Chapter 78

Chris Hudson sits alone with a whisky in the bar at Le Pont Noir, drawn to its log fire and tasteful old tiles. The setting makes him imagine the domestic life he once thought he might have: a wife, children, a comfortable home, and meaningful work waiting beside the fire.

Chris compares that fantasy with his actual life: a lonely flat, no one to cook for, an unused spare room, and nights when sleep comes hard. Although Chris still loves police work and finds purpose in it, the scene underlines his isolation and dissatisfaction.

Chris turns his thoughts back to the investigations. Chris remains convinced Mackie is guilty, but the newly discovered bones complicate that theory. If the old body and Tony Curran's murder are connected, Mackie cannot be responsible for both, because records show Mackie did not leave Ireland until the 1990s.

Chris then focuses on Tony Curran's murder. Jason Ritchie has phoned Chris to explain the suspicious calls and car, and Chris thinks Jason's account is convincing, while recognizing that a practiced liar could also sound convincing.

Chris considers Bobby Tanner, who has vanished from official records since Amsterdam and may be hiding abroad, living under another identity, or dead. Chris also examines the newer lead, Turkish Johnny, whose real name is Johnny Gunduz and who fled after a tip-off about the Black Bridge cabbie murder. Since the old threads keep returning to that night at Le Pont Noir, Chris wonders whether Johnny has returned to town before deciding he should go home.