Ned Moore assaults the priest, Father Thomas Roth, in the rectory and as the priest falls to the floor, his Roman collar falls open and hangs loose. He stands up to continue the fight with his collar fully intact.
After the priest is found dead, the crucifix is still on the desk rather than being taken as evidence. Also the police fail to check the notepad, the significance of which is noticed by Andrews.
The framing device with the uncertain priest sets the story in the past, even though it clearly has a contemporary setting.