The Minogues’ sitting room had a green velvet suite and a huge TV in a wooden cabinet. It smelt of books and furniture polish. Near the TV, there was a large family photo taken a few years back by a proper photographer. With her velvet dress and ribbons, Nina was seriously cute. Her mother looked like a famous actress, and her dad still had hair. Her brother, Hugh, who’d been little more than a toddler, appeared confused. ‘Mortifying,’ was Nina’s verdict on the picture, but it always made Tess smile.

To begin with, they all spoke in exaggerated whispers, like they weren’t sure how to behave. Nina said that after she’d left them she’d crept in the back door.

‘Thankfully, the babysitter had the telly on full blast, and nuclear war wouldn’t wake Hugh. By the time my parents got home, I must have been asleep.’

‘So, when did you hear about Father Galvin?’ asked Tess.

‘This morning. My dad examined the body. He didn’t want to talk about what happened, and when I asked, he got cross. Then five seconds later he was full of apologies. “You don’t expect something like this in Kilmitten,” he kept saying.’

‘My dad was the same,’ said Conor.

‘Imagine, we were only yards away. Do you think …’ Nina trailed off. Her mam was at the door with a tray of mugs. This time, her dad was there too.

Tess wished Dr Minogue had stayed away. It was funny how some people had to shout their opinions in thumping great letters while others, like Nina’s father, didn’t have to say a word. A twitch of the eye or a tightening of the mouth: that was all it took to let you know you weren’t good enough. If he thought she was too young to notice, he was wrong. I’ve got the measure of you, she thought.

While Mrs Minogue handed out the drinks, her husband turned his attention to Tess. ‘I see you’re well layered up,’ he said.

For a few seconds, she was puzzled. Then she noticed he was staring at her ankles. The pink fleece of her pyjamas was peeking out beneath the hem of her jeans. She slapped her cheek. ‘Ah, I get you. It is kind of cold out there. Better safe than sorry.’

Dr Minogue gave her a smile that didn’t travel as far as his eyes. ‘I saw your mother earlier,’ he said to Tom.

‘She’s not sick, is she?’ asked Tom.

‘No, no, she’s fine. I gave her something to help her rest, that’s all. She’s gone to your aunt’s house, I believe.’

It occurred to Tess that Dr Minogue must have heard more secrets than anybody in the village. More than Father Galvin had ever heard in the confession box. He knew about every pregnancy, every cancer, every dose of something nasty.