‘Two of the maids from The Boy-and-Lobster, sir, giggling and screeching after their silly fashion. The Major came. One of his visitors had dropped a ring, they reckoned, behind that rock, and he wanted to search for it. Us two chaps took a look but it warn’t thereabouts. We kept off the ground, sir. So did he, though not best pleased to be said by us.’

‘Good for you. Sergeant Bailey will deal with it in a minute and we’ll get some pictures. Did Major Barrimore leave any prints, did you notice?’

‘So he did, then, and us reckons they’m the dead spit-identicals for the ones that’s there already.’

‘You use your eyes, I see, in this division. What’s your name?’

‘Carey, sir.’

‘I’ll come along with you.’

They went to the outcrop where Carey’s mate, PC Pomeroy, kept a chilly watch. Alleyn was shown the Major’s footprints where he had pushed forward to the soft verge. He measured them and made a detailed comparison with those behind the outcrop.

‘Good as gold,’ he said. ‘We’ll get casts. You’ve done well, both of you.’

They said: ‘Thank you, sir,’ in unison and glanced at each other. Alleyn asked if they could raise another tarpaulin for the area and Pomeroy said he’d go down to Fisherman’s Bay and borrow one.

They returned with him to the enclosure and found Fox in argument with James Trehern who was wearing an oilskin coat and looked like a lifeboat hero who had run off the rails. His face was scarlet and his manner both cringing and truculent.

‘I left my launch in charge of my mate,’ he was saying, ‘to come up yurr and get a fair answer to a fair question which is what the hell’s going on in these parts? I got my good name to stand by, mister, and my good name’s being called in question. Now.’

Fox, who had his notebook in his palm said: ‘We’ll just get this good name and your address, if you please, and then find out what seems to be the trouble.’

‘Well, Mr Trehern,’ Alleyn said, ‘what is the trouble?’

Pomeroy gave Trehern a disfavouring look and set off down the road. Trehern pulled at the peak of his cap and adopted a whining tone. ‘Not to say, sir,’ he said to Alleyn, ‘as how I’m out to interfere with the deadly powers of the law. Us be lawful chaps in this locality and never a breath of anything to the contrary has blowed in our direction. Deny that if you’ve got the face to, Bill Carey!’ he added turning on that officer.

‘Address yourself,’ Carey said stuffily, ‘to them that’s axing you. Shall I return to my point, sir?’

‘Yes, do, thank you, Carey,’ Alleyn said and received a salute followed by a smart turn. Carey tramped off along the path.