He took a large exhibit bag from his case and got the papers together while Kate went to the kitchen and washed up the mug and toothbrush holder, quickly checking that anything she had disturbed was now back in its place. Rejoining Dalgliesh, she sensed that he had liked the house, that he had been tempted to revisit the rooftop, that it was in this unencumbered seclusion that he, too, could happily live and work. But it was with relief that she stood again in Absolution Alley and watched in silence as he closed and double-locked the door.

Chapter 2

2

Benton thought it unlikely that Robin Boyton would be an early riser and it was after ten before he and DC Warren set off to walk to Rose Cottage. The cottage, like the adjoining one occupied by the Westhalls, was stone-walled under a slate roof. There was a garage to the left with standing for a car, and in front a small garden, mostly of low shrubs, cut by a narrow strip of crazy paving. The porch was covered with strong intertwined boughs, and a few tight and browning buds and a single pink rose in full bloom explained the name of the cottage. DC Warren pressed the brightly polished bell to the right of the door, but it was a full minute before Benton detected footfalls followed by the rasp of bolts being drawn and the click of the raised latch. The door was opened wide and Robin Boyton stood before them, unmoving and seeming deliberately to block their entrance. There was a moment of uneasy silence before he stood aside and said, “You’d better come in. I’m in the kitchen.”

They entered a small square hall, unfurnished except for an oak bench next to uncarpeted wooden stairs. The door to the left was open, and the glimpse of easy chairs, a sofa, a polished circular table and what looked like a range of watercolours on the far wall suggested that this was the sitting room. They followed Boyton through the open door to the right. The room stretched the length of the cottage and was full of light. At the garden end was the kitchen, with a double sink, a green Aga, a central working surface, and a dining area with an oak rectangular table and six chairs. Against the wall facing the door a large dresser with cupboards held a miscellany of jugs, mugs and plates; the space under the front window had been furnished with a coffee table and four low chairs, all old and none matching.

Taking control, Benton introduced DC Warren and himself, then moved towards the table. He said, “Shall we sit here?” and seated himself with his back to the garden. He said, “Perhaps you would sit opposite, Mr. Boyton,” leaving Boyton no choice but to take the facing chair, with the light from the windows full on his face.