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Chapters (60)
  1. Cover
  2. INTRODUCINGKATIE MAGUIRE
  3. ALSO BY GRAHAM MASTERTON
  4. Title Page
  5. Copyright
  6. Epigraph
  7. Contents
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. About the Author
  60. An Invitation from the Publisher

They walked back to their car together. They had almost reached it when two more cars arrived, as well as a white Transit van from the Technical Bureau. Detective Sergeant Sean Begley and Detective Padragain Scanlan climbed out of the first car, while Detective O’Donovan climbed out of the second.

‘How’s it going, ma’am?’ asked Detective Sergeant Begley. He was wearing a camel-coloured duffel coat that was far too tight for him because he had regained almost all the weight he had lost before Christmas, and a flat brown tweed cap that resembled a large cowpat. Detective Scanlan was looking tired but as pretty as ever. She had grown her blonde hair longer and pinned it back in a tight French pleat.

‘It’s Justice Quinn all right,’ said Katie. ‘He’s been burned beyond any facial identification, but I recognize the ring that he’s wearing.’

‘Really?’ said Detective Sergeant Begley.

‘It’s a claddagh band, Sean. White and yellow gold. There’s only one exactly like it, and it’s his.’

Matthew Whalen had come up to join them. Katie said, ‘I’ve just been telling DS Begley that there’s no doubt at all. Our victim is Justice Quinn. He’s wearing a claddagh band that I know he never takes off, and it’s unique.’

‘Holy Saint Joseph,’ said Detective O’Donovan. ‘I’m fierce surprised it didn’t melt, like, you know what I mean?’

Matthew Whalen shook his head. ‘If it’s gold, it wouldn’t have done. Gold doesn’t melt below one thousand and sixty-four degrees Celsius – not your eighteen-carat gold, any road. The hottest temperature that we’ve ever recorded in a burning test vehicle is nine hundred degrees.’

‘Don’t tell me they persuaded some gombeen to sit inside a burning car holding a thermometer,’ said Detective Sergeant Begley, but Kyna immediately gave him a look that told him this wasn’t the time to make jokes. Katie had turned her head away so that she could wipe her eyes with the back of her hand, and both Detective O’Donovan and Detective Scanlan had clearly realized from her tone of voice that she was distressed.

She wasn’t about to tell them why she had been able to identify Justice Quinn’s ring – not yet, anyway, and even then she wouldn’t tell them the whole story. Briefly, a long time ago, shortly after she had been promoted to inspector, she and Garrett Quinn had been close. That claddagh band meant what all claddagh bands are meant to signify, an affection and a friendship that will last as long as life.

3

Thomas O’Flynn was sitting in the back bar of The Weavers with his latest girlfriend and three of his henchmen when Billy Hagerty came in to tell him that his brother’s sentencing hearing had been postponed.

‘So why’s that, then?’