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Back The Last Drop of Blood Save as PDF
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

‘Oh,’ she said, when she saw Kieran. ‘I was going to ask you if you fancied a Chinese at Yuan Ming Yuan.’

‘Sorry. Justice Connolly has already asked me out. Maybe tomorrow?’

‘Okay. Maybe. I’m not too sure what I’m doing tomorrow.’

With that, Kyna turned around and walked off.

Kieran gave Katie a questioning look, as if he was aware that Kyna was upset but wasn’t at all sure why she should be. As far as he knew, Katie was her boss, and that was all.

‘Come on,’ said Katie. ‘I could really use a drink.’

50

Kieran took her to the Cornstore restaurant on Cornmarket Street where they sat together at a tiny table and shared a seafood platter and a bottle of Chardonnay. They talked for over three hours, but not about crime or legal proceedings. Katie told Kieran nothing about Barry Riordan and Billy Hagerty, nor about Owen Dineen and the bribes that he had taken from Brendan to ruin her reputation.

Kieran talked about books and films that he enjoyed, and his favourite holidays in Portugal, and told her jokes. He was sensitive to Katie’s grief, and he was careful not to intrude on it. By the end of the evening, when he arranged for a taxi to take her home, she felt relaxed and cheered up and more than ready to face up to all of her problems again. Very slightly drunk, too.

He opened the taxi door for her, and kissed her on the cheek. As he closed the door, though, he caught his fingers in it, and said, ‘Shite! Oh – excuse my language! I nearly lost half of my effing hand there!’

‘Jesus, are you okay there?’ Katie asked him.

He flapped his hand and gave her a rueful smile. ‘Don’t worry! The Good Lord was looking after me! He knows that I need my hand for handing down sentences to the wicked in this world! Listen, Katie – if you’re not up the walls later this week, maybe we can meet up again.’

‘I’d like that. In fact, I think you know I would.’

On the way home, Katie closed her eyes and thought about everything she and Kieran had talked about. Then, as they were passing Fota Wildlife Park, she suddenly pictured him trapping his fingers in the taxi door. She pictured it again and again like a flicker-book and then she opened her eyes and took out her phone. Although the taxi was jolting and she was less than sober, she managed to prod out a text to Bill Phinner.

‘O’Malley’s head… how about a car door?’

*

Katie spent the next morning at home, catching up with her laundry and tidying up, and then taking Barney and Foltchain for a long breezy walk around the tennis club.

She was nearly home when her phone rang. Barney and Foltchain immediately stopped and waited for her.