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experienced enough in the ways of the police to know that her evidence might later become important. ‘I identify these two slips as having been printed by the credit card machine in my office,’ she said carefully. ‘I remember putting through both transactions. You jammy devil! But how stupid to dump that at Kempfield!’
    Ian shrugged. ‘Not necessarily. He kept the money that he was after but he didn’t want to be caught with anything on him as incriminating as the credit card slips so he got rid of them in the first litter bins that he came to – probably before getting rid of his gloves unless he really is stupid.’ He shuffled the papers back into the bag. ‘This can go for examination and fingerprinting. So … it would seem that our knife-wielding robber came straight to Kempfield. Bright, go next door, get on the phone and invite Lucas Fraine to join me immediately. We’ll see if Mr Fraine can possibly say who arrived at Kempfield and joined the wedding party just before the bride made her spectacular entry or soon afterwards. I’m sorry,’ he added quickly, ‘I shouldn’t pull your leg about your state of dress. You looked quite—’
    He was interrupted, rather to Jane’s relief, by the ringing of one of the two phones on Ian’s desk. He snatched it up. ‘I thought I said no interruptions.’
    The female voice was quite unflustered. ‘Yes, I know, unless there were reports of a potential knife crime, you said,’ the voice insisted. ‘Then you’d want to know and that’s what I’ve got here.’
    â€˜I’ll take the call,’ Ian said.
    â€˜I’m just putting it through,’ said the voice complacently. Ian would not have been given the option of refusing it.
    Ian listened, his brow growing ever angrier, to several minutes of a report in a voice so thickly accented that such words as escaped in Jane’s direction were unintelligible. He grunted an acknowledgement and said, ‘Tell them to bring the boy in. And have the place locked up until we know what we’re looking for.’ He hung up.
    â€˜They got him?’ Jane said.
    â€˜No such luck! Just what I was afraid of has happened – a knifepoint robbery. You know Hugh Dodd?’
    â€˜Yes. He cuts my grass for me once a week in summer. But it couldn’t be him, he’s more thickset than my robber and a little taller.’
    Ian frowned at her leap to an erroneous conclusion. ‘Nobody’s suggesting that he’s the guilty party. He was on duty at the filling station, taking petrol money. Somebody with a knife walked in and emptied the till. He isn’t hurt.’

SIX
    D I Fellowes was looking at Jane thoughtfully. She was quite used to being looked at by men but she was now a respectably married lady and if he was relishing the erotic memory of her in her nightdress and bridal veil, which must surely have resembled something out of a soft porn film, then that, she thought, was quite enough of that. ‘You’ve finished with me?’ she asked.
    Ian snapped out of his reverie. ‘That’s exactly what I was wondering. On the whole, because you seem to be a kingpin – or queenpin – of whatever’s going on, I’ll ask you to remain for the moment. You and young Dodd may help to refresh each other’s memories. And you sometimes come up with helpful ideas.’
    Jane switched her attention back to the identity of the robber. ‘Well here’s another one,’ she said. ‘At least I hope you’ll find it helpful.’
    â€˜I’m sure I will, but keep it on ice for a few minutes. Bright, get hold of Morrison. I want him to collect all the usual samples from the vet’s surgery and from the filling station’s office and shop, immediately. Make it clear that this is no longer his day off.’ Morrison, Jane knew, was one of Ian’s two constables, the