‘Give the inspector a prize!’ He inclined his head so he could see Luke’s face. ‘You didn’t know I was listening when that Gerrard guy took your call, did you? He didn’t know either. I was out having a slash when I heard him heading into the hall. Phone going. So I thought I’d just have a listen. Heard him say Yeah, Luke? Then a pause. Then Gerrard, he says, Don’t worry. I’ve told him to get himself up to the treetop walk in the morning. It’s perfect.’ He shook his head. ‘At the time I didn’t think much about it. Thought it was some kind of birthday surprise. Like a plane towing one of those messages behind. Happy Birthday Russell. That kind of thing. Few drinks later, and I forgot about it. Next thing it’s the morning, still early, and I hear the red-haired lad, Eamon, he says there’s been an accident. Something happened to Russell. Have to call the cops.’ He glanced at Clare. ‘Bearing in mind I was supposed to be dead, I thought I’d better leg it.’

‘But, if you’d heard Doug and Luke talking on the phone,’ Clare said, ‘why didn’t you come straight to us and tell us what you’d heard?’

‘Couldn’t.’

‘You mean you’d rather let a murderer go free than admit to us you hadn’t died all these years ago?’

‘I don’t mean that. At the time, I wasn’t even sure what the phone call had meant. And the lad Eamon, he didn’t say Russell had been shot – nothing like that. So I got out of the way before you lads arrived.’ He paused for a moment then went on. ‘I wondered, ye know, wondered if there was something in that call. But then your boss said they could all leave that fancy hotel so I thought I must have got it wrong. Then Gaby said would I come and stay with them, here, in this cottage. And this one,’ he nodded down at Luke, ‘well, he seemed so normal. I started to think I was wrong.’

Chris had moved into the room now and he began edging round the side of the coffee table.

‘Not another step, Sergeant,’ David said. ‘I’ll happily cut his throat and spend the rest of my life behind bars. Anything to get him away from Gaby.’

Chris held out his hands to indicate he understood, and David went on.