McGuffey shook his head in impatience, the pain in his leg robbing him of words.

‘You are playing with fire, living down here, close to the ghosts you yourself made.’

‘I don’t believe in ghosts.’ McGuffey snorted. ‘If I did, I wouldn’t be down here, now would I? Just think, it was just up there…’ He looked up to the roof of the cave. ‘Her blood would have dripped through that soil and down into this cave.’ He laughed but stopped abruptly, and they both looked over at the same time as a cold breeze blew into the cave and the light of the lantern flickered and sputtered and almost went out.

As Jay nervously lit the match and held it to the pipe he was very much in need of, the face of Shona appeared in the flame. He was so startled, he almost fell off the rock. He jumped to his feet and his pipe fell to the floor. ‘Feck,’ he hissed, pulling down his cap and then scrambling to retrieve the pipe.

‘What is it?’

Jay’s heart was pounding. He had seen the magic in Shona’s eyes when she was alive, had witnessed first hand her curses and her powers at work, and now she was back. ‘’Twas Shona,’ he said. ‘Ghosts do exist. She just came in here, right in front of my own eyes. On the night she died, she said something to me about the Malone farm on the hill. Something about money, a fire, an American… Jesus, I don’t know, maybe the American has money.’ He sat back down and pulled on his pipe.

‘What fecking American doesn’t have money.’ McGuffey spat out the words. ‘The poor ones stay in America. They have to be rich to get here.’

Jay looked about him uneasily. He wasn’t sure what frightened him more: the fearful vision of Sarah in the clouds or the hatred in McGuffey’s eyes. ‘They’re all at the Malones’ place for a party – all drinking, they are. And the big American, he’s in there, lording it about. I heard him from the back.’

‘Find out more about him,’ said McGuffey. ‘I need money to get away. You don’t want me to die here, do you? If I do, I will haunt your bones forever – there’s no heaven waiting for me.’ A shrill laugh filled the cave. ‘If he has money, he will pay to get her back. You need to go to the tinkers in Ballycroy, ask for a potion.’

‘A potion – what for? She’s not a kid any more – she’s as tall as me. Have you lost your mind?’

McGuffey tried to laugh, but all he could do was grimace in pain. Kidnap and torture had been a part of his life for more than twenty years. He had learnt much over the border that would curdle the blood of the people who lived in the backwater of Tarabeg. Jay obviously knew nothing and understood even less.