Holmes was still busy with his bees, so I took the opportunity to step next door to return a plate to Annie Hopkins. She quickly answered my knock, and I handed over the plate and thanked her for the delicious cake she had given us.

“I’m delighted you enjoyed it,” she replied. “I’m about to have a cup of tea, would you like one too or are you busy?”

“I’m rarely too busy for a cup of tea,” I replied.

“Come in then. I was planning on sitting in the garden while I drank it. Go on through.”

I walked through the cottage and into the back garden, where I found Hopkins weeding his vegetable patch and whistling cheerfully as he did so.

“You sound happy,” I said.

“I am,” he said. He stood up and groaned slightly as he stretched.

“Annie said she’d bring the tea out. Are you going to join us?”

“Yes, I must admit to feeling rather tired. I must have been weeding longer than I thought.” He sat down on the bench next to me. “I think I’ve probably done enough for today.”

I mentally agreed. Hopkins had never fully recovered after being attacked when he was working in London and did not have the stamina of most men of his age. Had I been sufficiently concerned I would have said something, but instead I decided to distract him. “Is there a particular reason why you are so happy?” I asked.

“Oh, yes. You remember I was talking to Holmes the other night about a vicious robbery on a jeweller’s shop? We had identified a suspect and when we brought him in for questioning, he denied any involvement, saying he’d been drinking at the White Hart and listing any number of friends who could collaborate his statement. And I’ve no doubt they would have done. The only problem was one of our constables comes from the same village and he said the White Hart was shut that day as it was the funeral of the previous publican. His son’s now running the pub and he didn’t open up until the evening.”

“Excellent!”

“Even better, when we told him his alibi didn’t hold, he went on to name the man who had badly injured the jeweller, because he didn’t want to be charged with the more serious offence.”

“No wonder you’re pleased.”