‘Operation Bulldog was nothing when it started.’ Brett has lowered his voice, as if someone else is listening. ‘Just a routine misper enquiry. We searched for a body and didn’t find it. That can happen. Then Bullivant was tasked to take a look, just a precaution, and decided it was dodgy. You remember the ten grand McFaul had transferred to his account? That did it for Bullivant. He made a case for a closer look and they appointed him SIO. Happy days, for Frank. He’s retiring in March but now he’s in sole charge. One last bid for glory.’

Arresting McFaul, he said, was a bold step and took Bulldog nowhere. McFaul went ‘no comment’, but Bullivant wouldn’t leave the misper enquiry alone.

‘He came down here on a Sunday, can you believe that? Put on his leathers, fired up the bike and hit the road. You’d have seen him. You were all on the beach over there, some send-off or other. All those photos he took. He showed me every single one. “They’re taking the piss,” he told me. “And they’ll live to regret it.”’

‘He thought we were lying? Some of us?’

‘He was certain. And what’s more, he was right. That morning the cliff collapsed, he was like a dog with two dicks. Bulldog went to Major Crimes, but he stayed SIO. And then it started to fall apart.’

‘Fall apart how?’

‘McFaul had done a runner. Very wise. That left us trying to stand up some kind of conspiracy. To his credit, Bullivant was right. Getting a coffin to a location like that would have taken some doing, which probably meant at least four other people, but facts are still facts. The woman had a horrible disease. She didn’t want to hang around. Helping her leave was a favour, not a crime.’

‘And Bullivant?’

‘He thought otherwise. The man’s a pedant. Everything’s black and white with Frank, not a single shade of grey. Helping someone die is a crime. End of. We put the timeline together. We establish the likely order of events. We identify the key suspects. And then we arrest them. Bold, bold move. Alas, he chose the wrong town.’

I’m smiling now. This is very definitely the fifth act. I’m beginning to suspect I’m not going to be re-arrested, after all.

‘And?’

‘We’ve got a newish system in the force. It’s called downstream monitoring. I won’t bother you with the details, but it enables anyone with the right seniority to log into any live interview at any custody centre from here to Penzance. If anything troubling’s about to kick off, the management can tune in and watch. This goes right to the top. Assistant chief constable, deputy, the chief himself, the lot.’

‘And Bulldog?’ I think I’m beginning to get the picture.