Then George thought that by discovering who had killed Greg, they, not Richard Bingham, were responsible for Claire’s resignation from the police force. She considered herself a failure because they had come to a successful conclusion before she did. She was ambitious and competitive, and she refused to be beaten. She would rather leave her job than be second-best.

“A lot of luck,” he said. “And after all, we were there.…”

Molly, less sensitive to Claire’s feelings, was willing to boast.

“It was obvious that the murder wasn’t premeditated,” she said. “How could it have been? Anyone who knew about the pelagic trips would know that in most circumstances Greg Franks would have been out on deck surrounded by people. How could anyone know in advance that he would be seasick? The idea was impossible.”

“But why Jane Pym?” Claire asked.

“She was a boozer,” Molly said. “We all knew that in the time we spent with her, and it was confirmed by her colleagues in the probation office. She was desperately unhappy. All she had was her job. When he recognised her as the warden of the hostel, Greg Franks threatened that.”

“But how did you know she was at the hostel on the night of the fire? All the records showed that she’d left by then.”

“It was an intelligent guess,” Molly said. “ Jane was uneasy all the time in Myrtle Cottage. She was a friend of the woman who was supposed to be in the hostel, her senior. When I met the senior in the probation office, she was obviously anxious and defensive about something. Besides, there were few other people who could have killed Greg. Jane wasn’t a serious birder. Anyone who was would have been much more concerned about seawatching than committing murder.”

“You make it sound very easy!” Berry said sarcastically.

“It was easy!” Molly said, stretching in her chair, reaching for another drink.

“Nonsense!” George said sharply. “It wasn’t easy at all. There was all that complication with Duncan James and Brian Barnes. I was taken in by that, too. The assault outside Vicky James’ flat made me personally involved, and I was furious about the Rashwood development.” He looked at Claire. “ Has anything come of that?”

“Yes,” she said. “Barnes is in custody. He’s being investigated by the fraud squad. When the rumour that he was in trouble and that Rosco was prepared to testify against him became commonplace, it’s surprising how many other members of his staff, quite senior members, came forward wanting to give information against him. They’re afraid that they’ll be charged, too, and want to make sure that he takes the blame. There are a lot of scared little rats leaving a sinking ship.”

There was a silence. They watched a large fishing boat move out of Heanor harbour towards the open sea.

“What will happen to Duncan James?” Molly asked.