Don’t be the first to sit in the hall. Move in with the main body of the crowd. Just in case he’s around the place. Or looking from behind the curtain. Seats are first come, first served. Which is good. Keep calm. Remember why you’re here. Remember the tactic. Don’t touch the hammer until you’re about to use it. I sound deranged, don’t I? Psychopathic. If you think so, I can’t blame you. But remember what I was doing and you may feel better about it. I wasn’t simply scoring revenge for myself—consider the mistreatment of your mother. Excessive of me? Perhaps. But what is it you used to say, Louise, that made me laugh? You ain’t see nuthin’ yet. Around me, the chairs filled. The singsong of the Cork accent rang like the bells of Shandon. Does everybody in this city know everybody else? In a sequined jacket, and pants with a wide red stripe down the side of the leg, he bounded out. Bowing and smiling. The bastard. Some patter: “I hear you have a newspaper here called the Cork Examiner.
