‘What do you think, boss?’ Yellich held his beaker of coffee in both hands.

‘He’s definitely in the frame for it, very definitely. He had something to fear from Mrs Williams. He’s arrogant enough to murder, he’s strong enough to dig the grave…he battered her over the head and he felled Mr Williams because he was there. He’s got more of a motivation than Richardson because with Richardson things couldn’t get worse. With Sheringham things could get an awful lot worse…Richardson isn’t out of the frame but if you ask me, Sheringham’s a stronger candidate.

‘Fear, you see, Yellich, fear feeds the imagination, that leads to desperation and desperate men do desperate things. I can see him doing it. He’s full of himself, has a lot to lose, pops ‘em both off as the only safe thing to do. Sanitizes the house, then collects the bodies a day or two later, drives them out to a field and buries them. Then he returns looking for the photographs of himself and her in happier times and, during the search, leaves a careless but very convenient fingerprint in the bathroom.’

Then Yellich said quietly, ‘Do you think they might be in it together, boss?’

Hennessey’s eyes narrowed. ‘Tell me more, Yellich.’

‘Well, I once came across an Arabic proverb: the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’

‘Go on.’ Hennessey sipped his coffee.

‘They’re both members of the business community in York. If they’re known to each other, they both have motivation to murder the Williamses…they’re both strong enough to dig the grave, but sharing the job would make it a cakewalk. Together, they’d make light of it. It’s also a big crime scene to sanitize, two guys would be better employed at it than one. Just thinking aloud, boss.’

Hennessey beamed at him. ‘Yellich, on occasions you please me greatly.’

‘I do, boss?’

‘Yes, Yellich. You do. Two heads are always better than one. Maybe for Richardson and Sheringham, as well as for you and me. I’ll continue here.’

‘Yes, boss.’

‘You go and have a chat with Mrs Sheringham at the gym. Tease out what you can, but be discreet.’

‘Yes, boss.’

‘York is a small city; you’re right, they may very well be known to each other, a link between them will be interesting. Very interesting indeed.’

Hennessey dropped his plastic mug into the waste bin beside the hot beverage vending machine and returned to the interview room. He switched the recording machine on as he sat down, the spools turned, the red light glowed. The interview recommences at eleven-twenty a.m. in the absence of Detective Sergeant Yellich.

‘I am Chief Inspector Hennessey. I am now going to ask the other people in the room to identify themselves.’

‘Nathan Samual.’

‘You know who I am,’ Sheringham growled.

‘Just state your name for the tape, please.’

‘Tim Sheringham. Happy now, old man?’

‘Thank you. So, Mr Sheringham, you don’t deny that Mrs Williams was a source of trouble for you?’

‘I don’t deny it.’

‘So you have benefited from her death?’

‘I’ve benefited from those photographs not being sent to my wife.’

‘But she did threaten to speak to your wife.’

‘No comment.’

‘It’s not unreasonable of me to assume that she did make such a threat.’

‘Assume what you like.’

‘So it’s not therefore unreasonable of me to assume that you have benefited from her death. She can’t talk to your wife from beyond the grave.’

‘She can’t.’

‘So a weight is off your mind?’

‘Yes…yes…if you like. But not fully, you know it’s possible that Vanessa will find out…your past has a way of catching up with you.’

‘As you well know.’ Hennessey took a sheet of paper from the file. ‘Your previous convictions.’

‘A lot of them are spent.’

‘A lot are…but there’s quite a pattern of violence, isn’t there? And burglary. Aggravated burglary. And you are, are you not, just the sort of person who’d batter the life out of someone and then ransack their house?’

‘I object to that question.’ Nathan Samual spoke softly, yet with no small measure of authority.

‘I’ve calmed down,’ Sheringham said coldly. The gym’s seen to that. And marriage. My last spell inside I spent as much time as I could pushing weights, working on my body culture. A guy in there said I could earn big money if I could open a gym. I’m not making as much as he reckoned I would, but enough. I’m making more straight pennies than I ever made bent pennies.’

‘I’m gratified to hear it…but the potential’s there. Now, tell me about this offence, which is not spent. The conviction a few years ago for the misuse of a controlled substance.’

‘A few ounces of cannabis, for my own consumption, I hasten to add. I wasn’t selling it.’

‘Still known to Mr McCarty though.’

‘Of the Drug Squad?’

‘The one and the same.’

‘I’ve had the pleasure once or twice.’

‘But nothing current?’

‘Of course.’

‘Of course.’ Hennessey smiled. ‘But let’s return to your potential.’

‘Potential?’

‘For violence…that’s been your history. You have not hesitated to attack someone if they annoyed you.’

‘I’ve calmed down.’

‘To batter someone to death because they threatened to ruin you?’

‘Wouldn’t you?’

‘So you did!’

‘No, I didn’t.’

‘“Wouldn’t you” implies you did.’

‘It implies nothing,’ Nathan Samual said solemnly.

‘Even so,’ Hennessey pressed forward, ‘we have assault, grievous bodily harm, malicious damage…not the sort of person you’d want to meet in one of the snickelways on a dark night, are you?’

‘I can look after myself.’

‘Or on a dance-hall floor.’

‘I don’t dance.’

‘Or inside your home.’

‘I didn’t kill them.’

‘Where were you on Sunday afternoon?’

‘I went for a run by the river.’

‘Anybody see you?’

‘Plenty.’

‘Anybody that recognized you, that could offer an alibi? What about your wife?’

‘At the gym. Wednesdays and Sundays are ladies’ days, both are long days for her.’

‘Other days it’s mixed?’

‘Yes. The customers like it that way. A lot of relationships have started in the gym.’

‘I can imagine. Yourself and Amanda Williams being an example of same.’

‘You should come down, free session, I’ll take you round the circuit, maybe you’ll want to enrol. You’ll be the oldest there, but you never know your luck, some women go for the older man, they want a father figure.’

‘As some men go for the older woman, eh, Mr Sheringham?’

‘Only if they have dosh.’ Smiling, provoking, game playing.

‘What about it, fancy a trip round the circuit?’

‘No, I don’t.’

‘Well, don’t say I didn’t make the offer. It’s no good at the end of your life saying, “I wonder what would have happened if…”’

‘Full of wisdom for one so young, aren’t you?’

‘I was born old, like Merlin the Magician. I get younger by the day.’

‘Where were you on Monday and Tuesday night?’

‘At home.’

‘Alone?’

‘With my wife.’

‘She’ll vouch for that?’

‘She may.’

‘May?’

‘She’s a heavy sleeper. She’ll sleep through an earthquake. Me, I suffer from insomnia from time to time. Not every night, but some nights. There’s been times when I’ve been unable to sleep, I’ve got up, gone out for a six-mile run, come back, showered, got back into bed, grabbed a couple of hours’ sleep and we’ve woken up together and she hasn’t realized I’ve been away.’

‘So you may not have an alibi for Monday and Tuesday night either?’

‘No. But I don’t need one. I didn’t kill anybody, see?’

‘No. Actually, I don’t see.

‘Can you drive a car?’

‘I have the ability, but no licence.’

‘Disqualified, part of the malicious damage incident, it says here.’

‘Guy cut me up at the lights. So I sorted his car. Thought I’d be less likely to get a prison sentence if I only damaged his metal, rather than him.’