‘West Africa,’ I said. ‘Did you ever meet Princess Luna?’

Gaby nodded.

‘When was this?’

‘At Hannah’s birthday party,’ she said. ‘Mummy didn’t want me to go.’

‘I thought it started rather late and they had a bonfire,’ said Gaby’s mother. ‘But Little Miss here put up such a stink . . .’ She shrugged.

‘When was this?’ I asked.

‘Mid-March,’ said Gaby’s mother. ‘I could look up the date if you like.’

‘Thank you,’ I said, and she fished out her iPhone and started flicking through the calendar.

‘We had sparklers,’ said Gaby.

‘April the 26th,’ said her mother.

I asked where the party had taken place.

‘Rushpool,’ said Gaby’s mum. ‘In that field behind the parish hall.’

‘And they roasted a whole sheep on a spit,’ said Gaby. ‘And I got grease all over my fingers.’

Gaby’s mum gave a little humourless chuckle. ‘We didn’t inquire too closely as to where the sheep had come from.’

‘Nice,’ I said. I turned to Gaby. ‘Did you see Princess Luna?’

‘Don’t be silly. You can’t see Princess Luna – she’s invisible.’

‘Of course she is.’

‘Nicole and Hannah were feeding her sheep,’ said Gaby, and for a second I thought I’d misheard her.

‘They were feeding Princess Luna some of the cooked sheep?’

‘Yep,’ said Gaby. ‘I would have given her some of mine, but I’d eaten it all. I let her lick my fingers, though.’

I felt her mother practically start out of her chair, and then subside again.

‘What did it feel like?’ I asked.

‘Like a big tongue,’ said Gaby.

‘And was it low down or high up?’

Gaby jumped off her chair and demonstrated by sticking her arm straight out in front of her with her palm turned up. About a metre twenty above floor level, but the way she held her hand suggested an animal of some kind.

‘What kind of animal is Princess Luna?’ I asked.

‘She’s a pony, silly,’ said Gaby brightly.

A little klaxon went off in my head.

Aruga aruga, I thought. Set condition one throughout the ship.

When you’re police sometimes you’ve just got to stop and think about what you’re doing – even when you’re on Day 5 and fears, as the media always say, are growing. I needed somewhere to work, I needed peace and quiet, and I needed a secure internet connection. So I headed back to Leominster nick, because two out of three ain’t bad.