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book.’
    ‘ What about staff? Who lives out?’
    Randall scratched his ear. ‘Bar the teachers, Matron and Sally, the head cook, all of them, I reckon. A lot of the domestics and kitchen staff and so forth are contract workers, and the faces can change from month to month. I’ll know who they are, though, because they get ID cards off the contractor.’ He paused. ‘Then there’s the two caretakers and the two groundsmen. They’re regular employees, like me. We all keep time sheets and the bursar collects them every Thursday.’
    ‘ Are you told about people who visit when you’re not on duty?’
    Randall favoured him with an eloquent look. ‘Like I said, I don’t know more than Dr Scott thinks I need know and that’s not much.’
    In response Dewi offered an equally eloquent look. ‘Do me a favour,’ he said. ‘Your front door can’t be more than fifteen feet from the gates. Don’t tell me you can’t at least hear the to-ings and fro-ings, especially the night-time ones.’ Glancing at the dog, which seemed to be smiling at him, he added, ‘Not to mention the fact that German Shepherds are prone to raising Cain at the slightest noise.’
    The other man’s ruddy cheeks turned purple. ‘I could get the sack if Dr Scott knew I’d been talking to you! I’m trying to help and all you can do is make snide remarks!’
    Sensing his master’s anger, the dog’s expression changed in an instant and Dewi heard a snarl growing in its throat.
    ‘ I’m just commenting,’ Dewi said mildly. ‘I’m not implying anything and I’m not suggesting you should be gawping out of the window every five minutes.’ Man and dog continued to stare at him, both bristling. ‘But you must hear the gates opening.’
    ‘ Did you hear them?’ Randall demanded. ‘They run smooth as silk, because it’s my job to see to them and I make sure they work properly.’
    ‘ OK,’ conceded Dewi. ‘Point taken. Apology offered.’
    ‘H m.’ The lodge keeper grunted and his dog resumed its open-mouthed smile.
    ‘ I’ll be on my way, then,’ Dewi told him.
    ‘ If it’s boyfriends you want to know about,’ Randall said over his shoulder as he went to open the gates, ‘it’s no use coming to me.’ He hauled on the huge iron latch. ‘They’d come in over the wall, or through one of the wickets, the same way the girls get out.’
    Dewi touched the accelerator and let the car glide slowly towards the entrance. Drawing alongside, he braked. ‘Do the girls get out?’
    ‘ Now and then, I’ve heard the women gossiping about girls being seen in town when they should be abed. But that’s as much as I can tell you.’
    *
    Jack’s office was empty when Dewi returned to the police station. He found Janet alone in the CID room. ‘Where’s Inspector Tuttle?’ he asked. ‘I’m supposed to report back to him.’
    ‘ Downstairs in the squad room with Mr McKenna,’ she replied. ‘Organising uniform and dog handlers to search the Hermitage.’
    ‘ I thought he was waiting for me to report hack.’
    ‘ There’s been a development. Our chief constable had a telephone call from a heavily titled gentleman who identified himself as the missing girl’s grandfather, so it’s now all systems go.’
    ‘ Are they sending a mobile incident room?’ he asked, upending his briefcase.
    ‘ I’ve no idea.’ She rose and began looking through the plans and brochures spilled across his desk.
    ‘ How many officers are going out?’
    ‘ Six from here, six from Caernarfon, eight from Anglesey, plus five dogs, including Bryn the Wonder Dog.’ Glancing at a plan of the grounds, she set it aside. ‘Who,’ she added, ‘can detect the faintest whiff of humankind from ten thousand yards and under fifty feet of snow.’
    ‘ You’re not far out,’ Dewi replied, picking up the discarded plan and a sheaf of other papers. ‘The search team will need these. And I’ll get these circulated,’ he added, waving the missing persons form and