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Officers who were busy taking photographs and video clips.
    Hammond was feeling hot under his paper body suit; he wished he had removed his jacket underneath first. “Has the area been sealed off yet?”
    “Not all areas, there are a lot of paths to block. They are working on it as we speak.” Hammond turned his head toward a familiar voice. DS Lois Dunn was scraping her blonde hair into a ponytail as she stepped up the bank toward him. This done, she pulled the hood over her head. It made her look more youthful than ever Hammond noted. He smiled a greeting to her and they surveyed the scene in front of them.
    The body was partially hidden in the shallow hole. It appeared to be male. He lay half on his side, face down in the dirt. His trousers were partially pulled down, exposing a naked upper left thigh. His right arm was wedged in underneath the weight of his body. The left arm reaching upwards towards the side as if he had fallen into the hole without being able to break his fall. Lying across the back of the legs and back were thick tree branches that had been arranged across the body suggesting a crude attempt to cover the body with woodland debris.
    “They’re in the process of putting the tent up”. Hammond explained. “There’s too much water running down from the tree canopy.”
    Dunn frowned with impatience but stayed where she was whilst the tent was hastily erected. Hammond enquired where the dog owner who reported the find was. Following directions he walked towards a dark haired man. Noting his frail frame, Hammond estimated he was about 80 years of age. The man was seated on a tree stump, talking softly to a Jack Russell Terrier whose nose was blackened by freshly dug soil. The dog was whining and pulling at its lead hoping to return to the cordoned off area. The humming of the generator powering the spotlights interrupted the silence. Hammond introduced himself and crouched down to the man’s eye level. It was apparent the man was in shock and looked cold. Hammond introduced himself quietly and reassured him that he would be taken home very soon. The man nodded gratefully and told Hammond his name was William Barnes from New Road, only five minutes’ walk away.
    “Could you tell me everything that happened this morning, from the moment before you found the body up until when the police arrived?”
    Hammond skipped over the word body noticing the man winced at the word.
    “I come here most days, Daisy likes the woods.” The dog looked up at the mention of her name. She was patted reassuringly whilst the man spoke. “I walk Daisy at the same time every day, morning and afternoon. We usually come here because it is so close to home. Daisy’s hip gets stiff if she walks for too long so we only manage short walks.” He turned his attention to the dog “We’re not getting any younger, are we girl?”
    Hammond waited patiently whilst the dog was stroked. The man’s gaze remained focused on his dog whilst he continued speaking. “We walk along the path that runs behind the houses, and then turn left onto the main bridal-path which exits near the church. But today, because it was so cold I took a shorter route and walked up the bank where the leaves were. Daisy suddenly took off, for what seemed like no apparent reason. I assumed she had seen a rabbit and ran off to chase it, but when she didn’t come back (She usually comes back when I whistle for her) I started to look for her. I came off the path toward the perimeter of the adjoining field...and well...saw him...”
    “How long was it before you started to look for her?”
    “Not long, about five minutes or so.”
    Hammond held in a sigh of disappointment. Five minutes wasn’t long, but it was plenty of time for a dog to contaminate a crime scene by disturbing evidence.
    “Did you see anyone else during your walk? Other dog walkers perhaps?”
    “No, I didn’t see anyone. I think people go along the bridle-path when it’s been raining, the