‘Right. He hurt it somehow at the weekend. Some sort of tendon damage. Not very serious, or so he says.’ Ben was speaking carelessly, most of his attention on the names he’d recorded.

‘So who’s the woman with the fringe?’

‘What sort of age?’

‘Probably fifties. Seemed very businesslike. I haven’t seen her again.’

‘Sounds like Julia. She’s Auntie Laura’s sister. Their father had a farm at Poulton, I think. She’s on the parish council.’

‘So not a Wheelwright or a Williams or a Jackson?’

‘Nope. If they’re related at all, it’ll be via a second marriage with step-siblings. Something like that. Listen’ – he gave her a severe look – ‘don’t ask me to construct a complete family tree. I told you – even my mother gets confused, and she’s a lot more clued up about it than I am.’

‘Okay. Point taken. So what’s Julia’s interest in the headstones in Barnsley?’

‘Keeping an eye on things, probably. I don’t really know her, but they always say how socially committed she is, whatever that means. I’m surprised she hasn’t marched in here and demanded to know all the details about the dead woman, as representative of the parish.’

‘Well she hasn’t. And the other man?’

‘Describe him.’

She found this difficult. ‘Very ordinary. Grey hair. Didn’t say much. Looked a bit like a vicar.’

He laughed. ‘That’s not ringing any bells. I’ve never 304met the vicar here – probably covers about six churches in the area, anyway.’

‘Oh, I came across that when I was googling. I think it might be seven, if I remember rightly.’

‘He – or she – is probably a bit too busy to be deciphering headstones on a Monday morning, then.’ He nibbled his pencil in deep thought, then made a few more notes. ‘Those initials on the wedding ring,’ he said. ‘Remind me.’

‘G. B. and K. A. W.’

He wrote them down. ‘In that order, were they?’

‘I suppose so. I didn’t see them myself. Barkley told me.’

‘Because, wouldn’t you expect the person wearing the ring to put themselves second, not first? I mean, if both parties had the same thing, they’d reverse the initials and wear the one with the beloved first. Get me?’

‘I think so. And you’re right. It’s obvious, when you think about it. Can you possibly be saying my woman was K. A. W.? That would change everything.’ She stared at him, trying to process the implications.

‘Just a suggestion. If it’s right, it could mean that she invented the name Grace and the G initial is George or Graham.’

‘Or something Chinese.’

He shook his head. ‘I don’t think there’s much of a Chinese element here. I suspect that’s nothing more than a red herring. I hate red herrings!’ he snapped. ‘And there always seem to be some. It comes of not knowing any of the background. We just grab at the most obvious things.’305

Thea was still distracted by the outrageous disappearance of Clovis, her thoughts wandering repeatedly in his direction. Ben’s explanation was entirely unsatisfactory. People didn’t just go off like that, without a word of apology. What had happened to change his mind so drastically? He’d been keen enough at the beginning, seeking her out and listening intently to her story. ‘I can’t stop thinking about Clovis,’ she admitted, when Ben gave her an enquiring look.