Once Carole and Jude had worked out his method, they realized they didn’t have to check through every entry. Which was just as well, because in places the crossing-out made the original notes virtually indecipherable. The pages were thin and bumpy from Bill Shefford’s vigorous scribbling.

‘Let’s move on to October,’ said Jude. ‘That’s when Malee said he started to get distant from her, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes,’ Carole confirmed, stifling a yawn. She was beginning to think it was bedtime if she was to be up at six thirty for Gulliver’s walk on Fethering Beach. ‘I don’t think we’re going to find anything, though. It’s all garage stuff, nothing personal.’

‘We must keep looking,’ said Jude, rather firmly. She was better at late nights than her neighbour. ‘This is the only proper lead we’ve got. Come on, let me fill up your glass.’

‘I don’t think I should have any … Oh, all right.’

Fortified with Sauvignon Blanc, they continued to scan the notebook. ‘More cars being picked up … More taken to the MOT Test Centre …’ said Carole, on a note of defeatism. ‘More brake pads being ordered …’

She was rather beginning to wish that it had been Jude’s fridge in which there had been a cold bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. It’s very easy to make your excuses and leave from someone else’s house. Getting a visitor out of your own without being positively rude is always a trickier assignment.

‘Just a minute,’ said Jude, her eyes darting across the open pages. ‘There’s something different here.’

‘What?’ asked Carole rather grumpily. By the Aga, Gulliver coughed again. She wondered if he was going down with something.

‘Look, although there are lots of dates in the book, dates when cars are being delivered or picked up for service and what-have-you, there are very few actual timings.’

‘Nothing strange about that,’ said Carole. ‘When I booked the Renault in with Bill, I wouldn’t say, “I’ll be with you at eight thirty a.m. on the dot.” I’d just say I’d bring it in first thing in the morning.’

‘Exactly. And the same when Bill was picking up cars from people’s houses for service. We’ve seen lots of those entries. He’d just put down “a.m.” or “p.m.”. Same with deliveries of parts and things. He’d put down the date when they’d arrive, not the time.’

‘So? I can’t really see that this is a very big deal, and I am beginning to get rather weary, Jude, so, if you don’t mind—’

‘No, look, Carole – here!’ Jude’s finger pointed to an entry. Though scored through by a pencil line, it was still quite legible. ‘9 October 3.00 p.m. H.’ ‘And another one there – see, a week later! And there! And there! Dates, times.’

‘And always “H”,’ said Carole, intrigued in spite of herself.