She was, though, more than a little intrigued by Patrick Walsh being so heavily involved in the church. While there was no rule against huge, burly-looking rugby players having a religious streak, something didn’t quite sit right with Caroline. Before Dexter could say anything, Caroline walked over to greet Walsh.

‘Hi!’ she said, with forced jollity. ‘Good turnout, isn’t there?’

‘Pretty good, yeah. Encouraging. Everyone’s put a lot of work into this.’

She nodded, well aware of the slightly menacing tone to his voice. ‘Do you tend to get involved with these sorts of events quite a lot, then?’

‘Yeah, I do, as a matter of fact.’

‘Committed Christian?’

‘Devout.’

In that moment, Caroline realised why she’d felt so uncomfortable at the prospect of Patrick Walsh. The man was a walking contradiction. Friendly when drinking, cold when sober. A devout Christian, yet rumoured to be having an affair with a married woman. Working the tombola stall at a church fete, whilst still stinking of booze from the previous evening.

‘I’m glad to hear it,’ she said, looking him in the eye. ‘Too many people tend to lose their moral fibre too easily these days.’

Caroline spotted the Reverend Peter Tottman on the other side of the room and wandered over to him. ‘Thought we’d pop down to lend our support,’ she said, introducing herself to the reverend’s wife, Sheila. ‘It certainly seems to be going well.’

‘Yes, it’s good to see the village in such good spirits,’ Sheila said. ‘Considering.’

‘Well, it’s a very British thing to be able to forget bad news when there’s such divine fudge available, eh, Dex?’

Dexter smiled uncomfortably. ‘Showing my support for local business,’ he said.

Noticing the reverend had peeled off to speak to a couple of keen local parishioners and clearly intent on avoiding conversation with the police, Caroline decided to try to probe a little further with his wife.

‘Have the locals been talking about it, then? Roger Clifton’s death, I mean.’

‘Oh, I should say. He used to live in the village, you know. His wife and daughter still do.’

‘Was he popular?’

Sheila snorted. ‘That’s not the word I’d use. He certainly wasn’t popular in the church, anyway. He always had a bad word to say about everybody. His wife has been quite involved in the church over the years, but it was almost as if he was opposed to it somehow.’

‘Oh?’

‘Well, look. We’re well aware most people aren’t religious. And those that are probably aren’t Christians. And those that are probably aren’t Methodists. That’s fine. But Roger always tried to get in little digs and barbs. He couldn’t just be non-religious. He had to actively undermine everything we did or said.’

‘Like what?’ Caroline asked.