‘Good, good,’ said Pearly aloud to himself before leaving the car, partly to express his satisfaction concerning the flats, partly his impression of 110 Montgomery Avenue. It was a wooden house, recently painted, two storeys and with a roof of lichen-free Marseilles tiles. Pearly preferred brick buildings, but the place was well maintained: neat shrubs and garden, the edges of the lawns trimmed.

When inside, he complimented the Sandersons on their house, explained to them the touches that would present it favourably during the open homes. Curtains open, lights on, the minimum of objects on all flat surfaces, flowers if possible and vehicles parked off the property to accentuate spaciousness. Sanderson said he recalled Pearly playing for a Harlequins team against a visiting New South Wales side; Mrs Sanderson knew Helen slightly from a hospice charity event. In his provincial town, Pearly was accustomed to recognition for some aspect of prominence, whether in civic life, business or sport. Away from home he was sometimes slightly surprised to pass unrecognised

‘Harlequins won handsomely,’ said Sanderson. ‘I remember that, and it was a bloody cold day.’

‘I think I scored a lucky try,’ said Pearly modestly.

‘You did. You did. Those were the days, eh.’

When Pearly was in a north-facing upstairs bedroom, he saw through the window a woman come briskly to the neighbour’s back door, which opened without the need for her to pause on entry. He knew her, though. It was Deidre Utterspan. He said nothing, but Sanderson noticed his glance. ‘A regular friend,’ he said with a knowing smile. ‘Our Nigel is a bit of a ladies’ man. I’ve seen a few things with those two.’ Sanderson was pleased to pass on gossip, but Pearly didn’t encourage any further disclosure.

‘I’d like to have a quick look at the ensuite,’ he said. ‘Bathrooms and kitchens. Over the years I’ve noticed a real rise in the importance of those for buyers. People expect at least two toilets in a house these days. Double garages are becoming an expectation too. We’re getting too rich perhaps.’ He mentioned double garages because Sanderson didn’t have one, and it was good sales practice, while encouraging a seller, not to inflate expectation.