By the time she arrived it was warm enough to sit out on the terrace. Sarah had taken the news calmly, with well-concealed resignation, and had driven off to a garden centre the other side of Burford. Charles had Gareth’s memo on his secure laptop and had read it three times. Sonia, despite looking relaxed in jeans and trainers and a T-shirt advertising a canine charity, was businesslike.

‘I understand why you promoted Gareth. His operational record is seriously good and he’s done some good things as director of ops and production. I’m not one of those who think you promoted him just through cronyism and the fact that you ran a couple of cases together.’

‘Is that what people are saying?’

‘One or two, no more. It’s not a big issue. People can see he’s effective and intelligent and a breath of fresh air after his predecessor. Nor do I have any personal issues with him despite how he behaved with my friend Jane, though I know you think I do.’ She smiled. ‘But I do think he might have personal issues with me, oddly enough. He never looks me in the eye and if I say something in a meeting he responds to someone else, as if they’ve said it.’

‘Perhaps he’s frightened of you.’

‘I can’t believe I frighten anyone.’

She did, though Charles had given up trying to persuade her of it. She was quiet, calm, self-possessed, rational, always mistress of her subject and nearly always right.

‘The point,’ she continued, ‘and the reason I’m spoiling your Sunday, is that I’m worried about Gareth and Timber Wolf. I’m not convinced we’re getting the full story. Or that we’re getting the right story. If there is one.’

A heron got up from the bank of the Windrush, turned slowly and glided upstream. From the ridge on the far side of the valley came the sound of motorbikes on the A40. Her words provoked in Charles a simultaneous desire to argue and an unwelcome reminder of his own half-formed thoughts. Equally unwelcome was the thought that it should not have taken someone else’s words to get him to acknowledge his doubts.

‘I’m mentally taking a deep breath in saying this. Perhaps we both should.’ Sonia paused, her eyes on his. ‘Waiting for the exercise to get going yesterday, I read Timber Wolf’s electronic file, what there is of it. I should have read it before. Have you read it?’

‘No. I only know what Gareth has said about Timber Wolf.’