‘Go?’ spluttered Brian. ‘We’re going bloody nowhere, Miss. The second we’re gone you’ll be in handcuffs and they’ll be dragging you off to one of their underground chambers for probing and prodding and all that, so if you think we’re leaving you’re off your rocker.’

She smiled at Brian. He’d barely stopped cuddling me since he arrived at Cordelia’s place. John neither. James was a little more reserved. He knew I’d seen his drawings.

‘My name is Tom,’ said the man, as if we hadn’t spoken. He looked around him at the warm, comfortable surroundings of the kitchen, then poured himself a tea from the pot in the centre of the table. He took it black without sugar and winced as he tasted the bitter brew.

‘I don’t care who you are …’ began Brian, but Cordelia shushed him.

‘I believe we have a little situation to deal with,’ said Tom, smoothly. ‘Your neighbour, Mr Parker. I understand he suffered an accident in one of his outbuildings. You heard him screaming in pain, is that right? But by the time you arrived he had already lost too much blood. A tragedy, but farms are dangerous places and one does hear often of people being dragged into their machinery when not paying attention.’

Cordelia watched him, face unreadable. Me and my family just stayed in the doorway, watching the discussion like it was a game of tennis.

‘Mrs Parker, too,’ said Tom, and he took a long white cigarette from a silver case and lit it with a gold lighter. He lit another and passed it to Cordelia, who took it without saying a word.

‘Mrs Parker?’ she said, at last, when she had blown out a lungful of smoke.

‘She saw his body and went quite mad. Grief will do that. She has been taken to a facility that will treat her but I fear she is unlikely to return home any time soon. Truly, it is a terrible thing to happen to such good people. Thankfully, the village has benefited hugely from their generosity over the years and I am sure this will be the same when the will is read out. I fancy the local area will benefit greatly.’

Cordelia pursed her lips.

‘Did he know?’ she asked. ‘Christopher? Their handler? Did he know the truth?’