‘Hmm. He wouldn’t be the first young man in the priesthood to find that the vow of chastity isn’t so easy to keep. It’s led more than a few of them into trouble. What do you make of him?’

‘He’s intelligent, as you’d expect. A handsome young man. I could see him breaking young ladies’ hearts if he weren’t wearing a clerical collar. Maybe even if he was. He’s confident too, as you’d expect. Strong on his priestly privileges. He told me he wasn’t answerable to any law other than canon law. So I came back on him fairly sharply on that. I got the sense though that behind the bluster and the confidence he’s not keen on having trouble with us. When I pushed him, he gave ground.’

‘You pushed him?’ Mallon raised an eyebrow, tapping the archbishop’s letter. ‘Is that what I’m to take from His Grace’s note here? How exactly did you “push” him, Swallow?’

There was no point in dissembling.

‘I, ah, gave him sight of my accoutrements, chief.’

Mallon drew a breath.

‘You’re telling me you threatened him with handcuffs?’

‘In a manner of speaking, sir, yes.’

Mallon raised his hands to his forehead and leaned forward on his desk, his fingers massaging his temples for perhaps a minute in silence.

‘Please, Swallow . . . in the very unlikely event that you’re ever interviewing Archbishop Walsh or the Pope or anyone like that, could I ask that you’d tell me first? And that you’d leave your handcuffs behind.’

‘Yes, chief. Of course, chief.’

‘Now, tell me,’ Mallon fingered the commissioner’s note, ‘how you intend to move forward on this.’

‘We’re doing a full review of evidence tomorrow after the crime conference. But to be honest we haven’t got a lot in hand. It’s possible but unlikely, I think, that it was a random attack. We’ve eliminated the two soldiers that found her. The priest’s a possible suspect. So is the brother. But we don’t have a clear motive. Either of them could have been close to the scene. They both take a size nine in shoes, so either of them could have left the imprint at the scene. So unless we get something else, I think we’ll have to re-interview and increase the pressure if necessary.’

Mallon nodded.

‘I agree. I’ll advise the commissioner accordingly. And he’ll have to tell His Grace the archbishop that there may be more unpleasantness ahead for Father Cavendish.’

Swallow stood.

‘Two other things, sir. One relating to the job; the other totally personal and unrelated to the case. If I may, sir.’

Mallon looked puzzled for a moment.

‘Yes, go ahead, Swallow. What’s the job issue?’