Ben frowned. ‘Isn’t house-sitting rather domestic?’

She laughed. ‘In a way. But I don’t have to do any cooking, or entertaining children, or answering the phone, or deadheading the roses. I can just slob about with a book.’

‘Ha!’ snorted Clovis. ‘Some chance of that. If I know you, Thea Slocombe, you don’t do very much of that.’

You don’t know me, though, do you? she wanted to say. ‘I’m actually very lazy by nature,’ she told him.

‘Okay,’ said Ben, very businesslike. ‘So how long were you out? Where did you go? Did you see anybody?’

She gave him the wearily familiar report, feeling even more rehearsed than she had suspected Grace of being. ‘It 287was the next day I met your relations in the churchyard. I was very glad to chat to nice normal people.’

‘Yes, yes,’ said Ben impatiently. ‘Let’s stick to Sunday, shall we? Here you are, in a nice ordinary little Cotswold village on a Sunday morning. That doesn’t really suggest violent killing, does it? And yet it happened. And we have to find out why it did.’

The others just looked at him. ‘Okay – so we’re finished here, are we?’ All their plates had been cleared and glasses drained. Ben checked his watch. ‘Listen – while we’re here, can we go and have a quick look at the churchyard? I think I should go and check out my great-granddad. My mum said she thought the headstone might need attention.’

‘No problem,’ said Clovis. ‘We can leave the car and walk. It’ll take about three minutes.’

Thea sat back and gave him a long look. His face was as gorgeous as ever, his attitude relaxed, his wallet clearly well filled. They all took it for granted that he was paying for the meal. But why was he really here? His contributions had been minimal, his engagement tepid. Did he care about Grace at all? Was he just passing the time? And how extensive was his local knowledge? They were three people who scarcely knew each other at all, discussing a horrible crime as if it was an intriguing puzzle and nothing more.

‘What?’ he said, aware of her scrutiny.

‘Nothing, really. Just a bit puzzled as to what the three of us think we’re doing, I suppose.’

Ben gave a melodramatic groan. ‘It’s me,’ he said. ‘It’s 288all me. This is what I do – I’ve done it umpteen times back where I live. I get everybody fixating on clues and evidence and motives and so forth, just by asking a few questions. I don’t understand how it happens, quite honestly, but it seems to work every time.’

‘Same as me, then,’ said Thea. ‘Welcome to my world.’

289

Chapter Twenty-One

Clovis once again took the role of leader. ‘We can go to the churchyard first, and then how about looking at Betty’s Grave? And Ready Token? That’s a village, by the way. And wait till you see the amazing place just over the churchyard wall.’