’t think we’d be dealing with drugs.’

‘You’re not,’ Duggan said. ‘Everyone does what they’re comfortable with. But we need money to buy supplies, to buy information. Where do you think that’s going to come from?’

‘Drugs is too much for me. That wee girl was bright. She was a good kid.’

Tony could feel his eyes flushing, and reddened at that realisation.

‘She was an adult, who did adult things. Like we all are. I’m not debating morality anymore with you, son. None of us can judge anyone else at this table. But we have to trust each other. I trust Martin with my life. You all need to feel the same. Are you in or out? If you’re out, the whole thing is off.’