‘You should have heard my father,’ Conor was saying. ‘“Half the people at the party are dead,” he said. Only, when I thought about it, that’s not true. Apart from a handful – Noel O’Grady obviously, Breege O’Grady, Johnny and Lourda Ryan, Willie Hehir, Bridie Sexton – most of them are still alive. Still living in the village too.’

Tom took a drink of his pint but said nothing.

‘What I need,’ said Conor, ‘is to get my hands on the witness statements. I can’t rely on the old man for help. And with the local garda station closed, who knows where the files ended up. Then again, I’ve always liked a challenge.’

There was acid in Tom’s mouth. Unsure what to say, he went for the obvious: ‘I can see why you’re interested in what happened, but have you thought about the consequences?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, you could make life difficult for my parents. They’re old. They could do without a load of hassle being tipped on top of them.’

Conor cupped his hands around his glass. ‘I won’t go charging into anything, you have my word on that. Besides, I probably won’t get far. It’s not as though this is official. It’s just … after what happened in the Avondhu … it’s all back in my head, you know. And, while I have time on my hands, I thought I’d make a few subtle enquiries.’

‘I’m not sure it’s the best idea you’ve ever had, but I can hardly stop you.’

Tom considered whether to have a third pint. Vanessa would be annoyed. He could hear her slightly nasal voice: ‘You’ve mountains of work to do, and you choose to spend half the day in the pub. Sometimes I don’t understand you, Tom Crossan.’ He came down in favour of one more. Say what you like about Conor, when he got an idea, he followed it through. He had the perseverance of ten men.

That was the problem.

Chapter 29

Gregory Galvin sounded confused by Conor’s call. ‘Are you the boy who was shot?’ he asked.

Smiling to himself, Conor confirmed that he was.

‘And you’re a son of the man who investigated my brother’s murder?’

Again, Conor agreed.

‘What is it you want?’

Conor spoke about his interest in the case. ‘A few words,’ he said. ‘That’s all. Nothing formal.’

They arranged to meet in the Galvins’ home in Knockgreelish, the same house that had featured in the TV documentary almost a quarter of a century before.

Sharon warned him to be careful. ‘If your father finds out, he’ll be upset,’ she said.

‘Well, I’m not going to tell him,’ he replied, ‘and I doubt he has regular chats with the Galvins, so I think I’m on safe ground.’