‘Kathleen, it’s Muireann. I’ll have to be quick so. Tommy and Barry Riordan are planning to meet up this afternoon. What it is, there’s been too many of them shot on both sides, like, and they’re talking about calling a kind of a truce.’

‘I suppose that’s good news.’

‘Well, yeah, but from what I heard Tommy saying, it’s more than that. They’re planning to share out the drugs business between them and break up all the other gangs. They’re starting with the O’Neill brothers, but that’s the only name I heard Tommy mention.’

‘Where are they meeting, Muireann, and when? Do you know?’

‘It’s three o’clock, at—’

Muireann was abruptly cut off. Katie said, ‘Hello? Hello? Muireann?’ but there was no answer and she knew better than to ring her back.

She looked at her watch. It was ten past twelve already. She jogged back to the house with Barney and Foltchain trotting beside her, and then she phoned Conall at the Technical Bureau.

‘Conall? It’s DS Maguire. This is urgent. I’m sending you a smartphone number and I need you to track it and keep on tracking it. It belongs to Muireann Nic Riada, Thomas O’Flynn’s girlfriend. Apparently Thomas O’Flynn and Barry Riordan are meeting at some location at three this afternoon but I don’t know where. O’Flynn almost always takes Muireann along with him, so there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to find out where they’re getting together.’

‘Not a problem, ma’am. I’ll get back to you.’

‘Thanks, Conall. You’re a star.’

Katie rang for an A-Cab. Then she shook out two dishes of Irish Rover kibbles for Barney and Foltchain and filled up their water bowls. She was hungry herself so she took an apple from the fridge before she went through to the bedroom and quickly changed into her navy blue trouser suit. She checked her pistol, slipped it into her hip holster, and then she tugged on her overcoat. When she opened the front door, Anthony was already waiting for her in his taxi.

She felt tense as she was driven into the city. She had reckoned on bringing down the O’Flynns and the Riordans, but mostly by exploiting their intense hatred for each other. If they were going to form an alliance, no matter how shaky it was, it would be much more difficult for her to break them up.

Anthony said, ‘A pet day today, for a change. Windy, like, but good to see some sunshine.’

All Katie could manage to say was, ‘Yes.’

She called Detective Inspector Fitzpatrick and Detectives Caffrey and O’Sullivan. When they came up to her office she briefed them about Muireann’s phone call.

‘Oh, Christ,’ said Robert. ‘Those two joining up isn’t going to make our life any easier, and that’s for sure.’