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“Oh, quite the resemblance,” Minogue heard Kilmartin murmur.

“Oink, oink,” said Terry Malone. “Sniff, sniff.”

“Yeah?” said Egan.

“Just looking, thanks,” said Minogue.

“You new? You don’t look new.”

“No, I’m not new.”

“What about your pal there.”

Minogue looked over at Kilmartin.

“Him? Oh, no. He’s definitely not new.”

“Oink, oink,” said Malone.

“Something wrong with your mouth there?” asked Kilmartin.

“Me nose. I can’t stand certain smells.”

“Maybe someone could fix that for you. Finish off what your brother left standing.”

Malone frowned and pushed off from the wall.

“What would you fucking know about that, pal?”

Eddsy Egan shook his head. The Inspector saw a gleam on a patch of skin by Egan’s ear, a graft or stitches, he thought. The radio-show host, a man Minogue fervently disliked because he so effortlessly patronized people, said something about a levy on polluters.

“What do you want,” said Egan.

Stitched, stapled and grafted together again, thought Minogue. Was he good at giving pain to others? He stood a foot or more shorter than the Inspector.

“A couple of things. Start with pictures. Girls.”

“Uh, uh. Who wants them? The weaselly guy, Macken? Or the big lad?”

Weaselly, thought Minogue. How did he know the name?

“Me.”

“And?”

“My colleague here.”

“For?”

“They’ll lead me to who killed Mary.”

Minogue followed Egan’s gaze around the meticulously stocked shelves.

“Forecast said rain. Can you believe that though?”

“Eventually it will.”

“What will?”

“Rain. I’m looking for someone in the photos.”

“I don’t mind rain. We need a bit.”

“Same as yourself probably, right?”

“You can’t have a garden without mud.”

“Or maggots,” said Kilmartin. Minogue took slow steps about the floor. He looked up and down the shelves.

“Is he a married man, I wonder. A friend of yours? Someone you trusted, maybe?”

“They sent the wrong guy,” said Egan. “Tell them.”

“How big is your collection?”

“Collection of what.”

“Videos too?”

Egan grimaced as he shifted his weight onto his other foot.

“Doesn’t make sense, does it,” Minogue went on.

“What doesn’t. You nattering on here?”’

“What happened. How it happened. Who it happened to. How much did you lose?”

“The heat. Gets so it screws up your brain.”

“I bet you’re kicking yourself, aren’t you.”

“Haven’t the time. I’m a busy man.”

“Not like some people,” said Malone. Minogue turned to him. Malone smiled. Kilmartin cleared his throat. He kept his eyes on Malone but his words were for Egan.

“You don’t get to do the things you’d like to, Eddsy, do you?”

“I get by.”

“Pictures? Videos even? Are they enough?”

“Tell me more. You don’t meet so many comedians these days.”

“I hear you like to know the faces. That’s unusual, I was told. Revenge, maybe?”

“How much do you want?”

“How much of what?”

Terry Malone sniggered. Egan rubbed his thumb and fingers together.

“You want to get on the books here, don’t you? That’s what this is all about, isn’t it, getting on the take? Like the other cops. How much?”

“That an offer now?”

“You’re different anyway,” said Egan. “About time I had a new one.”

“If it’s you, Eddsy, I’ll have you,” said Minogue. Egan’s face seemed to have gone slack.

“So you came by to tell me that. A freebie.”

Minogue nodded.

“What if I send the tape of this performance to your big chief, what’s his name, Tynan.”

Minogue glanced up into the corner. The video camera lens was small.

“As long as the colour’s good and the light’s right, fire away.”

“What’s your job when you’re working?”

“Point two, Eddsy. Your sidekick here. Terry Malone. Give him the sack.”

Egan’s face cracked into a smile. Malone laughed.

“A customer? You want me to put him out of the shop?”

“That’s right.”

“Where’s the law? Show me the rule-book on that one.”

“Yeah,” said Malone. He wasn’t smiling now. “Just what kind of fucking harassment are yous trying to get up to now? Huh? You and this other fucking bogman here?”

“Long day before a gutty like you could do a day’s work in a bog, pal,” said Kilmartin.

“Take a running fucking jump at yourself,” said Malone.

“Wreaking havoc on families is nothing new to you and your outfit,” said Minogue. “But this one’s off-limits. You with me now?”

Egan’s face grew suddenly flushed. His knuckles turned white on the counter.

“Is that so? You and this overgrown fucking chimp waltz in here to lecture me about family? After yous’ve been chipping away at friends of mine, trying to get them to lie about me?”

Minogue took a step toward Terry Malone. He studied the face, the bruises. Malone frowned back into the Inspector’s stare. His breath was coming faster. He bit his lip.

“You’re high, aren’t you?”

Malone was faster than Minogue had imagined he could be. He barely had his hands up when Malone’s nose was inches from his own. Sour beery breath fanned over his face. Kilmartin’s arm clamped around Malone’s neck. All this Minogue took in with little surprise. He knew that Malone could have floored him. Malone’s eyes were wide now but he was laughing. He had made no attempt to get out from Kilmartin’s choke-hold.

“Don’t be a patsy for the Egans,” said Minogue. “They’ll throw you on the scrap-heap.” Kilmartin pushed Malone off. Egan seemed to be bored by the commotion.

“What’s the name there, sheriff? Credits on the video, you know.”

Minogue gestured to Kilmartin.

“I’ll be seeing you, Eddsy.”

“Suit yourself. I’ll know the name of your dog even in a half-hour.”

“Christ, what a worm. A slimy, creeping Jesus of a worm.”

“Kind of unnerving all right, Jim.”

“Unnerving? Didn’t I tell you it’s in the genes, man? Twins. Ugghhh.”

Minogue shrugged. Kilmartin gave him an elbow.

“Here,” he said. “Does it occur to you there are regulations we have to adhere to?”

Minogue looked across the street. His Citroen was intact.

“You’re the boss, Jim. Everybody knows that.”

“Everybody except you. I should’ve let him give you that puck in the snot.”

“I couldn’t have stopped him, James.”

“Well, I could have.”

Minogue looked at Kilmartin as he stepped onto the road.

“I’ll tell you how,” Kilmartin went on. “I could have hit you myself before we ever came out to this kip! Saved him the bother. Jesus Christ, man, why didn’t you tell me you were going to take that line?”

Minogue helloed at the detectives.

“Well?” said Heffernan.

“Nobody broke down and confessed,” said Minogue. He leaned on the roof and looked back at the shop. “No. No glory here. It’s back to just working for a living.”

“Did you get what you came for, you know?”

Heffernan looked across the street at the shop and sighed.

“He thinks he’s safe, you know. Eddsy. Bobby too. That we’ll never nail them.”

“Let him think what he wants. You file to who?”

“Serious Crimes.”

“You wouldn’t be sort of, well, be saving anything now? In a different file?”

Heffernan gave him a glazed look. A smile began to creep across his face.

“Oh, sure, we want him first. But no. There’s too much depending on co-ordinating everything. Sure it’s damn near political at this stage.”