‘Detective O’Donovan said that a witness saw another vehicle here, just before it blew up.’

‘That’s right, ma’am,’ said Garda O’Connor. ‘That farmer standing over there by his tractor. A grey or silver SUV, that’s what he said it was. We’re going to be showing him pictures of various vehicles to see if he can narrow it down a bit.’

‘O’Donovan also told me that this car’s registered to Justice Garrett Quinn. Have you been able to tell if it’s him who was driving?’

‘We haven’t been able to identify the driver for sure. We didn’t want to touch him before the technical experts, do you know what I mean. There’s an iPhone lying on the floor in front of the passenger seat, but its screen is all shattered, like, and again we didn’t want to touch it in case we messed up any forensics.’

Katie turned back to Station Officer Hogan. ‘I’d like to take a look at the driver.’

‘He’s a bit on the burnt side, ma’am, as you can imagine.’

‘I’ve seen worse.’

‘Okay, then,’ said Station Officer Hogan. ‘Lads – can you be after lifting up that tarp so that DS Maguire can take a sconce at the body?’

Two of the firefighters raised the wet tarpaulin and folded it noisily over the roof of the burned-out car. Katie approached it, walking stiffly, and then stood looking for almost half a minute at the carbonized figure sitting behind the steering wheel. His skin had been burned away, so that his muscles were exposed and ruptured, all bobbly and black, as if he had been roughly sculpted out of lumps of coal. His eye sockets were empty and his brown teeth were bared in a wolfish snarl.

The interior of the car was skeletal. All that remained of the seats was their metal framework and the shiny walnut fascias had been blistered and charred. Katie noticed that the driver’s right hand was still resting on the steering wheel, almost casually.

She stepped right up close to the driver’s door. She had already seen what she had been dreading she would see, but she wanted to make absolutely sure. There was no question about it. The carbonized man was Justice Garrett Quinn. She crossed herself and whispered, ‘Please, Lord, grant him eternal rest.’ Then she turned away, tugging her hood down low so that Station Officer Hogan and the rest of the firefighters wouldn’t see that her eyelashes were crowded with tears.

Kyna came up to her. ‘Are you all right, ma’am?’

‘Yes, thank you, Kyna. Grand altogether.’

‘You’re not, though.’

‘Why are you always so perceptive? No, I’m not.’