‘It’s a horseshoe,’ she said. ‘His skull was crushed by a horseshoe.’

FRY CALLED DERMOT Walsh at Trading Standards, and was struck by how different he sounded on the phone. She would never have pictured him the way he actually looked.

‘Thank you for the briefing yesterday,’ she said.

‘I was glad to share what we have. I hope it was useful. There are a lot of upset victims out there who never got justice. Not against Patrick Rawson, anyway.’

‘We’re particularly sensitive to crimes involving animals in this country aren’t we?’

‘Well, I don’t know,’ said Joyce. ‘We learn a lot of things from the USA. Horse thefts have been rising dramatically in the States. There are substantial dollars to be made in the legitimate market, and virtually nothing to lose in the black market. A horse can be stolen, slaughtered, packaged, shipped to Europe, and served up on a plate before a ranch owner realizes the animal is missing. That’s fast cash. And any method of earning fast money makes its way here sooner or later.’

‘Are the Americans as fond of their horses as we are?’

‘A few years ago there was a scandal involving a group of individuals running a charity that was supposed to be “adopting” horses rescued from inhumane conditions. It turned out they were then shipping the horses off to Japan to be slaughtered for food. A lot of people were horrified that they’d contributed money to a charity fighting animal abuse, only for the animals to be sent off to be killed. Cue much outcry, little girls walking in protest lines and so on. Fines and prison sentences for the perps. That hasn’t happened here yet, so far as we know.’

‘I wanted to ask you – can any horse be sold for human consumption?’

‘No, it depends whether the owner has made a Section Nine declaration.’

‘In the horse passport?’

‘That’s right. The trouble is, once you’ve signed “not intended for human consumption”, a Section Nine declaration can’t be changed. Of course, what I mean is – it can’t be changed legally.’

‘And if a horse doesn’t have a passport?’

‘It’s stolen. You should treat a horse passport like the log book of a car. Never buy a horse without one and always check it’s in order before you pay.’

‘Frankly, I’m amazed that people can still be duped when all these regulations are in place,’ said Fry.

‘Oh, you’d be surprised how many people don’t bother to check in the excitement of the moment. You want to look at your new horse, not at boring old paperwork. Just like you want to get in your new car and take it for a drive. You’re more interested in what’s under the bonnet than what’s in the log book. It’s the same with a horse.’

‘What’s the penalty for not having a passport?’

‘A maximum five thousand pounds fine,’ said Walsh, ‘or imprisonment for up to three months, or both.’