Nine

At dawn, Cal enjoys the morning and searches Facebook for Brendan’s friends, identifying Fergal O’Connor and Eugene Moynihan. He heads to Fergal’s family farm and helps unload feed to keep the chat casual. Cal floats a cover story about needing wiring work and learning Brendan is missing.

Fergal first downplays concern, then shows surprise when Cal suggests Brendan might have been taken. Pressed with appeals to Sheila’s worry, Fergal denies meeting Brendan the day he left but admits Brendan borrowed €100 a few days earlier without saying why. Fergal retreats into silence, leaving Cal sensing loyalty-fueled stonewalling.

Cal next approaches Eugene at his well-off family home. Using the same wiring pretext, he learns Eugene isn’t an electrician and claims ignorance. Needled, Eugene shares that Brendan had a plan to make money, was suddenly talking Ibiza, and panicked when Guards drove by days before he vanished, insisting “this could be really bad,” then bolted. Eugene says he was in Prague when Brendan disappeared and prefers not to know details.

Walking home, Cal weighs theories: drugs or other illegal schemes (stolen cars, diesel laundering), or unrelated police fear; he also considers Brendan’s volatility and possible mental health factors. He resolves not to tell Trey speculative leads until he has proof.

Recognizing this is the first investigation he has chosen rather than been assigned, Cal commits to the search, hoping he’s right to take it on.