‘Let’s take this somewhere quieter,’ Latimer said. ‘Maybe it’s best—’

‘No. No, we keep it clear. Above board. He’s a liability.’

‘What? Me?’ Fairfax looked from one to the other. ‘I found her for you. Me! I did it. I need to be …’ His voice trailed off. Then he found his vigour again. ‘I need my reward.’

‘Oh. For fuck’s sake.’

Hobbes moved away. He stood with his back to the desk, his hands clenched. He felt like punching a hole in the wall. But instead he drew in his breath, turned back and said, in a calm tone, ‘I need to know everything you did, Fairfax, from the beginning.’

‘Of course. Whatever’s best.’

‘Go on.’

‘It’s simple. I did what needed to be done, my civic duty. Like I said.’

‘And what was that?’

‘I waited for her. I waited, and I waited. I sat there on the bench with my sandwiches and my Thermos, and I waited.’

‘Where was this?’

‘The cemetery.’

‘You mean Richmond Cemetery?’

Fairfax nodded. He took a gulp of tea, which calmed him a little. ‘Right there, where Leonard Graves is buried.’

‘When was this? Today?’

‘Every day. Every single day since the funeral, because I thought, you know, why wouldn’t the children turn up? They had to, eventually, in private, like, or at least that’s what I thought, right? Meg, you tell him, make him believe me.’

‘I think he does.’ Latimer laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘Just tell your story.’

‘Yeah, so there I was, every day. I chose to sit there at lunchtimes, and then later on in the day, just in case she was working, Camilla I mean, or maybe she was retired, I didn’t know, I didn’t know anything. So then I started coming earlier, and leaving later, and then, today this was, I decided to get there at eleven and stay as long as I could. I brought my flask with me. Tea, mind. Nothing stronger.’ He seemed overly proud of this fact. ‘So there I was, on stake-out, like.’

Both Hobbes and Latimer were quiet now, letting Fairfax speak.

‘I waited!’

It was said in the same manner another man might announce, I stood my ground and let the enemy approach, my rifle at the ready, bayonet drawn.

But his worry soon returned. ‘I didn’t touch her. I said that, didn’t I?’

‘You did.’ Latimer comforted him.

‘She took off, once I made myself known, tried to get away. Made for the trees. I went after her, but I slipped. Oh …’ He seemed to notice the state of his clothes for the first time. ‘Oh, God, look at me. This is really bad.’

He brushed at his jeans ineffectually.

Hobbes asked him, ‘So why did she come with you, Tommy?’

‘She gave up, I think. That’s how I see it. She stopped moving suddenly. Like she was waiting for me to catch up.’

‘Did she say anything? Then, or in the car?’

‘I didn’t have a car. I took a taxi. Oh, yeah, can I get expenses for that, or what?’