‘Michael – did O’Flynn see who the shooter was?’ Katie asked him.

‘No. Well, at least he said that he didn’t. But Muireann told O’Dea on the quiet that the shots were fired from a brownish Honda saloon. Just as they were leaving the pub, it slowed down and a fellow in the back seat fired three times. She said he had a scarf over his face so she couldn’t identify him, and the Honda shot off so quick that she couldn’t get the number. She couldn’t tell O’Dea any more than that because – well, you know.’

‘Sure, I have you. Thanks, Michael. Do we know where O’Flynn is now?’

‘We’ve closed The Weavers of course and cordoned it off for now, but Muireann texted to say that he’s gone down to Eugene’s Lounge in Shandon Street and four more of his hard chaws have come to join him. He’s probably holding a council of war.’

‘Okay. I’ll send Robert Fitzpatrick and Ronan Caffrey up to Eugene’s right away to have a bit of a chat with him. Robert’s known the O’Flynns for ever, Thomas and all the rest of the gang. I think he went to school with Aodhan O’Flynn.’ She paused, and then she said, ‘I imagine the media are on to this already.’

‘They will be, yes. I’ve just had Mathew on the other line. But you’re holding a press conference in about twenty minutes, aren’t you?’

‘Search me what I’m going to be saying to them, Michael. I mean, Jesus. This has been the darkest afternoon since the last eclipse of the sun.’

Katie laid her phone down. Brendan was still standing there, watching her. She didn’t try to read his expression because she didn’t want to know what he was thinking and she wasn’t interested in anything that he was going to say. On the evening she had been told that Conor had killed himself she had drunk far too much vodka. Brendan had driven her home to Carrig View, and after she had passed out, he had climbed on top of her, pulled down her thong and penetrated her. Gently, not violently, like a lover rather than a rapist, but it still amounted to rape. It was no excuse that they had been lovers for a few months while they were training at Garda college in Templemore. In any case, that relationship had finished abruptly when she had caught him cheating on her with her room-mate.

‘Katie—’ he began, but she picked up her phone again and stabbed out the number for Detective Inspector Robert Fitzpatrick.