‘I’m aware of that, sometimes they even use the toilet.’

‘I’ve known felons do more stupid things than take their gloves off for a second or two.’

‘Yes…’ Hennessey sighed. ‘Indeed. So what was being searched for?’

‘These.’ Yellich held up a cellophane sachet containing photographs.

‘I thought you looked pleased with yourself, Yellich.’

‘Found them in the garden shed, sir.’

Hennessey took the photographs out of the sachet and held them carefully at the edges, making sure he prevented his own fingerprints getting on the surface or the reverse of the prints. ‘Had a pleasant time together, didn’t they?’

‘Aye…’ Yellich said. ‘I recognize the bungalow in some of the photos, but the other location…it’s like a studio…hardly any furniture…just a mattress on the floor.’

‘It’s the house Richardson built for Max Williams—I’ll tell you the story. But it’s clear from this that Mrs Williams and Tim Sheringham used it as a love nest.’

‘Shall we pick Sheringham up, boss?’

‘Not yet. Let’s process that latent, if he’s got track and if the latent is his, then we’ll fondle his collar. Time for cautious treading, Yellich.’

‘Anything you say, boss. How did you get on with Richardson?’

‘Well, he’s got a motive. Williams looks like he’s destroyed his business.’

‘Motive enough. I’ve known people murder for less.’

‘So have I. He didn’t say anything to implicate himself, but he didn’t say anything to enable us to strike him off the list of suspects. He’s still in the frame, as is Mr Sheringham. But mainly Sheringham.’

‘Does he have an alibi for the time window?’

‘Not for Sunday or the Monday or Tuesday evenings. His wife, very conveniently, was in Ireland. She arrived back this morning.’

‘How convenient.’

‘Isn’t it? Give me an alibi merchant every time. If we can break the alibi we’ve won. No alibi means the heavy burden of proof rests on our shoulders. But he’s a volatile man and he’s got a lovely motive.’

‘Love that word,’ said Partridge. ‘Lovely. It’s a lovely word.’

Hennessey and Yellich glanced at each other. They had forgotten Partridge’s presence.

That evening at home, Yellich was kneeling near an alcove in his house putting up shelves, as had long been requested by his wife, when his son approached him.

‘Hiya, Jeremy,’ Yellich smiled.

Jeremy beamed at his father.

Yellich held up a nail. ‘Nail,’ he said. ‘Nail.’

‘Nail,’ repeated Jeremy. Yellich held up a hammer. ‘Hammer.’

‘Hammer.’

‘Good boy.’

Jeremy Yellich walked away, looking pleased with himself.

A few moments later he returned to where his father was working and picked up the hammer and said, ‘Hammer.’

‘Good lad.’ Yellich put his arm round his son and kissed his forehead. ‘Good, good boy.’

The younger man toyed with Oscar’s ears as the dog allowed his head to rest on the man’s lap. Hennessey put the coffee pot, and tray of milk and sugar and cups, down on the kitchen table.

‘Names?’ said the younger man, looking over the list of names that Hennessey had written.

‘Something I thought I’d do out of interest. You see, I went through school from the age of eleven to sixteen with the same form, some left, one or two came, but to all intents and purposes, the thirty-two that finished were the same thirty-two that started. Each morning of every school day the register was taken, each morning the same thirty-two surnames were read out. I thought I’d try and remember them. As you see, I’ve recalled all but five or six.’

;You’re getting old, Dad. You’re looking back.’

‘No, I’m not, I’m convincing myself my memory is still intact. He poured the coffee. So you’re in Leeds tomorrow?’

‘Yes, I’m going to the case you’ll have read about, bloke set fire to his council house to force the council to give him another tenancy. Killed his two infant children in the process.’

‘Yes, I read it.’

‘The bloke says he’s a victim of local hostility, and vigilantes tried to burn him out. The Crown case against him is overwhelming, but he belongs to that mind-set which, from childhood, believes that if you deny something you’ll get away with it. It’s far better to play with a straight bat and make a clean breast of things. As it is, he’ll get two life sentences. He’s told his solicitor to enter a NG plea, so his solicitor has instructed me and I dutifully take instructions and will have to challenge the Crown’s case, which is not challengeable. But that’s how our criminal justice system works.’

Hennessey sat down. ‘What would happen if a felon were to say to a barrister, “Look I did it, but they can’t prove it, so I want to plead not guilty.”’

‘Show him the door. If you went along with that you’d be misleading the court, wilfully so. You’d be finished as a silk.’

‘I thought that. It’s a pleasant evening, shall we have coffee on the lawn?’

Sitting on the wooden garden furniture chairs, the younger man said, ‘You should have got married again, Dad.’

‘Nothing could replace…’ Hennessey smiled. ‘I mean, no one could replace Jennifer.’

‘But it couldn’t have been easy for you, bringing me up alone.’

‘It wasn’t, and I loved every minute of it. And I had help; Mrs Last used to help a lot, I couldn’t have done it without her.’

‘I remember her. I was quite saddened by her death.’

‘Well, you and she bonded with each other. It would have been quite a loss for you. But that’s it, I’m not a needy person. I can live without a partner more easily than I can live with the wrong partner. And like I said…if I couldn’t have Jennifer…we were very much in love, you know, your mother and I.’

‘I know you were, Dad.’

‘She planned the garden, you know.’

‘You never told me that.’

‘She did. When we moved into this house, the entire garden, the back garden, was just a greensward, a swathe of grass, could play a game of cricket on it. That’s why I won’t leave this house, not just because her ashes are scattered here, but because this garden is her design.’

‘Well…’ The young man watched a swallow loop and swoop.

‘She was heavily pregnant, couldn’t do anything except sit and read, and one day at the kitchen table she designed the garden. Reduced the lawn to half its original size, planting a privet from left to right with a gateway set in it, a potting shed and an orchard beyond the privet, and a waste area with a pond in the very bottom. The first apple trees were planted to coincide with your arrival, at least Jenn saw that. She used to walk with you amongst the saplings. Took me fully five years to complete it to her design.’

‘The trees are as old as me then? Thirty years.’

‘The oldest ones are, apple tree saplings are quite expensive and so we…I had to plant the orchard over time.’

‘Still, you ought to have found someone.’

‘Oh, I have.’ Hennessey smiled at his son. He relished his company.

‘Well, all the secrets are being exposed this evening. This is news.’

‘It’s a recent development. Still new.’

‘Tell me about her.’

‘She’s a professional woman, divorced, three children who are old enough to know that their mum needs a partner and are not possessive of her. They’ve welcomed me into their family-I help out with the homework, and the like. Love it. She has three children, a high-powered, demanding job, a horse and two rabbits, so we’ve worked out that I come eighth on her list of priorities.’

Charles Hennessey smiled. ‘You haven’t lost your dry sense of humour, Dad. I think that has carried you through.’

‘Probably has.’ Hennessey glanced up at the crimson sky.

‘Magnificent sunset.’

‘Isn’t it.’

‘Tell me about Mum.’

‘What can I say…a lovely, lovely woman…all she could do was give of herself, nurture things, husband, son, a garden, house plants…she just gave and gave and gave, and all she seemed to want in return was to see that the things she gave to thrived. That was all the reward she wanted.’