Page 72 of Murder Most Haunted

Extract from They Do It With Strings podcast

‘The Tin House’: Episode Five

[Interview with John Rendell, owner of Haunting Holiday Excursions]

Rendell: That doctor was right, the pompous twat.

They can say they’re sceptics at heart, but by the time they all arrive here, the job is half done.

They’re already susceptible. And then, of course, it’s just a question of playing on their secrets and emotions.

Love and death, and fear . . . fear can make you believe anything.

It can make you see things that aren’t there and act in ways you would swear you never would.

This game isn’t that different from the police, really.

That’s where you learn to read people, always looking at the emotions.

Get the motive first and build your case from there.

That’s how I solved the Cuthbert baby kidnapping.

[Sound of drinking]

Now, that was a party after that, Noah. Plenty of drinking in those days to celebrate.

We all went out to the Black Dog round the corner from the nick.

I’d been on telly doing a press statement – everyone was pleased to have a happy ending.

The whole station came out and the DCI stood drinks for everyone.

[Chuckling]

He’d even invited some of the new detective recruits along. They all thought I was the dog’s bollocks, of course. In fact, as I remember, I ended up round the back of the pub with one of them. Jesus.

[Low whistling]

I must have been so drunk I couldn’t see straight. Seriously, she was an absolute stinker to look at when she turned up in my office a few months later. And then guess what? She told me she was pregnant! As if I was having that – she could have been the station bike for all I knew.

[Takes a long drink]

Anyway, it didn’t look good for my career, so I told her to get out.

I wanted nothing to do with it all. Made sure she was moved off any serious investigation work so I didn’t have to bump into her again.

Think they shoved her in the property office after that.

I probably did the policing world a great service there . . .