‘Perfect. I’ll drive down to the big B&Q on the Saltern-le-Fen road and get our Emilia a new lock and some timber to strengthen that shed door. Are you okay with that?’

‘Sure, and it’s good to know you’re so handy.’

He stood up, kissing her lightly on the neck. ‘Oh, you have no idea.’

After Matt had gone, Liz went to her laptop and googled Gerald Grove. Apart from a lawyer in the United States, and a quantity surveyor in Co. Durham, the only possible Grove was mentioned in an old newspaper article from around two years ago. It was from the West Country and referred to someone of that name appearing in court over a breach of the peace. It gave no further details. Liz frowned. Could be him, but she would need to know more about him before she dug deeper. Emilia had said that according to her friend the postmistress he was educated, possibly an academic. Liz wondered what his subject was. Why would an academic want to live in a tumbledown cottage on the marsh? Maybe he needed seclusion to write some paper or professional article. But why was Will so certain that he’d come across him before, and in his professional capacity?

Liz groaned. She was used to accessing the police databases, legally tapping into a wealth of information. Now she was on her own. What had once been a simple request for information was going to be a whole lot more difficult now she was a civilian. What she could not do was ask her old colleagues for help. For a start, the Data Protection Act prevented the sharing of information with the general public. Years ago, a quiet word in a friend’s ear could produce a wealth of information but these days it was more than their job was worth. As registered PIs, she and Matt could legally access all public records, including criminal records and court documents. What they couldn’t do was get hold of details of a person’s phone, their financial, medical or sealed court records. No, she’d have to do it the hard way, get out and talk to people. And of course, she needed to see Grove for herself, to see his face.

Matt would be about an hour, but as soon as he was back, she would suggest they go over to Whisper Fen and perhaps do a bit of surveillance.

Liz pulled a notebook towards her and wrote the words, “Know Your Target,” and underlined them. She then put down four bullet points:

• Speak to post office re his academic interest.
• Try local pub.
• Check out his cottage and get full address.
• Try to get a look at him.