Last night a single bouquet rested on the pillar outside the house where the four women's bodies were found. It was left there by local people in shock, not only because of the deaths, but because they knew so little about the deceased.
The street where the women lived, Rinawade Road, was quiet yesterday when a car drove up to number 12 just before midday. Most of the residents had left for work. The landlord stepped out of his car and knocked on the door.
When no one answered he rang again. The only people on the road at the time were a small group of children playing with their bikes. The landlord took out his key to gain entry.
According to Garda sources, the landlord had difficulty entering the house. He eventually had to push his way past a fridge which had been pushed against the door. When he opened the door to the front room, which seems to have been used as a bedroom, he made the gruesome discovery and immediately contacted the Gardai by phone.
When gardai arrived after, they found three women in the front room wrapped in a duvet. They appeared to be wearing nightdresses.
Gardai then entered the kitchen where a fourth woman's body was found lying on the floor. There was no sign of a struggle or a break-in. Somebody had also placed a table and chair against the back door. The heat was on and the house was extremely warm.
A local priest was summoned and gave the Last Rites. Another curate, Father Rossa Doyle, also paid a visit to the house later. But like everyone else, he did not know the women.
This is - so far - the most remarkable aspect of the case. Nobody on Rinawade Grove knows anything about the four women who lived at number 12. While gardai spent the day interviewing residents, it would appear few of them can shine any light on the lives led by the four women. Even local children were struck by the lack of contact with the women in the house. One youngster said he knocked on their door a week ago with an offer to cut their grass, but got no answer.
Ms Liz Mulligan, who lives three doors down from the house, said she had only ever seen two of the women when they went out shopping, usually in taxis.
"They never spoke to anyone, and their garden never seemed to be tidy, that was the only thing noticeable about them," she said. She added that the curtains in the house always seemed to be drawn. "We always commented on how spooky it was," she said.
Other neighbours said the few times they saw the women they were wearing "scruffy" clothes, normally dark in colour. "One of them waved at us from a taxi once when they were returning from the shops. That was about the only contact we had with them," said Ms Mulligan.
As soon as several squad cars arrived at the scene, the few residents not at work came out on the road and were soon followed by a massive media presence. In number 11 a young couple who were out working for most of the day were shocked when they returned home in the evening.
Declining to give their names, they said they knew nothing about their neighbours. One of them said he rarely saw the women and had never communicated with them.
Some neighbours were not even aware there was anyone living at number 12. The most notable feature of the house, apart from the long grass in the front and back garden, was a picture of Jesus Christ in the front window. The large image faced onto the road and beside it was another religious ornament.
One of the neighbours said the religious images were constantly changed in the front window of the house. The house on the other side, number 14, has been unoccupied for some time, and had been previously been occupied by a refugee family.