‘We’d have to draw certain conclusions from the fact that you were lying. Especially since we’re engaged in a murder enquiry here. Probably a double murder, Mr Elder.’

‘Even if I was there, it doesn’t mean I was part of any murder,’ said Elder.

‘Surely it would have to be something as serious as a murder to make you sit here and lie about whether you’d visited Pity Wood,’ said Cooper reasonably. ‘I mean, what other reason would you have to do that?’

He could see Elder was starting to get anxious. His fingers twisted tighter and tighter until they must have hurt. Cooper let him think about it for a few moments longer before he asked again.

‘So, what do you say? Shall we put your previous answers behind us, and I’ll give you a chance to answer again? Have you ever been to Pity Wood Farm, Mr Elder?’

‘’Course I bloody have,’ blurted Elder. ‘You know damn well I have, loads of times. You and your fingerprints and your DNA, trying to catch me out. If you find my blood at Pity Wood Farm, it’ll be because of that bastard Derek Sutton. Mad as a weasel, he was. He would have killed me, if his brother hadn’t pulled him off. And just because I had a bit of a joke with him.’

‘A joke?’

‘I used to do some vermin control when I was in farming. I still turn my hand to it now and again. That day, I’d been clearing some Larsen traps. Do you know what I mean?’

‘Yes, they’re used to catch carrion crows.’

‘Aye. Well, I kept one bird in a trap, and I had it with me when I went up to Pity Wood. I slipped it into the cab of Derek’s Land Rover when he wasn’t looking. By God, he went berserk when he found it flapping around inside there, shitting on his seats.’

‘Hold on, who else was there when this happened?’

‘As well as me and Derek? Just his brother, Raymond.’

‘What about Alan?’

Elder hesitated. ‘Alan?’

‘We do know about Alan, the third brother,’ said Cooper.

‘Ah, well, I never really knew that one. He was gone by the time this happened. They always said he couldn’t stand living with the other two, and you can see why.’

‘All right. So Derek was angry about the bird in his car?’

‘Angry? I’ve never seen a bloke so mad in all my life. Like a wild thing, he was. Smashed his fist right through my jaw.’

‘He broke your jaw?’ said Cooper.

‘Aye. Why do you think I have this beard? They took days putting my face back together.’

‘So what happened? Was there a charge of assault against Derek Sutton? It would be grievous bodily harm, surely?’

Elder went suddenly quiet, his eyes wary. ‘No, nothing like that.’

‘But you did report the assault, Mr Elder?’