After they’d hung up, Nina thought about Tom. While his plans were no business of hers, she didn’t like the idea of him going away on his own. She considered calling into Val’s to wish him well. Then she came to her senses. Talking to Tom wouldn’t be smart. Their parting had been hard, and she couldn’t face treading that ground again. Her head was full of affectionate memories. She’d never doubted his love for her. That was the problem. His love had become a burden. It had swaddled her, like a scratchy blanket. Julian was more of a challenge. She worked at impressing him, something she’d never had to do with Tom. While she hadn’t said that she loved him, she was convinced that she did. She wanted their relationship to evolve into something more serious, but held back for fear she’d scare him away.

In mid-October, Julian went to north Clare to interview Father Galvin’s brother, Gregory. He returned elated, saying he had some first-rate material, part of it so strong he was going to pass it to a friend who worked for the Sunday Herald. To Nina, this didn’t make sense. Why would he give his work away? Wouldn’t that detract from the programme? Not at all, he explained. He needed to drum up interest in the documentary. Create a buzz. To her, what Julian had garnered sounded unremarkable. Gregory Galvin wasn’t happy. Well, that was no surprise. His brother had been killed and no one had been charged, let alone convicted. How could he be anything other than unhappy?

On Saturday, they went into town for a drink. Usually they would go on to a club. That night, however, Julian was determined to get an early look at the next day’s Herald. He bought the paper from the newsagent at the top of Grafton Street. Its lead story promised fresh revelations on the latest political skulduggery, while two other headlines focused on the war in the former Yugoslavia and a well-known actress’s move to LA.

Nina was tickled by his enthusiasm. ‘It mightn’t be there,’ she said. ‘I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but there’s a lot going on in the world.’

‘It’ll be there,’ replied Julian.

They stood at the door, the shop’s glow providing just enough light for them to read. The night was bone cold, and she hoped the article was short. As she scanned the words, the city’s bustle receded. Her ears filled with the sound of her own heart.