‘But I warned you not to approach him,’ James said.

‘I know, but I couldn’t hold myself back.’

‘What did he say when you confronted him?’

‘He told me I was crazy and that if I didn’t leave him alone, he’d call the police. I tried to get him to say more but he wouldn’t. Then he walked away and I went home. That was the last I saw of him.’

‘So that must have pissed you off.’

‘It did, but not enough to make me go out later and kill him.’

‘Then what did you do last night?’ This from Abbott.

‘I sat here thinking about Lorna and wondering why life is so fucking unfair. What else was there for me to do?’

James took a second to collect his thoughts, then told Keegan that he had spoken to Lorna’s son, who had arrived in the village yesterday.

‘He had a conversation by phone with his mum after you left her house on Sunday evening,’ James said. ‘And she made a point of telling him that you’d been getting on her nerves, which was why she asked you to go.’

‘That’s not true.’

‘Really? Then you didn’t rant on about too many criminals escaping justice and tell her that there are people in this village who should be in prison?’

Keegan shook his head. ‘I don’t believe I’m hearing this. We talked about what had happened to Charlie Jenkins and we were both shocked and angry. And yes, I did say something like that but Lorna agreed with me. And she asked me to go because she needed to do some school work, not because I was getting on her nerves. I don’t care what her son says.’

‘So, who in the village do you think should be behind bars?’ James asked.

Keegan clawed a hand through his hair. ‘I was thinking mainly of Daniel Curtis when I said it. But there are others, including the louts who vandalise the church on a regular basis and the pricks who claim benefits they’re not entitled to.’

‘And what about Lorna Manning?’ James said. ‘Do you believe that she should have been behind bars for what she did?’

Keegan’s brow knitted up. ‘I don’t understand. What is she supposed to have done?’

‘Are you saying you didn’t know she was involved in a hit-and-run accident ten years ago?’ James said. ‘She killed a young female pedestrian and drove on without reporting it.’

Keegan seemed genuinely shocked. ‘Are you sure about that?’

James nodded. ‘She left a written confession.’

‘Jesus. Well, I had no idea. Honestly. But that might be why she was so troubled. And why she refused to tell anyone what was wrong.’

He sat back in his chair and rubbed the back of his hand across his brow, which was glazed with sweat. Then he issued an audible sigh through pursed lips.

‘Look, I now appreciate why you’re here and why you had to ask those questions,’ he said. ‘But I promise you, I am not your man. When each of the murders took place, I was here, in bed. It’s unfortunate for me that there’s no one to corroborate it, but it’s the truth and trust me, you won’t be able to prove otherwise. And please don’t get the idea that I’m some embittered former police officer who has embarked on a mad mission to rid the village of a bunch of undesirables. I’m just an old bloke wanting to live out his days in relative peace and quiet.