Allwood did not leave the Assizes at the same time as the other clergy. He left early, alone, collar turned up, hat pulled down. Lomas, watching from the courtroom steps, made a decision.

“I’ll see you later,” he told Makepeace. “There’s one more conversation I need to have. Don’t let the Dean sell the organ for firewood in my absence.”

Makepeace raised an eyebrow. “Want company?” he asked.

“No,” Lomas said. “This one’s… complicated. If I’m wrong, I’d rather only one of us be a fool.”

He followed Allwood to the railway station, caught the local to a junction, then a slower train on the branch line that served scattered villages and minor halts. At the third stop, he saw Allwood on the opposit...

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