‘What are you saying? That she’s been dealing in illegal ivory? Smuggling tiger cubs? And it’s not true that she’d stand out. You must have noticed that this is a very popular spot for Chinese tourists. It’s famous for it.’

‘I forgot,’ Thea admitted. ‘That’s got to be significant, don’t you think?’

‘I don’t see how. At least – I can think of about ten possible theories that might fit the few facts we’ve got.’

‘Can the pathologist say whether she was only half-Chinese? She told me her father was British. It might not be true, of course. But she did speak very good English and said she’d lived here for twenty years.’

‘And she had an English name,’ Barkley added. ‘He did think she was mixed race, yes. Without a DNA test it’s mostly guesswork. And we’re not asking for a test at the moment.’

‘Because it costs money,’ Thea nodded. ‘I’m getting the point.’

‘It’s crept up on us, somehow. Year on year, there’s less money for any forensic examination. As well as a smaller workforce. We’re always chasing our tails these days. And now there’s this huge trafficking case, everybody’s been diverted into that. The media aren’t helping, needless to say.’

‘Really?’

‘Haven’t you seen it all? Everybody’s screaming about bloody pangolins. Headline news everywhere you look. 222The BBC News Channel have dug out every bit of film they’ve got with the things in, and seem to be showing them in a loop, twenty-four hours a day. There’s a new charitable campaign raising money specifically to protect them. It’s gone insane.’

‘I missed all that,’ said Thea. ‘I had a visitor yesterday – and went out for lunch before that. The telly doesn’t work and I’ve only heard a few minutes of radio.’

Barkley blinked in disbelief. ‘Amazing,’ she muttered. ‘I didn’t think it was possible to drop out that much. Don’t you go online at all?’

‘Not very often,’ said Thea. ‘Although I did play a game of online Scrabble the other day.’

The detective rolled her eyes and actually groaned. ‘That doesn’t count,’ she said.

‘So – basically you’ve come to tell me it’s all bad news, you’ll never find who killed Grace, and I’m probably still the chief suspect. Right?’

‘Nobody thinks you did it. But the Big Boss is going to want us to keep a close eye on you, once he’s read all the reports. It looks bad to have a murder left unsolved.’

‘Should I be worried he’ll have me charged, just because there’s nobody else? Isn’t that what happens in America?’

‘No chance. Not with the superintendent on your side. But you might get interviewed again. You seem to keep remembering new bits of information.’

‘Do I? Like what?’

‘The woman having a British father – I haven’t seen that anywhere in the notes.’

‘Well, I told your Cirencester man yesterday. I’m 223fairly sure I told him absolutely everything. Oh – except for the accountant man. I did forget all about him.’