On closer inspection, Quesnard Cottage was a solid Georgian farmhouse with three, maybe four bedrooms and a large garden. Sadly, the owner had let it slip into disrepair. There were tiles missing from the roof and tufts of moss had insinuated themselves into the gaps. The glass in the windows was dusty and a couple of the smaller panes were cracked. The garden was full of weeds. I wondered if builders, decorators and gardeners had all refused to come here. As we approached the front gate, I heard classical music – Mozart – playing inside. We had to knock several times before the door opened.

Derek Abbott stood in front of us. He was on his own and at home but he was still wearing a suit, albeit without a tie. It was the first time I had actually been close to him and I was immediately struck by his bad teeth, his receding hairline and the curious sheen of his skin, which gave him the appearance of having had plastic surgery multiple times. He did not have the walking stick. Perhaps he didn’t need it when he was in his own house. He was not pleased to see us. No. That’s an understatement. He would have slammed the door if Hawthorne hadn’t reached out and held it open.

‘Get off my land,’ Abbott snarled.

‘We need to talk to you,’ Hawthorne said.

‘Give me one good reason why I should give you any of my time.’

‘I’ll give you two. Charles le Mesurier. Helen le Mesurier.’

Abbott shook his head. ‘No. I’m not fucking talking to you, Hawthorne. You’re not coming into my house. If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police.’

‘I’m working for the police.’ With his one free hand, Hawthorne produced an envelope I hadn’t seen before. ‘If you don’t believe me, read this. I’ve been officially engaged by Deputy Chief Torode on behalf of the Guernsey police. He knows I’m here now. If you won’t talk to me, he’ll want to talk to you, and the first question he’ll ask you is why you wouldn’t talk to me.’

‘I won’t talk to you because you’re a ****.’ Swear words bore me. I don’t like using them. And he had used one that was unprintable.

‘Suit yourself. But right now you’re the prime suspect in two murders—’

‘Helen’s dead?’

‘You knew that already.’

‘I knew she was missing and an hour ago I saw police cars and an ambulance arrive at the quarry. I’m not stupid.’

‘So are you going to cooperate with a double murder investigation or not?’