D’fhéach an Duinníneach thart ar an gcistin ar léir gurbh é an seomra maireachtála é. Ní raibh aon rian den Nollaig air go fóill.

‘ ‘Bhfuil sibh ar an ngannchuid, a Mhaggie?’

‘Your Christmas prayer, for him to be found innocent?’
She nodded her head again and looked at the statue:
‘God and his blessed mother will uncover the truth of the story.’
Dineen looked around the kitchen which was clearly the living room. There was no trace of Christmas in it yet.
‘Are you in straitened circumstances, Maggie?’

D’imigh Maggie agus tháinig sí ar ais gan mhoill leis an róba bán a bhí feicthe ag an Duinníneach cheana féin.

‘Dhein me féin é a chniotáil do bhaiste Mharie. Baisteadh Eliza agus Jenny agus Eddie bocht ann. Ba mhór an onóir é … Is é is feiliúnaí . . .’

‘There is enough money to pay the rent for one month,
thank God.’
‘I will have to move on[forward] to the next house,’ said Dinneen. ‘If you could wrap the statue in brown paper, or something like that, it would be a great convenience.’

Maggie left and returned without delay with the white robe that Dineen himself had already seen.

‘I knitted it myself for Marie’s baptism. Eliza and Jenny and poor Eddie were baptized in it. It would be a great honor …. ‘

She wrapped the statue in it like she was wrapping a baby. She put it in Dineen’s bent arm and she escorted him to the door. The children in the hall were in front of them and they were looking at the Dineen wide-eyed.
‘Everything will be alright,’ he said to them. ‘I’ll take him home safe.’

‘What do I hear about you blaming a poor bank clerk, from the Imperial Bank who lives on Maxwell Road …. McCausland?’
‘Henry McCausland,’ said the inspector softly. ‘Well, Well, aren’t you ahead of everyone else. Nothing about him was in the newspapers yet. Why are you interested, Father?’
‘He didn’t do it.’
‘How do you know?’
‘I met his family.’

‘Truth be told, I wish you could prove that he did not steal it, but there is one irrefutable witness against him’
‘Who is that?’
‘Himself’
‘Tell me more’
‘Mrs. Delamere-Hunt is a rich widow. She has one son, a great man of horses and racing, Trevor Hunt. He is often mentioned in the newspapers, his picture in the stylish magazines. You probably didn’t see any of them in the … Mrs. D.-H. keeps her jewels stored in a box in the Imperial Bank. It is common that she would take out some special gem for a particular occasion and that she would put it back after the event.’

‘The jewel that was stolen is the most precious she has. Her father was in the British Army in India and he brought home a large monstrous emerald – a jewel that has the usual superstitious stories carried with it but we do not accept any of them here.
‘What are those stories?’

‘McCausland opened the basement and went all the way to the box, with Hunt. The safe deposit boxes are like drawers in a chest, made of steel and every one has its own key. McCausland kept a sharp eye on what Hunt was doing. Hunt opened the drawer. It’s a sort of jewelery chest, a tray lined with velvet on the bottom and a space of the right size for each specific jewel. Hunt took the emerald out. He put it in the inside pocket of his vest and left.

It was a day like any other day at the bank. McCausland had to go down to the basement a few times on various matters. The seal of the bank is kept there, for example. At three, after lunch at the Castle, Hunt brought the emerald back. It was done as it was done that morning but this time, of course, the emerald was to be put into the drawer. He put it in.

‘Chuireas an cheist sin ar McCausland. “Bhíos ag faire go géar.” ar seisean. “Nior thóg sé an bróiste amach arís.”. . .

‘McCausland is sure of that. He saw the emerald in Hunt’s hand while he was putting it in the box. He saw his hand coming out of the box and it was empty.’
‘Any chance Hunt slipped it back into his sleeve?’ asked Dineen.
‘I put that question to McCausland “I was watching sharply.” he said. “He did not take the brooch out again”…’

‘The poor nobility are under pressure at this time of year. Mrs. D.-H. was to attend a supper that night and she herself came into the bank just before closing time to get her pearls. When she opened the box, McCausland beside her, she let out a scream that the doorman heard outside. The emerald was not in its proper place in the drawer. A search was made, of course. All the jewelery was taken out. The velvet drawer was taken out. The emerald was not found and has not been found since then. A search was made of course. But, from the moment McCausland went home for his lunch, he would have a chance to put it under concealment outside …

‘Cén chaoi a d’osclódh McCausland an bosca agus gan eochair ach ag Hunt?’ a d’fhiafraigh an Duinníneach.

‘The two went into the basement and McCausland is sure Hunt did not take it.’
‘How would McCausland open the box without the key that Hunt had?’ asked Dineen

‘It is true that only the Hunt family held the key to the box but, for the sake of security, for the sake of speed in case the owners die, there is a secret key that will open every box and that key is kept in the head office in another building. McCausland spent some time working in that office when he was a clerk. He could, ten years ago, have been copied the secret keys – five corresponding to the five branches of the bank in the city – knowing that he might have a chance to use one of them someday. ‘

‘Deir sé go raibh tinneas cinn air agus gur luigh sé sios tamall ar an urlár thíos, áit chiúin dhorcha.’

‘Only the priest was in the room and the bread left/was gone,’ said Dineen.
‘Something like that. Along with that, we have evidence from Miss Petty, one of the bankers, McCausland spent much more time in the basement that day than necessary.’
‘Does he have an explanation for that?’
‘He says he had a headache and lay down for a while on the floor below, a quiet dark place.’

‘Séanann.’

‘Cá bhfuil cónaí ar Mrs. D.-H.?’

‘In aice láimhe, Cearnóg Belgrave.’

‘Téimis[1st pers imp] ar cuairt chuici.’

‘An dtógfaimid an dealbh linn?’

‘An gcuirfeá carr póilíní go Sráid na mBráithre Bána leis agus a rá leo é a leagan sios, go deas discréideach, ina mhainséar?’

‘He denies that he took the emerald?’
‘Yes.’
‘Where does Mrs. D.-H. live?’
‘Nearby, Belgrave Square.’
‘Let’s visit her.’
‘Will we take the statue with us?’
‘Would you send a police car to Whitefriars Street and tell them to lay it down, pretty discreetly, in their crib?’