Mart Lavin pays an unprecedented visit to Lena while she hangs washing, ostensibly to congratulate her on the engagement. He makes clear that her new role as Cal's fiancée binds her to the townland's interests. He explains Detective Nealon is interviewing the men, having been told a group was on the mountain the night Rushborough died, and outlines a tidy alternative narrative: Johnny owed Rushborough money from London, lured him up the mountain, and killed him. The story requires Trey to retract her claim about men on the mountain. Mart warns that without that retraction, the townland will hand Cal to Nealon as their sacrifice, since Lena lacks the social clout of women like Noreen.

Lena drives up the mountain to confront Trey. Johnny answers the door looking haggard and frightened. Lena walks Trey away from the house. Trey demands the names of those who killed Brendan, intending to accuse them of dumping Rushborough; Lena refuses. They argue fiercely, Trey nearly throwing a punch, until Lena reveals the decisive truth: if Nealon turns on Trey as the only person at the scene, Cal will falsely confess to protect her. Trey also learns that Lena's engagement to Cal is fake, staged to shield him, and that Cal knew her statement was a lie but respected her right to make her own choice.

Trey relents. At the Garda station, she gives Nealon a carefully crafted retraction: she made up the men on the mountain, but admits she saw her father leave the house that night, while insisting he had no motive. Nealon, hungry to arrest Johnny, accepts it readily. Outside, Nealon questions Lena, who confirms Johnny came to her begging for money, implying Rushborough was the creditor. Lena agrees to give a written statement the next day. Driving home by back roads, Lena lets Trey sit in heavy silence; Trey wonders what to tell Cal.