‘Quite well, I suppose. I’ve been a regular at The White Hart for years. He was an affable guy and we sometimes played cards together. But it’s worth you knowing that he hasn’t always been faithful to his wife. Not so long ago he got caught out having an affair, but she forgave him.’

‘Do you think she could have done it?’

The question took Keegan by surprise and he gave it some thought before responding.

‘I suppose it’s possible,’ he said. ‘We both know from experience that everyone has it in them to react violently if they’re pushed hard enough. And it could be that in Sonia’s case she was emboldened by booze. You might not be aware that she has a bit of a drink problem.’

‘How do you know?’

‘Well, it’s been obvious for ages to anyone who visits The White Hart on a regular basis. I lost count of the number of times Charlie told her to go and sleep it off and to stop drinking the profits. It could be quite embarrassing at times.’

James checked his watch. ‘Look, I’d like to have a longer chat with you, Giles, but not right now. Can we get together later so I can pick your brain? DCI Tanner told me that you know everything there is to know about this village and the people who live here.’

He grinned. ‘Just call me. You have my number. I live by myself so anytime will be fine. As far as I know this is the first murder ever committed in Kirkby Abbey so I’d like nothing more than to help solve it, even though I’m retired.’

At the crime scene, a lot had been achieved in a short space of time and SOCOs in pale blue protective overalls were going about their business with grim determination.

All the snow had been removed from Charlie’s body and the forensic pathologist, Dr Pam Flint, was carrying out a close examination of the wounds.

Daisy the dog had been lifted out of the snow and placed on a blanket.

About a dozen uniformed officers were carrying out a search of the immediate area and a few villagers could be seen watching from a distance.

James noticed that the ancient beech tree stood between where the body lay and the rear of The White Hart. He was glad because it meant that Sonia wouldn’t be able to see her husband.

DS Stevens was watching the pathologist working on the body, and as James approached him, he said, ‘Any joy with the wife, guv?’

‘She claims that the last time she saw him was when he took the dog out for a walk just before midnight,’ James said. ‘They’ve been sleeping in separate rooms and when she got up this morning she saw that he wasn’t in his bed and assumed he’d gone out for another walk.’

James relayed what else Sonia had said and told Stevens about the couple’s marriage problems.

‘It got quite nasty over the past couple of days,’ James said. ‘I bore witness to it myself only yesterday, when I saw them having a spat.’