He heads off down the stairs again, making me follow. ‘Just a tip, Conway: we’ve all got our fortes. Small talk may not be yours.’

‘Maybe not,’ I say. So much for my heart-to-heart with Breslin. ‘Anything you want to tell me about yesterday evening?’

‘Rory’s big brothers came in for the chats. The reports are on my desk, if you want to take a look, but there’s nothing good in there. They both say Rory is a New Man who respects women and would never God forbid hit one; he’s been dumped a few times – surprise, surprise – and he just got depressed about it, never angry. They know the bookshop’s not in great financial shape; they claim Rory would have come to them for a loan if he needed one, not to his new bird, but they’re both skint as well, so I don’t see why he’d bother. I got both of them on tape so we can play them to Whatsisname at Stoneybatter, but to be honest with you I’ll be surprised if he IDs them. I think they genuinely are as clueless as they’re making out.’

‘Great,’ I say. ‘Did you ring Sophie Miller looking for Aislinn’s electronics?’

Breslin’s face turns to me, eyebrows lifting in a warning. ‘Yeah. Is that a problem?’

‘I said me and Steve were on those.’

He stops on the landing so he can give me a proper stare. ‘Ah, Conway, come on. I get that you want to keep the good stuff for yourselves, but this isn’t playschool; you don’t get to call dibsies on your special toys. This is the real world. What matters is getting the job done.’

‘Yeah. And we’re well able to do that.’

‘Not last night, you weren’t. The two of you were home getting your beauty sleep – I know, I know, double shift, but the fact remains, you weren’t here, were you? And I was. I finished up with Rory’s brothers, I set up appointments with the rest of his KAs, I put in a call for his phone records, and then I had a little time on my hands. So I decided to use it. You should be thanking me, instead of getting your knickers in a twist.’

I say, ‘Did you find out anything useful?’

Breslin eyes me. He says, ‘Miller didn’t have anything ready.’

‘Right. That’s why I’m not thanking you. Also because I like knowing who’s doing what in my investigation, so I don’t make a tit of myself trying to get something done and being told someone else already did it.’