It was the day before Hallowe'en and, for some Dublin county councillors, the Nightmare on Dame Street seems set to continue, writes Frank McNally.
It was Halloween: the Sequel at the Flood tribunal yesterday, as fans of Frank Dunlop - the Michael Myers of political lobbying - descended on Dublin Castle in the hope of more spine-chilling revelations.
The story so far: it has been 2½ long years since the scary former PR man broke out of his straitjacket and embarked on an orgy of truth-telling about bribes to politicians, terrorising residents of the once-sleepy Dublin County Council.
Since then, he has lain dormant. But now, like a crazed inmate escaping from the county sanitorium, he's back. It's Halloween and fear again stalks the suburbs of Dublin - the scene of so many planning horrors - as councillors wonder: who's next?
In the event, the star witness didn't appear yesterday, a short sitting devoted to applications for legal representation in the "Carrickmines 1" stage of the inquiry.
The nearest we got to thrills was when Donald Pleasence - better known as Dunlop's lawyer Colm Allen - hinted at what was to come.
Seeking renewed representation in the next module, he teased: "It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Mr Dunlop will have a significant role to play."
Otherwise, the season of ghoulies and ghosties and long-legged beasties and things that go bung in the night got off to a quiet start.
Having carved Ray Burke up like a pumpkin and hung him out to dry in his interim report, Mr Justice Flood appeared rejuvenated by the success of his best-seller and by the long break.
After five years of solitary confinement, he was also able to welcome two co-chairmen and a substitute to his much-expanded tribunal.
The hall itself has been refurbished, with a longer bench for all the judges, a bigger hut for the stenographers and visual monitors for lawyers and the press.
The monitors are expected to be a major help with documentation when the inquiry heads into that complex area south of the border, down Jackson Way.
The tribunal has seen plenty of old rope over the years, but brand new rope has appeared to cordon off the press section on days when the public gallery is full. Cables have been run underground and even the curtains have been cleaned. All is set for the new season, whenever it starts.
Pacy as the interim report was, however, the speed of the inquiry shows no sign of picking up. Before adjourning, Mr Justice Flood said hearings would resume on November 19th, at the earliest, provoking one elderly latecomer to comment: "I could be dead before then."
Halloween will be long over by then too, although for Dublin councillors, the long-running Nightmare on Dame Street seems set to continue.