She drove back with Detectives Walsh and Cullen to Anglesea Street and went up to her office to file her initial report. Moirin had gone home, and the station was eerily quiet, except for somebody downstairs whistling ‘The Rising of the Moon’. She went into her toilet and sprayed her trouser suit with perfume to cover the smell of smoke, and then she sat down at her keyboard. In her mind’s eye, she kept seeing Nolan Carroll’s face as he struck the match that had set him on fire. He had appeared to be triumphant, but why? Was he celebrating the fact that he was about to outsmart the God who had oppressed him all his life?

Katie was still typing when there was a light knock at her open door. Kyna walked in, wearing a navy-blue cape with wide bell sleeves, and skinny black jeans, and ankle boots.

‘Kyna… what are you doing here? I thought you were going down to see your old school friend what’s-her-name in Kenmare.’

‘Shayla. I was, but Shayla rang me to say she’d gone down with the flu. I called in to see if you were still here and Sergeant O’Farrell told me what had happened at the Carrolls. My God, you can’t understand anybody burning themselves to death like that, can you? Are you all right?’

‘Not the happiest Sunday I’ve ever had, I can tell you. As soon as I’ve filed my report I’m going back home to change into something that doesn’t reek like a bonfire and pour myself a treble vodka.’

Kyna perched herself on the edge of Katie’s desk. ‘Would you mind very much if I came back to Carrig View with you? If you don’t want me to, all you have to do is say so. You must be fierce shocked still – what with yesterday, too. If all you want to do is have a bath and balm out with Barney and Foltchain, I’ll totally understand.’

‘No, sweetheart. You’re more than welcome. Barney and Foltchain always take good care of me, but their conversation is kind of limited, like, do you know? I’d love to have you there to talk to. Give me twenty more minutes to finish this off and then we’ll be out the gap.’

*

As Katie drove back to Cobh, she told Kyna how Nolan Carroll had locked himself in his shed and set fire to himself, and how Hilda Carroll still blamed Roisin for all their ill fortune.