Robert said, ‘Not yet. We’ve checked with An Post and he doesn’t hold a current dog licence. But if it is his, this dog, or if we can prove that it was, he’s going to find it fierce difficult to explain what its hairs were doing inside four of the most powerful IEDs since Enniskillen.’

‘We know where he lives?’

‘Oh, sure. MacGreevy’s Garden Centre. That’s at Classes Lake, on the west side of Ballincollig.’

‘Right—’ said Katie, ‘let’s set up surveillance while we’re waiting for the dog’s DNA. First of all to make sure that he really does have a dog, and also to see who comes and goes. And let’s start tapping into his phone and hacking into his computer.’

‘Okay, ma’am. I’ll find out who his service providers are and make the necessary applications. And if it seems likely that he’s the fellow we’re looking for, I’ll ask for a search warrant, too, from the District Court.’

‘Don’t bother about the applications. Under the circumstances, I’ve sufficient judicial authority myself to authorize you to access his telephone and internet data. If it was James MacGreevy who made this bomb, he’s a mass murderer and a serious terrorist threat, and I need no more justification than that.’

Bill said, ‘I’ll have Conall go upstairs to the control room and give them a hand. He’s your man when it comes to—’

Katie was sure that he was about to say ‘tapping into phones’ but then decided it might not be appropriate, especially since Kyna had now walked in.

Robert and Bill left Katie’s office together, talking to each other. Kyna stayed by the window, with her back turned, so Katie guessed she had come up to say something personal, and it could wait until everybody had gone. But just as Conall was about to walk out through the doorway, Katie caught up with him and said, ‘Conall—’

Conall looked startled and actually blushed.

‘Conall – it’s not about what you found on that fellow’s phone. The fact is, I need you to do something for me. It’s pure important, but it must stay totally confidential. Like, nobody must know about it for the time being, only you and me. They mustn’t even catch a whisper.’

‘Well, I don’t know, ma’am. It depends what it is.’

‘I want you to hack into that Irish Sun reporter’s phone calls and email messages. Owen Dineen. Do you think you can do that?’

Conall blinked at her. ‘Sure, like. That’ll be easy, even if his phone’s encrypted – a Blackphone or one of those. But isn’t that kind of—’