Donna is preened to perfection when I walk through the door on my day off. A pale blue blouse. White trousers hanging loosely over blue heels and her hair curled up into a bun.

‘What did the police say?’ Her voice echoes as we proceed down the hollow hallway before arriving into the kitchen. I’d already given a short version of events to Donna over the phone when I rang to see if she was open to having a visitor.

‘Oh, by the way, I met the boy yesterday.’

Turning her head, Donna looks at me, her eyes open wide. ‘You what?’ I nod. ‘Tell me all.’

When I’d conveyed the details of the meeting to Donna, she wraps her hands around her mug of coffee and leans over the island facing me.

‘Sal, can I ask you something?’

‘Of course.’

‘Do you think Tom is telling you everything?’

I think about this, his initial denial about knowing the kid, his flip-flopping over the details of last Sunday when he told me he had rescued a friend in car trouble then ended up at the station. The idea that Tom could have been lying about that Sunday is real. Maybe he had been to the dead woman’s house that day and that was why the cops interviewed him. He lied over how long he knew Kenny. The woman in the café said he visited every week. When I asked Tom about it he said he only ever picked up Kenny from outside the house. He’d never actually been inside the house or met the woman.

‘I’m not sure, Donna. He seems to only disclose the information on a need-to-know basis. Or rather when he’s been found out. I’m still curious as to why the cops questioned him. He says it was because he’s Kenny’s father and I believe that bit but is there more? I don’t know. I don’t think he’s done anything wrong it’s like he’s trying to protect me from the truth.’

‘Did you check?’

‘Check what?’

‘The friend, the guy whose car is supposed to have broken down.’

‘Well…’ Sitting here filing through the information I realize Donna might be onto something. Did Tom lie about why he left the house the day of the party?

‘How can I check that.’

‘Simple, it was Eamon Byrne’s car, wasn’t it?’

‘Ye.’

Donna takes her phone in her hand. ‘I’ll ring Catherine Byrne.’ My heart jumps, I don’t want her dragging other people into it. They’ll start asking questions and that’ll only lead to…

‘Hi, Catherine, Donna here.’ Too late, she’s already made the call. ‘Quick question. I’m thinking of getting a new car and I heard Eamon just got one.’