‘There’s a huge backlog of work, the rivers are awash in sewage, and they seem to be using cowboy contractors,’ Hancock said. ‘I’m just glad that Aqua Western is responsible for the water in only a small part of the county.’

On his way back into the car park Gillard’s mobile rang, a private withheld number. ‘Hello Craig, it’s Stella Anderson.’

‘Hello, ma’am,’ he replied.

‘I’m quite impressed. It didn’t take you long to figure out that Ozzy Blanchard might be of interest.’

‘Locals mentioned him, but he hadn’t come up on the missing persons search.’

‘He is listed at his home address in Hemel Hempstead. So if you’d been looking for a missing person in the vicinity of Rissington Common, he wouldn’t have come up.’

‘What have you got on him?’

‘Nothing concrete, despite the industry he worked in.’ She permitted herself a small chuckle. ‘I’ve forwarded you the crime report, and a statement by his wife, who has not heard from him.’

‘Thank you. Have you got a DNA sample for him? We’d like to compare it to samples from a comb we found on the body.’

‘No. It didn’t seem necessary at the time, because we were simply following up on an accident. I’m sure Mrs Blanchard wouldn’t object to someone coming to collect a toothbrush or something. Look, Craig, I would draw your attention to one element of the investigation. Blanchard’s work mobile was in use on the night of the accident, at that location, a few minutes afterwards. He was clearly alive then, even if he isn’t now.’

Gillard was looking forward to more details, but didn’t get them. Anderson gave a hurried goodbye and cut the call, blaming a meeting about to start. What she’d said hadn’t explained why someone of her seniority was involved in something like this. It had to be much more than a missing persons case. She was a fraud expert, so was it that? Examining his phone, the records she had sent him indicated nothing more serious than dangerous driving had been levelled at Blanchard. Aidan Tickett had described seeing Anderson in the pub months ago, but Gillard hadn’t had an opportunity to ask her about it. What was she hiding?