Swallow saw Mallon wince as Collins started his report with a ponderous and unnecessary recitation of the facts already known to every policeman in the room.

‘The deceased was a member of the unfortunate class that frequent this district,’ Collins intoned. ‘The remains were examined at the scene by the city medical examiner, Dr Lafeyre, before removal to the morgue at Marlborough Street. The post-mortem examination revealed that she had suffered multiple blows to the head and upper body.’

He paused to draw breath before resuming his narrative from the murder book.

‘As a result of confidential information, a party led by Superintendent Boyle, E-Division, this morning executed a search warrant at an address at Mount Pleasant. A gentleman, identified as Major Nigel Kelly, was taken into custody. Detective Sergeant Feore found an item relating to the murder in his jacket pocket, to wit, one post office savings book held in the name of Helena Moyles. Constable Patrick Cummins C35 was on duty in the vicinity of the crime on the night in question. He encountered a man running from the deceased’s place of residence. The description matches that of Major Kelly.’

That was stretching it a bit, Swallow told himself. Cummins’s description of the man fleeing the scene was so vague as to be almost useless. Yet he was not far wrong when he said that he thought the fugitive might have been a policeman. It was highly likely that he would have seen Kelly in or around the Castle on occasion.

He flicked the next page of the murder book.

‘G-Division intelligence indicates that the deceased was a known associate of members of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, better known as the Fenians. She was also known to keep company with members of the Hibernian Brotherhood.’

‘Thank you. Thank you, Detective.’ Mallon waved an impatient hand, silencing Collins. ‘The case is strong. I have a report from Detective Sergeant Mossop, who has been questioning the suspect in the Bridewell during the day. Cummins will visit the Bridewell shortly and will be asked to identify the suspect. If his identification is positive, I intend to have Major Kelly charged with murder right away.’

Another murmur of approval went around the parade room.

‘Now, Sergeant Feore, would you please tell the conference about the state of play in the Alice Flannery investigation?’

Feore would be brief, Swallow knew. He would speak from his notes rather than reading laboriously from the murder book.

‘The evidence to date is a bit circumstantial if you ask me, chief,’ he said, shrugging. ‘The principal suspect is Stefan Werner, a native of Berlin, proprietor and operator of the New Vienna restaurant on South Great George’s Street. He was seen leaving the restaurant shortly after Alice Flannery on the night she was murdered and after he had asked her for her address. His shoes match the size of the footprint left in the mud at the crime scene.’