‘It’s possible,’ said Fry stubbornly. ‘Also, anyone who stands to gain from Patrick Rawson’s death becomes a potential suspect from now on. We have to make a start on looking into his financial affairs. First glance suggests they’re going to be complicated. Mr Rawson seems to have had a finger in a lot of pies.’

‘Not all murders are committed for financial gain, though,’ pointed out Cooper.

‘Well, it does account for quite a big chunk.’

‘But there’s jealousy, revenge . . . Probably a few others, more complicated.’

‘Yes. In a way, I was hoping to find that he wasn’t staying at Birch Hall on his own. If there had been a woman involved in his trip to Derbyshire, it would have made everything look a whole lot simpler.’

Fry looked around the team.

‘Any other progress? Gavin?’

‘We’ve still to analyse all his mobile phone records. There are an awful lot of calls over the last week, both in and out.’

‘His wife said he did all his business on his mobile.’

‘Yes, and his car seems to have been his office. We found a charger and a Bluetooth connection in the Mitsubishi. He was obviously the sort of man who liked to talk as he drove. Hands-free, though. He wouldn’t have wanted to risk getting banned for using a hand-held mobile while he was driving. Anyway, we’ve identified a few of the numbers, which look like business contacts. R & G Enterprises in Staffordshire. C.J. Hawley and Sons in South Yorkshire. And a more local one, Morris Brothers – that’s just a couple of miles away in Lowbridge. They describe themselves as general dealers.’

‘Keep on it.’

Fry walked to the door, off to brief the DI. She paused, and turned.

‘Are you with us again today, Ben?’

Cooper wasn’t sure from her expression what answer she wanted to hear. He hesitated for a moment.

‘Well, if you want me to be,’ he said.

WHEN FRY HAD left the room, Murfin leaned across to Cooper.

‘At least that means no HOLMES,’ he said.

‘Not yet. Someone else will have to make that decision.’

Cooper knew that Fry would lose any influence in the investigation if HOLMES was activated. Once that happened, the Home Office protocols would dictate the direction of the enquiry. A collator would arrive from headquarters, and a specialist DS to task teams of detectives. But once you turned HOLMES loose, it could get out of control. It was liable to suck in anything that came within reach, like a basking shark feeding on plankton. Thousands of bits of information went into its jaws and were digested. Maybe they’d be spewed out later on, in some usable form. Cooper shrugged. That seemed to be the theory, anyway.

‘You were in Eyam yesterday, Ben, weren’t you?’ said Murfin, sneaking his mirror out of a desk drawer again.

‘That’s right. And I didn’t finish, so I’m back there again this morning. Do you know it, Gavin?’