On the private detective’s mind were his instructions from David Briggs. By any means, fair or foul, he had to gain possession of the box taken from the wall of Rose Cottage. He decided the woman, not the man, was the easiest way. In three days’ observation, her weekday routine hadn’t varied. The woman was an early riser, by mid-morning she went shopping or did other small errands. Her partner had driven to Covenham, so Bentley had the chance to make progress by using her to persuade Conley to hand over the box.
The detective followed her to the market, turned up his nose at the confusion, and decided to enter her home unobserved to capture her unawares on her return.
At about eleven o’clock, he strolled through Louth straight to the woman’s flat. The steps up to the door were oblique to
