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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

‘Thanks,’ said Davina. ‘I can’t even believe it myself yet. I’ve been shopping just to take my mind off it.’

Katie laid her hand on Orla’s shoulder. Davina’s likeness to Garrett had upset her more than she could have imagined.

‘I’d best be off now, Orla. It’s been grand to chat to you, and thanks for being so understanding. Like I say, I’ll be in touch about the funeral arrangements as soon as I can. And thanks a million for that bit of information about the Range Rover. Maybe it’ll turn out to be nothing at all, but you never know.’

She left Isaacs and walked along MacCurtain Street to where she had parked her car, opposite the Everyman Theatre. She wasn’t even halfway there before she felt tears running down her cheeks, and she couldn’t stop herself from letting out a loud croaking sob, almost like Foltchain barking, so that passers-by turned and stared at her.

She sat in her car and tugged out a tissue to wipe her eyes. After she had done that, she checked in the rear-view mirror to make sure her mascara wasn’t too blotchy. Who am I grieving for? Garrett, or Conor? Or am I only grieving for myself?

She could vividly picture Garrett turning towards her in bed, leaning on his elbow and giving her that enigmatic smile of his. ‘I think I’ll have to find myself a new shadow,’ he had told her. ‘This one keeps nagging me to get dressed and leave you, but I want to stay.’

‘Who’s in charge?’ she had asked him. ‘You or your shadow?’

‘Neither of us. One of us can’t live without the other. I can’t send my shadow home to Orla on its own.’

When she thought about that, her eyes filled with tears again, so she started the engine and pulled away from the kerb, right in front of a 205 bus, which blasted its horn at her.

12

As soon as Katie walked back into her office, Moirin said, ‘Mathew McElvey just rang. He’s had a rake of calls from the media and he’s asking that you ring him back.’

‘Thanks, Moirin. Any other messages?’

‘Only an invitation from the Saturday Book Club for you to give them a talk at the Central Library next week – “the life of a female detective”. It’s their crime novel month, so they told me. I think they need to know quite urgently.’

‘Oh, Jesus. All right. I’ll have a think about it. As if I didn’t have enough on my plate with real crime, let alone imaginary crime.’