Déjà vu. I seem to have heard this argument very recently, verbatim. It was probably one he practised in front of the mirror for just the right occasion – like pulling out the race or religion card to make people back off. Didn’t think it would work for him here though.

‘As I said, the evidence is circumstantial, but the coincidence of murders occurring at the same time you were in each town cannot be ignored. It is our duty to investigate this further and your full cooperation is expected.’ It was, in an odd way, gratifying to see that the DI’s tone of voice had the same effect on others that it had on me. I could see the pink spreading its way up Bennett’s neck and into his gargoyle face.

‘You expect me to cooperate fully when all I’ve had since I got into this stinking hole of a town has been harassment from you arseholes and hassles from the idiots who live here. I think you lot even sided up with the bloody protesters and enjoyed them having a go. You probably set the whole thing up.’ This statement came complete with gesticulations, and as his hands waved in the vicinity of my face, I could feel my blood pressure ratchet up. Considering it was me who’d had to deal with the protesters – and pretty damned well, I thought – and me who had apparently harassed him, I didn’t appreciate being referred to as an arsehole. He steamed on, oblivious. ‘I think you like giving us all this bad publicity, making us look like a bunch of crooks, giving us a bad name. You’ve got it in for us, you have. You pigs, you’re all the bloody same. So you can take yourself and your heavy-handed crew here and fuck off as far as I am concerned.’

The mercury shot through the top of my barometer. ‘Mr Bennett,’ I said, my voice rather strident. ‘Firstly, I don’t like being referred to as an arsehole. Secondly, there is absolutely no call for being so rude.’ I hadn’t planned on opening my mouth, but it had done so, all of its own accord. My index finger rose to twitch right in front of his eyeballs and I took a step closer. ‘Bad manners and name-calling aren’t going to get you anywhere, so you can kindly start to behave yourself. You’re not a child, for Christ’s sake.’