Ben Cooper’s neck was starting to get stiff from staring up at the moor. The overcast sky made the slopes look dark and ominous. But it was like that in the Peak – the landscape could change its mood from one moment to the next as the weather shifted and the clouds blew over the tops.

‘It’s a pretty bleak place to die, really,’ he said. ‘I never saw it like that before.’

‘It wouldn’t be my choice, either,’ said Weenink. ‘I reckon I’d like to die in bed, preferably on the job with a blonde with big tits. That’d be the way to go.’

‘It would suit Jenny Weston, though,’ said Cooper, as if Weenink hadn’t spoken. ‘From what her father says, it sounds as though she had a pretty difficult life. It would be no wonder that she was depressed.’

‘Is that them?’ said Weenink.

Diane Fry and Maggie Crew were halfway down the path, walking close together as if supporting each other. Weenink did a double-take when Maggie Crew got close enough for him to see her face.

‘Shit.’

‘I know it’s a bit nasty,’ said Cooper. ‘But you’ve seen worse things than that, surely? Don’t let her see how you react.’

‘OK, don’t tell me. I’ll fetch the car.’

Cooper shrugged. ‘If you like.’

Fry put Maggie straight into her car. Maggie kept her head down, like a defendant being led into court. She looked as though she ought to have been wearing a blanket over her head. Except that Maggie Crew was the victim, not the accused.

‘Ben, I’m not sure we have the right location for the assault on Maggie,’ said Fry.

‘Oh?’

‘Her statement doesn’t tally with the memories she’s getting now. She told me the other day that she remembered piles of leaves underfoot. But there are no leaves at the Cat Stones. I know it sounds like a small thing, but if we’ve missed examining the proper scene . . .’

‘I’ll take a look,’ said Cooper.

‘We ought to get Forensics –’

‘I’ll take a look first, and see if I can narrow down the possibilities before we do that.’

‘Of course, her memories may be distorted. They seem to be coming back, but who can say whether they’re accurate or not?’

‘It would take a psychiatrist to do that. If her evidence ever comes to court, we’ll need to back it up with expert opinion.’

Fry sighed. ‘She’s really going to love that.’

‘If only we could produce a case without her. But we can’t.’

‘Another thing. She says she thinks she was just in the way.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘That she wasn’t the intended victim, I think. She says her attacker was breathless and running, not lying in wait for her.’

‘That doesn’t make sense.’