Eye of the Law by Cora Harrison

was chatty; all seemed less shy now that their mother was out of the room.
    ‘Really?’ Mara threw a slight note of scepticism mixed with awe into her voice. It was a potent inducement for further information and the young voices tumbled over each other to supply it.
    ‘We hear him sometimes . . .’
    ‘When the moon is full . . .’
    ‘And if he looks at you with his one eye, it burns through you and then you drop dead . . .’
    ‘Orlaith is frightened that he might get her now, just like he got the lad from Aran.’
    ‘That’s not what Orlaith is crying about.’ Caitlin’s voice was sharp and knowing. ‘It’s because of—’
    ‘Shh, she’s coming back.’ In a moment they all had heads down and eyes intent on work.
    ‘Sorry, Brehon, you know what girls of that age are like. Giggles one minute and tears the next.’ The mother resumed her seat with a quick glance around.
    Mara got to her feet.
    ‘I must go now and leave you to get on with your work. I’d love six of those purple willow baskets when you have them made. I’d like to use them to plant my summer lilies. Bring them over to Cahermacnaghten and I’ll have some silver ready for you.’
    She cast a quick smile around as the woman murmured her thanks and then went out. There was no sign of Orlaith so she walked back into the sally garden and collected her two youngest scholars.
    ‘They think that it was the god Balor who killed Iarla from Aran,’ said Shane when they were walking back up the laneway towards Kilcorney. There was a note of amused scorn in his voice.
    ‘We tried to ask a few questions, but it didn’t really work,’ said Hugh.
    ‘Never mind,’ said Mara with a sigh. Her back was aching and she did not seem to be getting very far with this enquiry. It seemed very strange that neither Iarla, nor his murderer, had been seen on Thursday morning. Perhaps both Malachy and Nuala were wrong and he was killed the night before.
    They saw Ardal and Liam, holding their horses, standing outside the church when they reached the top of the laneway. Mara hesitated for a moment. She wanted to get home, but hers was the responsibility. She had to make sure that all the arrangements were in place for the burial of the corpse.
    As soon as he saw her, Ardal walked rapidly towards her.
    ‘Everything is arranged, Brehon,’ he said reassuringly. ‘I’ve seen Father O’Byrne and he’ll hold the funeral as soon as the boy’s uncle arrives. We thought we wouldn’t have a wake. Is that all right?’
    ‘There isn’t any point, I’d say,’ agreed Mara. ‘No one really knew him.’
    ‘I’ve asked Father O’Byrne to say a mass for his soul the night before the funeral,’ continued Ardal.
    He had a satisfied look on his face. He was a man who loved to organize and to have everything neat and tidy, in his life as well as his property.
    ‘We were just talking about how we could spare you trouble in this affair, Brehon.’ Liam cast a quick surreptitious glance at Mara’s waistline; no doubt the news of her pregnancy was all over the Burren by this stage. ‘As soon as we get back, we’ll gather everyone who would have been working around the house and on the fields between here and Kilcorney and if any of them have anything of interest to say or have seen anything, then we’ll send them over to you at Cahermacnaghten. Is there anything else that we can do for you, Brehon?’
    ‘Perhaps while you’re here, Ardal, and you, Liam, you could just give me an idea of what you were both doing this morning. Neither of you saw Iarla, that’s right, isn’t it?’
    ‘That’s right, Brehon. I was in the barn for a while first thing in the morning. I was just checking on the empty barrels there – making sure that they were all sound before the Bealtaine tribute and then I went over to Ballymurphy to join himself .’
    ‘I had gone over there as soon as I had my breakfast,’ explained Ardal. ‘I wanted to see how the young colts were