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Back The Last Drop of Blood
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

There was a long silence between them. Although she had said that she needed to go to The Bookshelf to meet her friend, Justice O’Rafferty made no move to leave, but sat with her fingertips pressed lightly to her lips, as if she had forgotten that she was here, in the court manager’s office, and was thinking about another place, and another time. Eventually, Katie said, ‘We’ll let you go then, Your Honour. We’ll be in touch if we have any more questions. And of course we’ll let you know the results of Garrett’s post-mortem.’

Justice O’Rafferty gave a quick, bleak smile and stood up. She left the office without saying another word. After she had left, Katie said to Kyna, ‘That was ruthless.’

‘She couldn’t have made it more obvious, though, could she? She loved him.’

‘The poor woman’s in shock, Kyna. She hasn’t even had the time to start grieving yet.’

Kyna gave Katie a look that was part sympathetic but part acute, as if she were thinking, Justice O’Rafferty isn’t the only one, is she?

*

Almost as soon as she had hung up her coat in her office, Chief Superintendent Brendan O’Kane rapped at her open door. Katie didn’t turn around to acknowledge him, or say anything, but sat down at her desk and picked up the messages that her PA, Moirin, had left for her.

‘Could I have a word with you, Katie?’

‘Could I stop you?’ she asked him, without looking up.

‘It’s a fierce shock about Justice Quinn, isn’t it?’ he said, slowly approaching her desk, but stopping before he came too close. ‘Sean Begley told me that it was you who identified him.’

‘It was, yes. He was wearing a claddagh band, which I’d seen him wearing in court. It was pure unusual, so that’s how I knew.’

‘Oh. Well, that was a stroke of good luck. Or bad luck, really, considering what happened to him. But at least you knew who he was. So what’s the strategy?’

Katie still didn’t raise her eyes to look at him. ‘We’re running through the CCTV to see if we can work out why he headed north instead of driving directly here to the courthouse. Cailin Walsh went along with the officers who broke the news to his wife, and she asked her what he might have been doing up there, but his wife had no idea at all.’