‘So I’ve heard.’

Gains had a habit of stroking his hand along the smooth grain of his desk. A possessive, self-satisfied gesture, Fry thought.

‘I’m not just talking about ethnic minorities,’ he said, ‘but the large numbers of our fellow EU citizens who now live and work in the UK. Many of them are from countries where horse meat is perfectly acceptable. Indeed, the meat is highly regarded by some communities. And quite rightly, given its low fat content and excellent flavour.’

‘You think you can make horse meat part of the British diet?’

‘We acknowledge that we have a bit of a PR challenge on our hands. But it’s not an insurmountable problem. In fact, there’s a precedent. Thanks to the Asian and Caribbean communities, goat meat has become more common in the UK market during the last couple of decades. Now we just want to widen the food experience a little. The time is absolutely right, when you consider the increasingly health-conscious environment, the public awareness of the risks of eating too much fat. Horse meat is splendidly healthy, with half the fat of beef and ten times the Omega Threes to reduce your cholesterol. It’s free from bird ’flu, mad cow disease, tuberculosis, Foot and Mouth, and tape worm – all the scourges of our traditional meat industries. There’s a huge opportunity for a dynamic, enterprising company to break new ground.’

‘And that’s you?’

He smiled smugly. ‘Absolutely. R & G Enterprises are ideally positioned in the market place, Sergeant. We saw an opportunity, and we’re taking it. That’s what enterprise is all about. One day, we’ll expand into Europe and take on the French and Belgians at their own game. A shame we can’t establish a market in the USA. But the Americans are most against eating horse meat.’

Fry looked at the company logo, etched into the window of the manager’s office.

‘I take it Patrick Rawson is the “R” in R & G Enterprises, Mr Gains?’

‘Yes, poor Patrick. Do you know how it happened?’

‘Not yet.’

‘I spoke to Deborah yesterday. She said it was a robbery. Unusual place for it to happen.’

‘We can’t be sure of the circumstances,’ said Fry stiffly.

‘Pity. I was hoping you might have some news.’

‘How did you and Mr Rawson happen to go into business together?’

‘Well, it didn’t just “happen”,’ said Gains. ‘We had talked about the possibility for some time. Years, I suppose. We met through Hawley and Sons, the abattoir owners. I used to work for the Meat and Livestock Commission. Then, about a year ago, we agreed that the time had come, and we put the package together.’

‘Mr Rawson put up some of his own money?’

‘Yes. I was fortunate – I had an inheritance from my father, a few thousand I had put away for just such an eventuality. Patrick, I believe, raised some equity from his property in Sutton Coldfield.’

‘He used his house as security?’