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loaded revolvers; each gun was fully loaded.’ 15
    Ian unwound the cloth from his ankle and dressed, declaring, ‘Eddie and I had a row and the situation got out of hand.’ 16 Myra hadn’t been cautioned, but now she knew the story she had to build upon if they took her in. She insisted on going to the police station anyway, even though Talbot told her it was unnecessary. She didn’t want to be parted from Ian, and Talbot sent for WPC Slater, who arrived promptly. Gran was sent round to the Hills’, at Wardle Brook Walk, with Lassie. Myra lifted Puppet into her arms and followed Ian out. He managed to whisper to her that it was the two of them against the world now.
    Several neighbours had gathered on the path outside and stared curiously as the small group left the house. Fairley borrowed a pair of handcuffs from another policeman who had arrived to stand guard outside and clapped them on Ian’s wrists. Further along the road, another police car had drawn up. Inside sat David Smith. Ian and Myra passed directly by him; Ian inclined his head and smirked, while Myra fixed him with a glare.
    ‘Is that them?’ asked the officer with Dave, and he nodded.
    Ian Fairley recalls, ‘Jock drove the car back to the nick, and I sat with Brady. He was handcuffed to my left wrist. I didn’t like the fact that I’d been told to handcuff him to myself – all right, cuff him, but not to me. He was quiet, though, no problem.’ 17 Myra held Puppet on her knee throughout the journey into Hyde. She and her dog were shown through to the station canteen while Ian was ushered into the CID room. Until a suitable policewoman could be found to question her, Myra sat sipping endless cups of tea and cadging food for Puppet.
    In the CID room, Fairley recalls, ‘We sat Brady down. He wanted a fag, so I gave him a fag. I chatted to him and he was very easy, very calm. Jock Carr came back, sat down and said, “What happened last night?” Brady repeated the same thing, that it had just got out of hand, that’s what he kept saying, it had just got out of hand. He was asked if he wanted to make a statement and he said he did.’ 18 Ian’s statement was taken that morning, formulated by him with two aims in mind: to absolve Myra and incriminate Dave.
    ‘Last night I met Eddie in Manchester. We were drinking and then went home to Hattersley. We had an argument and we came to blows. After the first few blows, the situation was out of control. When the argument started, Dave Smith was at the front door and Myra called him in. Eddie was on the floor near the living-room door. Dave hit him with the stick and kicked him about three times. Eddie kicked me at the beginning on my ankle. There was a hatchet on the floor and I hit Eddie with it. After that the only noise Eddie made was gurgling. When Dave and I began cleaning up the floor, the gurgling stopped. Then we tied up the body, Dave and I. Nobody else helped. Dave and I carried it upstairs. Then we sat in the house until three or four in the morning. Then we decided to get rid of the body in the morning early next day or next night.’ 19
    While Ian gave his statement, Talbot made a few telephone calls, including one to his boss, fifty-two-year-old rotund and balding bachelor Arthur Benfield, who had been appointed Detective Chief Superintendent of Cheshire six days earlier.
    ‘If it had been left to Benfield, there would have been no Moors Murders inquiry,’ Fairley asserts. ‘I hesitate to criticise the dead, but if he was here I would say the same. By the time Benfield arrived that day – he was based in Chester and booked himself into the Queen’s Hotel in Hyde – he’d already decided he could wrap everything up in a couple of days. He took charge because he was the senior investigating officer. Various other people came and went during the course of the day. But what I want you to understand is this: there were not a lot of troops, only a handful of us. To run a full murder inquiry