‘If you really need to know, you could ask them,’ said Fry.

Cooper looked at her, feeling a brief pity at her lack of experience in human relationships.

‘People never tell the truth about any subject that has to do with death,’ he said. ‘They only tell you what you want to hear, or what they think sounds respectable. All of it is a pretence. No one can examine their true feelings about death too closely. It’s much too frightening.’

‘You mean people don’t want to admit they’re glad someone is dead, because they’re expected to show grief?’

Cooper turned away. ‘That isn’t really what I meant. But never mind.’

On the other hand, he knew it was possible for people to accept death into their lives in unusual ways, like Mrs Askew keeping her husband’s cremated remains in her terrarium. It was practical and down to earth, yet her husband was never completely out of her memory. He just hoped Mr Askew had been fond of small reptiles.

‘What did you mean, then?’ said Fry. She sounded as though she was trying hard not to be irritable with him.

But Cooper shook his head. ‘You know, I was initially misled by Ellen Walker’s comments about the weather on the day of Audrey’s funeral. I pictured the family standing outside the crematorium chapel, admiring the floral tributes in the sleet. But they didn’t go to the crem, only to the funeral service at St Mark’s. They decided not to witness the final disposal – and that was a form of denial in its way, of course. It was a decision that provided the opportunity for what came afterwards.’

‘You haven’t said that to the family, surely?’

Cooper laughed. ‘Of course not.’

Fry took a deep breath, but seemed to change her mind about what she was going to say.

‘You know the teeth in the cremated remains that Vivien Gill was given?’ she said. ‘We were told they were non-human, but we had to wait for an expert opinion on what animal they came from. We just got it this morning.’

‘They were pig’s teeth, weren’t they?’ said Cooper.

‘How did you know?’

‘A dead pig is as close as you can get to a dead person, right down to the smell. The second set of remains at Ravensdale turned out to be from the carcass of a sow, didn’t they? From the cut marks on the bones, I bet it was used for practice. And Tom Jarvis used to keep pigs.’

Fry nodded. ‘We’re not sure how heavily Jarvis was involved. But he’s been trying to protect Vernon Slack, we know that.’

‘And Billy McGowan was doing that, too.’

‘Yes.’

‘I saw Vernon’s motorbike parked outside the Jarvis house the first time I went there, you know. He might have been watching from the woods when I went down to look at the grave site. The dogs would have been used to him, I suppose. They got used to me pretty quick.’ Cooper had a sudden thought. ‘I wonder if that was when he tried to cross the stream further down and damaged his hands on the giant hogweed.’