‘I asked them to keep a discreet eye on the flat and see if anybody answering Stafford’s description was around,’ said Hitchens. ‘We faxed them his picture from Jenny’s wedding photo.’

‘And?’

Hitchens smiled. He looked particularly satisfied with himself, as if he were the first man to bring good news all year. ‘Stafford arrived home fifteen minutes ago,’ he said.

The DCI regarded him with a mixture of emotions flickering across his face. Fry could see that Hitchens really got under his skin sometimes. But it was undoubtedly good news.

‘How long will it take you to get to Congleton?’ asked Tailby.

‘Not long. If we drive fast.’

‘Drive fast then.’

Keith Teasdale smelled as though he had spent all his life in close contact with cattle. But in the market car park, it was Ben Cooper and Todd Weenink who were out of place, with their alien smell of clean cars and offices.

‘What’s wrong with the van, then?’ said Teasdale. ‘It’s got its MoT, look. It’s taxed and insured. What’s the problem?’

Cooper explained what they wanted to know, and watched to see whether Teasdale relaxed. But he remained defensive.

‘Can’t I drive where I want to? Without some nosey old biddy reporting me?’

Teasdale had brought his stick with him. He tapped it on the side of the Transit as he spoke, loosening some flakes of rust that dropped off the wheel arch.

‘I’m sure we could find something wrong with it, if we looked,’ said Weenink.

‘We need some help, that’s all,’ said Cooper. ‘If you were in the area, we need to eliminate you. If it wasn’t you, we keep looking. It’s quite simple.’

Teasdale looked at his boots and scratched the heavy black stubble on his cheeks. The gesture was intended to suggest that he was thinking.

‘I get around a lot,’ he said. ‘I do little jobs for people. Farmers mostly.’

‘What sort of jobs?’

‘Anything I can get. There’s only a couple of days’ work here. The rest of the time I do a bit of fencing or ratting. That sort of stuff.’

‘Ratting?’ said Weenink.

‘I clear rats out of barns and grain sheds.’

‘You use terriers, I suppose?’ said Cooper.

‘That’s right. Lot of rats around this time of year. They start looking for somewhere warm and dry to live when the fields are harvested and the weather turns colder.’

‘Is Warren Leach at Ringham Edge Farm one of your customers?’

‘I know Leach.’

‘Were you there on Sunday?’

‘I was up that way.’ Teasdale hesitated. ‘I was thinking of calling in at Ringham Edge, but I didn’t.’

‘Why not?’