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it’s worth it.’
    ‘We all agree, sir. The DCI has been on the phone, and she says we have to get this done as quickly as possible. The body might have been there for days, and people will start to forget. We also need a press release. The super thinks you’re the best person for that. Sorry.’
    ‘He’s already been on to me about it.’ Rose sighed. ‘I thought things would quieten down after that business before Christmas. I should have known better. Okay, let’s get on with it. By the way, it’s good to see you in charge, Barry, even if it is only temporary. I’ve always had faith in you.’
    Marsh was taken aback. ‘Thanks, sir. That means a lot coming from you.’
    * * *
    Sophie Allen arrived late in the afternoon. The incident room was set up and already a hive of activity. She slipped unnoticed into the back of the room and listened as Tom Rose and Barry Marsh addressed the assembled police officers about the house-to-house enquiries. Marsh’s ginger hair made him stand out from the group of people surrounding him. Marsh was doing a good job, she thought. His slight shyness masked a shrewd brain and his careful approach had impressed her during their last case together. He finished his instructions and the officers left the room. As he passed, Marsh didn’t recognise the trim figure in the tan, leather bomber jacket and tight-fitting cord trousers.
    ‘Hi, Barry. I see you’ve got everything under control.’
    He blushed. ‘Sorry, ma’am. I didn’t realise you’d arrived. I wasn’t expecting you for another couple of hours.’
    ‘Quiet roads. I was going to suggest that we get a coffee so you could fill me in, but I guess you’ll probably be heading off with the troops.’
    ‘Yes, that was the idea,’ he said.
    ‘Would you mind if I tagged along? I know it’s too dark to visit the rock now, but I’d like to have a look at the village. You know, get a feel for the place. I’ll go in my car though, so I can head straight back to Wareham when we’ve finished. I’ve had a bit of a fraught day.’ In fact, Sophie was exhausted.
    ‘We’ll be parking in the NT car park, ma’am. Just beside the pub. We’ve got permission to use it over the next few days,’ Marsh said.
    ‘Fine, Barry. I’ll let you get on with it. I’ll be there about ten minutes after you, I expect.’
    ‘Forensics haven’t found anything useful in the vicinity of the rock. I was hopeful of some tyre tracks on the path, but the ground’s so sandy that any imprints wouldn’t have lasted for long. Last night’s rain would have washed them away, if there were any to start with,’ said Marsh.
    Sophie spent a few minutes sipping a hot coffee and looking at the incident board. She was trying to fix the geography of the immediate area in her mind. After a while she felt strong enough to make a phone call that she’d been putting off all day. She perched on the corner of a table in the small office that she’d used during the Donna Goodenough case.
    ‘Archie? It’s Sophie. Listen. One of your squads is investigating the Thompson gang . . .’
    She listened.
    ‘Yes, I know. Archie, you need to know something, but it’s for you only. Please don’t share it with anyone else at the moment. The young man’s body they dumped down the shaft outside Gloucester? Archie, please, just be quiet and listen. I’m going to tell you something and then hang up, because I won’t be able to speak after I’ve told you. I’ve been dreading telling you since I found out. Archie, that young man was my father.’
    * * *
    The house-to-house inquiries at Studland village yielded no useful information. Several locals walked their dogs across the heath, but few went as far as the Agglestone, and even if they had, the top surface would have been impossible to see from ground level. No one had seen any vehicles on the heath in recent days, or any other suspicious activity. The police questioned some of the local teenagers, but none owned up