His first port of call was the cottage adjacent to the yard, to see Mikey. Technically the lads’ working hours were seven until midday and then four till six, but Ben was aware that – as with all animal-related jobs – they didn’t stop until the work was done. He knew from Mikey that unpaid overtime was a fact of life for all of them. On this occasion Ben found his brother watching a video in the cottage’s small living room, with Ian Rice, Davy Jackson, the lad he’d met the day Cajun King was taken, and five other lads, one of whom sported a huge, seventies-style moustache. That, he decided with amusement, must be Caterpillar, back from his holidays. Accepting Rice’s offer of a guided tour, Ben walked with him to the stables, leaving Mikey and the others to their film. An eight-foot high, flint-topped perimeter wall enclosed the stable complex, leaving Truman’s house, the cottage and the lads’ hostels on the outside. At this time the double gates were open, leading on to a gravel parking area where three maroon and gold horseboxes stood – two large and one smaller – all emblazoned with Castle Ridge Racing across the doors and body.
