‘Strictly speaking, eighty-eight kilos for a man measuring six feet in height is classed as overweight,’ said the pathologist. ‘But he didn’t seem to have had any problems. The heart is sound. An active occupation, perhaps?’

‘He was a businessman,’ said Fry. ‘A company director.’

Dr van Doon shrugged. ‘A sport would have helped to keep him fit.’

Fry thought of how far Rawson had managed to sprint over rough ground when the need arose. It was said that fear gave you wings, but a lot of men of his age would have been doubled up with stomach cramp after fifty yards.

‘I imagine he didn’t smoke either,’ said the pathologist. ‘We can usually tell that pretty quickly when they arrive in here.’

‘Do we have a cause of death?’ asked Fry.

‘Oh, that.’ With a click of her fingers, Dr van Doon moved to the head of the table. ‘For once, Detective Sergeant, your first guess is almost certainly the correct one.’

‘His head was smashed in.’

‘If you want to be technical. I’ve also heard it referred to as an open compound fracture of the skull. Also present are severe scalp lacerations, some loose bone fragments, and part of the skull has been depressed into the brain, causing a cerebral contusion and serious haemorrhaging.’

‘There was quite a lot of blood at the scene,’ said Fry.

The pathologist looked up. ‘That would be the scalp. It bleeds like a swamp, even from a minor laceration. Lots of nice, thick blood vessels in the scalp. No, the fatal damage is internal.’

‘How quickly would he have died?’

‘Very quickly, if he was unlucky. But you can survive for a surprisingly long time with an injury of this kind. Prompt medical attention would have made a big difference.’

‘It appears that he might have collapsed after the initial attack, then come round and run a few hundred yards across a field before he finally died.’

‘Perfectly possible. Though I would imagine he was staggering rather than running. The human body does have a surprising capacity for physical activity when the brain is fatally damaged.’

Fry was starting to feel a need for fresh air.

‘Can we get an idea of what caused the damage?’

‘Well, we’ve pieced the shattered bone back together, and the area has been photographed under a range of lighting sources. I think you might have a chance of identifying the weapon from the pattern of the depression.’

‘Excellent.’

‘I hoped you might think so.’

Fry looked at the body again. She was still no nearer to knowing what Patrick Rawson had been doing at the barn on Longstone Moor when he met his killers.

‘Is there any sign of sexual intercourse prior to death?’

The pathologist gave her a look of distaste. ‘You have all the best ideas, don’t you, Sergeant?’

Fry returned her stare. ‘That’s something we have in common, then.’

‘Well, the answer is “no”.’

‘Thank you.’