Kessen nodded. ‘The dog in the manger mentality: “If I can’t have the children, you’re not having them either.”’

‘Yes, sir. There’s one interesting fact from the FSS fire investigator, Quinton Downie. He says the fire wasn’t started in any of the logical places for a random arson attack. Rather, it began where the children’s toys were stored in the sitting room. Apparently, accelerant was poured over them, as well as on the carpet. That might prove to be significant. It makes the attack seem very personal.’

‘And it was carried out by someone who was able to get access to the house.’

‘Yes. I’m not convinced by the side window being forced. There are no signs of entry inside the room. It’s a kitchen window, and I’d expect to find marks on the window ledge or the work surfaces, but nothing’s been disturbed. The kitchen looks positively pristine.’

‘Footwear impressions outside?’

Fry shook her head. ‘Not after the firefighters had done their bit.’

The DCI looked thoughtful for a moment. But he wasn’t a man to take long over a decision.

‘OK. It sounds as though you’ve done all the right things, Diane. We’ll review the enquiry again as soon as you’ve got some forensic reports. I’ll be your SIO for now, so make sure you keep me up to date with any developments.’

‘Thank you, sir.’

‘Are you certain the scene was closed down tight from the start, and every bit of potential evidence was preserved? I know you’ve had the FSS in. That was a good move.’

‘Yes, sir,’ said Fry. ‘Everything by the book.’

‘Let’s hope your feeling about the husband is correct, then. If we have to eliminate him, it opens up a whole different ball game. A triple murder with no suspects is the last thing we need right now, Diane.’

‘What are you lot talking about?’ asked Fry when she came back into the CID room and saw Cooper and Murfin deep in conversation with the trainees.

‘Mergers,’ said Cooper.

‘Are you for or against – or do I even need to ask?’

‘Well, I was just saying that headquarters in Ripley is already pretty remote for a lot of people. Will it matter that much if we’re part of an East Midlands Constabulary? As long as local teams like ours aren’t broken up.’

‘I’m surprised, Ben. I thought you’d have been fighting for the status quo. In your case, it’s your heritage, almost.’

Cooper shrugged. ‘I know people think my dad was a real old-fashioned copper, the sort who would always stick to the old ways because he thought they were best. But he never resisted change if he thought it was an improvement. If he knew the problems we have now with serious and organized crime he’d support the idea of a new structure. I think he’d say that it would free us up to concentrate on local issues instead of being distracted by major enquiries all the time. And I feel the same.’

‘That scenario sounds pretty boring to me. If you’re down at this end of the structure, anyway.’

‘I don’t agree. Think of the advantages: changes to the rank structure, a shift towards specialization, an increase in non-sworn staff …’

‘I suppose so.’

Cooper looked at her, trying to digest what she’d said a moment ago. ‘Boring? Do you mean that?’

‘Yes, I do.’

‘What will you do then, if serious crime is taken away from Edendale?’

Faced with the direct question, Fry hesitated, displaying that perennial reluctance to share her private thoughts with anyone. She waited until Murfin and the trainees had moved out of earshot.

‘Actually, I’ve been thinking about applying to SOCA,’ she said. ‘I’ve got the experience.’

‘They’d jump at you,’ said Cooper.

‘Do you think so?’

‘Yes. If you did that, though, it would be exactly what I said – breaking up the team. That’s what I wouldn’t want, Diane.’

She looked surprised. ‘Thanks.’

‘How close are you to making a decision?’

‘Not close. Not really. I’m just thinking about it. I’ll see how things go.’

Cooper paused before he spoke again. He always had to weigh up his words with Fry, because he hadn’t yet learned to predict her reaction.

‘Angie?’ he said tentatively.

‘What?’

‘I’m wondering if your sister comes into the decision. Is she the deciding factor whether you move away from Edendale or not?’

‘No, she isn’t.’

But as soon as Fry said it, she frowned and looked thoughtful. Cooper wondered if it just hadn’t occurred to her to look at it that way before.

‘Have you thought through the employment implications, though?’

‘Ben, thanks for your interest, but if I want to discuss my employment conditions, I’ll do it with my DI or Human Resources.’

‘Fine, fine.’

Cooper went back to his desk. Like everyone else, he was aware that SOCA had been recruiting. The problem was that officers who joined the new serious crimes agency would lose their unique status. Instead of being classified as constables of the crown, guaranteed a pension and not subject to being sacked, at SOCA they would become agents – ordinary employees. As a result, the agency was struggling to persuade police officers to join.

But he could see Fry going. Promotion possibilities for her were limited in Derbyshire. There were only three DIs in the division, and seven DSs who might hope to succeed them, let alone detectives in other divisions, and uniforms who might want to transfer on their way up the ladder.

‘So where are you off to this morning?’ asked Fry as Cooper put his jacket on to leave.

‘We’re talking to the estate agent who sold Bain House to Rose Shepherd.’

‘Right.’ She watched Hitchens come out of his office and nod to Cooper. ‘You’re with the DI himself, then?’

‘Somebody has to be,’ said Cooper.

17

Peter Yates’s desk at Windsor and Ellis was modern and tidy, everything carefully arranged. When Cooper sat down in one of the chairs across from the estate agent, he found a polished silver frame facing him. It contained a photograph of a blonde woman and two young children, posing and smiling; a perfect family group.

‘Yes, I dealt with Miss Shepherd,’ said Yates. ‘But most of our business was done on the phone.’

‘What address do you have for her before she moved into Bain House?’ asked Hitchens.

Yates looked a bit troubled. ‘You’re sure it’s all right for me to give out this sort of personal information?’

‘Mr Yates, this is a murder enquiry.’

‘Yes, I was just checking. We have a reputation to keep, you know.’

Hitchens raised an eyebrow, but resisted making a comment. Estate agents generally came at the bottom of any popularity polls; neck and neck with used-car salesmen and politicians.

Yates turned to a file that had been waiting on his desk.

‘According to our records, Miss Shepherd gave the address of a hotel in London. You can have it, if it’s any use to you. I seem to recall that she travelled up by train when we had to meet. Actually, I’ve got a note here that she came up to Derbyshire only once for the viewing. She signed all the papers at her solicitor’s. That was about it, really.’

‘Wouldn’t you need a permanent address, Mr Yates?’

‘No. You might try her solicitors for that, or her bank. She was paying cash, you see.’

‘I see.’

‘The buyer’s solicitors in this case were also in London.’

‘So you just met her the one time?’

‘It seems so. I’m sorry I’m being so vague, but it was nearly a year ago. We deal with quite a number of prospective purchasers in the course of a year. Many of them we see once, or not at all. It’s the vendors we tend to remember – we see much more of them.’

‘What do you remember about Miss Shepherd? Anything, no matter how trivial …’

‘You know, I thought the notes in the file might remind me of something, but there was nothing of interest. It was a very straightforward transaction. She had no particular concerns about the property, nothing but the standard checks that her solicitors did during the conveyance. In fact, it was rather an unmemorable sale, apart from the fact that it was a substantial property on our books.’