‘It’s not that, Major Kelly,’ Swallow said in a tone that he hoped was not too respectful. ‘You wouldn’t be aware, but there’s been a lot of change recently at the detective office. I’ve just taken over from former Inspector Boyle who’s gone on promotion to E-Division. There’s a vast amount of paperwork, as you might expect, at Exchange Court. It’s just a question of going through it all.’

‘How long?’ Smith Berry asked wearily.

Swallow shrugged.

‘I don’t know, sir. We’ve got a particularly unpleasant murder on our hands, plus all the usual tasks. It’s not easy to find men to give time to the job.’

Kelly’s pitched laugh was furious.

‘Sweet Jesus Christ, do you take us for fools? I’ve got to give it to you for nerve, Swallow. You’re asking us to believe that basic records of the section you’re supposed to run have gone missing, and you don’t regard it as sufficiently urgent to put a couple of men on the job of locating them?’

Mallon intervened before Swallow could reply.

‘Major Kelly, we are practical people in G-Division. We place a higher value on action and inquiry than on maintaining paperwork. I could keep a very neat office if I held all my men indoors shifting files, but I believe we’d solve very few crimes and glean very little intelligence from the streets. It isn’t always possible to keep track of every scrap of paper that passes through a busy crime office. Keeping records may be your priority; it isn’t necessarily mine.’

‘No, it’s clear than running an efficient office isn’t a priority for you, Mr Mallon,’ Kelly hissed. ‘You seem to think you can dictate your own priorities and set aside the requirements of your superiors.’

‘That isn’t so,’ Mallon said calmly, ‘and I very much resent what you are suggesting. G-Division does its work and discharges its duties. If you feel we have not done so, I’ll bear in mind what you have to say. But my line of report is to my superior, the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir David Harrel, in the first instance.’

‘I hope you’ll be able to answer to Sir David very quickly as to who murdered that unfortunate girl in Rathmines on Friday night,’ Kelly sneered. ‘I foolishly thought you’d have made an arrest by now.’

‘Oh, for God’s sake,’ Smith Berry snorted. ‘Let’s end this charade. Mallon, you know the government wants all the information it can get on Parnell. You’re the people, G-Division, who should have that. So let me be blunt: if you haven’t got it, you are in dereliction. And if you have it, and you refuse to pass it to me, you’re lending your support to the subversion of lawful authority. So make up your mind.’

Swallow saw Mallon tense himself.