Claire passed across a mobile phone on which a video was playing. ‘Is this you, Mr Parr-Fielding, on Ashtead Common this morning?’

‘Yes,’ he said, with a sigh.

‘Can I ask what you are doing, disturbing a crime scene?’ She slipped off her jacket because of the heat, and was aware of the sweep of his eyes across her.

‘I was just trying to see if I could find any evidence. My partner, as you know, is devastated by the loss of her mother. I thought it was the least I could do.’

‘What particular piece of evidence were you looking for?’

He shrugged. ‘Well, anything really.’

‘Don’t you think it’s better to leave it to the professionals?’ Michelle asked.

‘I suppose so. I was just curious really.’

‘This kind of thing really isn’t helpful,’ Claire said. ‘If you have any insights you can always ring the freephone number that has been publicised.’

Simon nodded.

‘I’m going to ask you to submit to a sampling of your DNA,’ Michelle said. ‘It’s just a cheek swab, and will at least help us eliminate you from our inquiries.’

‘I thought you’d already got someone?’ he said, betraying a little irritation.

‘Mr Parr-Fielding,’ Claire said. ‘If you think the inquiries are completed, what on earth were you doing going through the undergrowth?’

‘Look, I was mainly there to read the various tributes to Mrs Roy. But I had heard that her purse was still missing. So I thought I’d have a look.’

To Claire it seemed that he had just cobbled together this story, but it would have held water had it not been for one thing.

‘Did you not also cycle by the crime scene site last night?’ she asked.

He looked down, and then said eventually: ‘Yes, I did. I suppose those two weirdos identified me?’

‘You mean the two goths you watched having sex?’ Michelle asked.

‘Honestly I thought someone was in pain. I had no idea until I got there that they were getting it on.’

‘But you stayed to watch?’

‘Is that illegal?’

‘It’s a bit odd,’ Michelle said, sharing a glance with her superior.

‘They are the odd ones, surely,’ he said.

‘It’s a matter of degree, isn’t it?’ she said.

Claire took the questioning onto a different tack. ‘Mr Parr-Fielding, in the space of twenty-four hours you made two visits to the crime scene, which is a good way from here.’

He nodded, but said nothing.

‘You can see how that looks, can’t you?’ He didn’t reply, so Claire went for the main line.

‘Can I ask if you got on with Mrs Tanvi Roy? Did you like her?’

He laughed. ‘I liked her, but she couldn’t stand me. I don’t think she ever got over her disappointment that Prisha had to divorce that philandering lizard Deepak. This was, after all, someone that she and her late husband had chosen for her daughter.’ He took a big gulp of his brandy coffee, then raised his glass in salute. ‘To Mrs Roy, God bless her,’ he drained it. ‘You know, my existence was a reminder of her failure. So generally I stayed out of the way.’