When she rang the bell at the front door, the television was immediately turned down, and she could hear voices. After a long pause, the front door was opened and a stocky grey-haired man with a red face appeared.

‘Yes? Can I help you?’

‘Detective Superintendent Maguire, from Anglesea Street Garda station. I’ve dropped by to give Mrs Quinn some property that belonged to her late husband.’

‘Property, is it?’

Orla Quinn appeared behind him, wearing what looked like silky black pyjamas. ‘It’s all right, Andrew. You can let her in. I’m sorry to be so cautious, Katie. After what happened to Garrett, you can understand that I’ve been pure fearful of somebody coming after me. Andrew’s my cousin. He was a boxing champion back in the day. He’s staying for a while as my bodyguard.’

‘You’ve had no threats, have you?’

‘Only three or four gowls on Twitter saying they’re delighted that Garrett’s dead. Ex-cons that he sent down, I expect.’

Andrew opened the door wider and Katie followed Orla into the living room. It was huge, high-ceilinged, with two elephantine grey leather sofas, four armchairs and a monumental red-marble fireplace. At least a dozen framed family photographs were clustered on the mantelpiece, and in the centre was an oval portrait of Garrett, with a black ribbon tied in a bow around it.

‘Please, sit down,’ said Orla.

But Katie said, ‘I can’t stay. I’ve come only to give you this.’

She handed Orla the evidence bag with the claddagh band and the wedding ring inside it. Orla opened the bag and took them out, one after the other.

‘So… this is all I have left of him. Well, apart from all his clothes and his shoes and his books and his golf clubs, and they’re all going to the ISPCC.’

‘You have your memories, Orla, and they’re the most precious.’

Orla held up the claddagh band and gave a rueful smile. ‘Garrett always told me that he would never take this off, because it represented the greatest love that he had ever known. He bought it himself about two years after we were married. To you, Katie, it may make no sense at all, but it reassured me that he still wore it even when he was being unfaithful to me.’

‘You don’t need to think about him like that any more. Remember the good times you had together and forget about the times that he strayed. We’re all human, after all.’