pain any longer. When they found him he was going around and around in Tivoli Harbour. They knew it was him straightaway because he never wore socks.’
‘I promise you we’ll let you know as soon as we have any news at all,’ said Katie. ‘No – don’t rush. Finish your tea. I’m going to go and see Superintendent Pearse. Moirin will show you out.’
‘I hope we’ve done the right thing,’ said Mary. ‘I don’t know – asking them fellers to go looking for my Tadgh in the river – it’s almost like admitting that he’s dead already.’
‘Don’t think like that,’ Katie told her. ‘You’d be surprised how many missing people turn up alive and well and totally mystified why anybody should have missed them.’
*
Kyna came in and said, ‘I have Ruarí Barrett downstairs in the interview room. He gave me no bother at all this time when I asked him to come in for questioning. Even opened the door for me when we got here.’
‘I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or not,’ said Katie. ‘Suspects are usually cooperative because they have their story all sewn up in advance. You’re more likely to get the truth if you have to beat it out of them.’
‘Oh, you know me,’ said Kyna. ‘I can be very persuasive.’
She can, too , thought Katie. She had seen Kyna coax some extraordinary confessions out of suspects who had come into the station clearly determined to give nothing away. She picked up the folder of photographs of the missing boys and then she and Kyna walked together along the corridor to the lifts. She felt like holding hands, but this was the station and she resisted it.
Ruarí was sitting at the table in the interview room chatting to the young garda who was watching him. He was a broad-shouldered, athletic-looking young man, with a ginger crew-cut and eyebrows and eyelashes so white that they were almost invisible. He had a broad face, with a snub nose, and the palest of pale blue eyes. He was wearing a red Cork GAA training jacket and jeans, and white Common Project runners that Katie estimated had cost at least €250.
He stood up when Katie and Kyna came in and held out his hand, but Katie ignored it and said, ‘You’re grand altogether, Ruarí. Please sit down.’
He sat down, smiling and casually crossing his legs, while Katie and Kyna sat down facing him, and Kyna switched on the voice recorder.
‘Has Detective Sergeant Ni Nuallán made it clear to you why we’ve brought you in for questioning?’ asked Katie.
‘She has, yeah. Something to do with our party night last week.’
‘Party? Is that what you call it?’
‘There was music and drink and girls. I’d call that a party, yes, for sure.’
‘And there was sex?’
‘I’m not denying it. That happens at parties sometimes. Well, most of the time, at most parties. Sex.’
‘Did everybody have sex that night?’
Ruarí shrugged and said, ‘All of us went away satisfied, like, if you know what I mean.’
‘Yes, I do know what you mean. What was the ratio of boys to girls?’
‘The girls were gagging for it. That was why we went to Davcon Court in the first place. Those beours would have laid down in a bed of nettles, I tell you.’
‘How many girls were there?’
‘What difference does it make? They were begging us for it.’
‘How many girls were there?’
Ruarí uncrossed his legs, leaned forward a little and cleared his throat. ‘Two. Aileen and Niamh.’
‘Aileen... she was, like, your steady girlfriend?’ asked Kyna.
‘Yeah. Well, sort of.’
‘Is she still your steady girlfriend?’
‘Why? What did she tell you?’
‘I’m asking the questions, Ruarí. Is she still your steady girlfriend?’
‘Not exactly, no.’
‘Because of what happened at this so-called party?’
‘Girls can be like that,’ said Ruarí. ‘Come on, you know that as well as I do. Before they have it they’re begging for it but after you’ve given it to them they start crying rape.’
‘How many boys
‘I promise you we’ll let you know as soon as we have any news at all,’ said Katie. ‘No – don’t rush. Finish your tea. I’m going to go and see Superintendent Pearse. Moirin will show you out.’
‘I hope we’ve done the right thing,’ said Mary. ‘I don’t know – asking them fellers to go looking for my Tadgh in the river – it’s almost like admitting that he’s dead already.’
‘Don’t think like that,’ Katie told her. ‘You’d be surprised how many missing people turn up alive and well and totally mystified why anybody should have missed them.’
*
Kyna came in and said, ‘I have Ruarí Barrett downstairs in the interview room. He gave me no bother at all this time when I asked him to come in for questioning. Even opened the door for me when we got here.’
‘I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or not,’ said Katie. ‘Suspects are usually cooperative because they have their story all sewn up in advance. You’re more likely to get the truth if you have to beat it out of them.’
‘Oh, you know me,’ said Kyna. ‘I can be very persuasive.’
She can, too , thought Katie. She had seen Kyna coax some extraordinary confessions out of suspects who had come into the station clearly determined to give nothing away. She picked up the folder of photographs of the missing boys and then she and Kyna walked together along the corridor to the lifts. She felt like holding hands, but this was the station and she resisted it.
Ruarí was sitting at the table in the interview room chatting to the young garda who was watching him. He was a broad-shouldered, athletic-looking young man, with a ginger crew-cut and eyebrows and eyelashes so white that they were almost invisible. He had a broad face, with a snub nose, and the palest of pale blue eyes. He was wearing a red Cork GAA training jacket and jeans, and white Common Project runners that Katie estimated had cost at least €250.
He stood up when Katie and Kyna came in and held out his hand, but Katie ignored it and said, ‘You’re grand altogether, Ruarí. Please sit down.’
He sat down, smiling and casually crossing his legs, while Katie and Kyna sat down facing him, and Kyna switched on the voice recorder.
‘Has Detective Sergeant Ni Nuallán made it clear to you why we’ve brought you in for questioning?’ asked Katie.
‘She has, yeah. Something to do with our party night last week.’
‘Party? Is that what you call it?’
‘There was music and drink and girls. I’d call that a party, yes, for sure.’
‘And there was sex?’
‘I’m not denying it. That happens at parties sometimes. Well, most of the time, at most parties. Sex.’
‘Did everybody have sex that night?’
Ruarí shrugged and said, ‘All of us went away satisfied, like, if you know what I mean.’
‘Yes, I do know what you mean. What was the ratio of boys to girls?’
‘The girls were gagging for it. That was why we went to Davcon Court in the first place. Those beours would have laid down in a bed of nettles, I tell you.’
‘How many girls were there?’
‘What difference does it make? They were begging us for it.’
‘How many girls were there?’
Ruarí uncrossed his legs, leaned forward a little and cleared his throat. ‘Two. Aileen and Niamh.’
‘Aileen... she was, like, your steady girlfriend?’ asked Kyna.
‘Yeah. Well, sort of.’
‘Is she still your steady girlfriend?’
‘Why? What did she tell you?’
‘I’m asking the questions, Ruarí. Is she still your steady girlfriend?’
‘Not exactly, no.’
‘Because of what happened at this so-called party?’
‘Girls can be like that,’ said Ruarí. ‘Come on, you know that as well as I do. Before they have it they’re begging for it but after you’ve given it to them they start crying rape.’
‘How many boys
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