‘I think that will be all for the present. Detective Sergeant Mossop and I have some other inquiries to make. We’ll also need some time to consider the information that you’ve given us here today. I appreciate that some of what we have discussed may not be very easy for you, but we may ask you to facilitate us again.’

Mossop stood too.

‘Before we go, there are two further questions, I’d like to ask you,’ Swallow said.

‘Please, go ahead.’

‘May I ask what size do you take in footwear, and what sort of shoes would you have been wearing on Friday night when you left here to attend to the sick call?’

Cavendish became agitated again.

‘It appears in spite of my willingness to co-operate and my openness with you, Mr Swallow, that you insist on treating me as a criminal suspect. Why should I consider myself obliged to answer these ridiculous questions?’

‘I’ll give you two good reasons, Father,’ Swallow said. ‘First, along with other evidence from the scene of the assault on Miss Flannery, we have taken plaster impressions of footprints left in the mud. Second, if you don’t answer the questions I will procure a warrant to search this house and seize the footwear of all the occupants to enable us to determine the answers anyway. So, to be blunt about it, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. I’d hope you’ll choose the easy way.’

‘Your behaviour is outrageous,’ Cavendish spat out the words. ‘And believe me, there will be consequences. For what it’s worth I would have worn my heavy outdoor shoes on Friday night. The ones I have on me now. It’s a good walk from the parochial house to Belgrave Square. And the weather, as you know, has been very inclement. As to my shoe size, I take size nine.’

Wednesday November 7th, 1888

Chapter 15

The complaint from Archbishop’s House to Sir David Harrel, the commissioner of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, came forty-eight hours later. Swallow was surprised it had taken so long.

’It doesn’t worry me.’ Mallon dropped the commissioner’s minute onto the desk. ‘And don’t let it worry you either. Willie has to make a stink about one of his priests being questioned. But I have to go through the motions for the commissioner.’

Dublin’s new Roman Catholic archbishop, William Walsh, just three years in the post, had already shown himself to be fiercely assertive of the rights of his Church and his clergy.