‘George!’ Grenville said. ‘ I know all about that. The Scottish affair made us all think. I’m not saying that at one time I wouldn’t have turned a blind eye to the more … effective methods of predator control. I lease out the shooting on the hill to a syndicate. It’s a valuable form of revenue. And there’s always pressure to have good numbers of birds for them to shoot. But now I’ve got too much to lose. Imagine the publicity!’

‘Yes,’ George said. He felt inclined to believe the man. ‘ Of course.’

He drank some of the whisky and waited for Grenville to continue.

‘George,’ Grenville said. ‘I know what sort of business you’re in and I must say I admire your enterprise. Setting up on your own at your age takes courage.’

No, George thought. Not courage. Retirement made me feel old. His career as a civil servant in the Home Office had been stressful, frustrating but seldom boring. He had been concerned in his later years with police administration and training, and had enjoyed the demands of the work. Although he had looked forward to retirement as an opportunity to give all his energy to natural history, he found that he missed the challenge and stimulus of work. The inquiry agency had been founded almost by chance and still George only took the cases which interested him.

‘I didn’t set up on my own,’ he said. ‘Molly is an equal partner in the business.’

But Grenville was not listening. ‘I want you to stop the old woman making these allegations,’ he said. ‘Find out what she’s doing it for. What does she want? I know she’s a relative of a sort but that might make it easier. I’m not asking you to do it for nothing. You’re a businessman after all, even though it’s a strange sort of business. I thought last night I’d be able to forget about it. She was pissed, you know. I thought she’d see sense in the morning. But she went to the police and told them her fairy stories. I can’t have her going to the press. They don’t need evidence to ruin a man’s career, and I must tell you, George, that I’m very optimistic about my chances in the next Cabinet reshuffle. So long as nothing happens to balls it up. If the animal rights lot get to hear about these allegations I’m finished. It doesn’t bear thinking about.’

‘What would you like me to do if Ursula’s allegations are true?’ George asked quietly.

‘True?’ Grenville demanded. ‘ Of course they’re not true. I’ve spoken to Liddle. He’s given me his assurance and I trust him.’

‘But if I have evidence,’ George persisted. ‘ If Ursula shows me the buzzard and we find that it’s been poisoned. What would you want me to do then?’