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bodies. But at the talk of Ruthie that had changed to this abject, miserable, uncontrolled grief. It didn’t take much imagination to connect the two.
    â€˜We’ll conduct a thorough search of both the house and the barns,’ she said.
    â€˜Do you want me to help?’
    She shook her head, almost ashamed of her suspicions. ‘The police prefer to do it themselves. Don’t worry, please. If Ruthie is here we’ll find her.’
    Shackleton looked away. ‘So he got her too.’
    â€˜He?’
    â€˜It’s just a way of sayin’ it.’ His voice was choked with emotion. ‘You can’t imagine a woman doin’ that.’ The shock had made his face so white she thought he might faint. ‘Not that.’
    â€˜I’m afraid,’ Joanna said wearily, ‘there’s nothing in there that excludes a woman. Anyone could have pulled that trigger, Mr Shackleton. Anyone.’
    They stood in silence for a moment, then Joanna asked, ‘The three of them lived here?’
    He nodded. ‘Yeah. Old Aaron, Ruthie and Jack.’
    â€˜No other women?’
    Shackleton shook his head. ‘No, Mrs Summers had cancer. She died when Jack was just a baby. He were only ten months old. Ruthie brought him up.’ He made an attempt at a smile. ‘Proper little mother she were to him.’ But then some old memory must have moved through his mind and his face assumed a pained expression. It seemed to Joanna that for some reason this recollection compelled him to defend Ruthie. ‘She really did love Jack. She did. I know. She was devoted to her brother. People can say what they like.’
    And Joanna’s mind was instantly on the alert, as though pricked by a pin. Shackleton stayed silent for a long time.
    â€˜Do you have any idea who could have done this, Mr Shackleton? Had the family any enemies?’
    Dave Shackleton shook his head. ‘Must have been a robbery that went wrong.’
    But Joanna didn’t think so. ‘We will, of course, be searching the house but so far we have seen no sign of ...’ She paused. In this house of open doors there would have been no need for forced entry. Anyone could have simply walked in.
    Shackleton must have picked up on her train of thoughts. ‘Exactly,’ he said. ‘No one would have needed to break a window or force a lock. It was so easy. Like I told the big guy.’
    â€˜Detective Sergeant Korpanski.’
    â€˜You could walk into Hardacre any time of the day or night.’ He looked away, embarrassed.
    â€˜That makes it all the more difficult for us to work out who did.’ Joanna hesitated before plunging in with her next question. ‘Tell me, Mr Shackleton. How did they get on with their neighbours?’
    There was a movement in front of them, a snorting and bellowing. A herd of cows was careering along the lane towards them. She watched them pass. Behind them a thin, bent figure dressed in navy dungarees was slapping the cows backsides, forcing them into a brisk trot. For that one moment she had a vision of Aaron and Jack Summers doing the identical manoeuvre.
    The farmer waved a hand as he passed.
    Shackleton nodded briefly and Joanna took up her cue. ‘So that’s Martin Pinkers?’
    â€˜That’s him,’ he said, looking uncomfortable. ‘He offered to do the milkin’ and ...’ He scratched his head. ‘They needed doin’. They was goin’ wild.’ He eyed Joanna dubiously. ‘It might seem hard and uncaring gettin’ him over here but they need the milk takin’ off. Cows’ udders fill murder or no murder. Besides Aaron would have wanted it.’
    Hard and uncaring getting him over here. Had she imagined the emphasis on the him ?
    And if she had not imagined it what vague hostility lay behind it?
    She glanced again at the thin man with his hard, boney face and then turned her attention back to Shackleton, knowing one thing