Geoffrey nodded. ‘Yes, I’m pretty sure that’s one of ours. I’ll have to check the records to be totally sure …’ He shrugged vaguely. ‘Most of our cars are sports models, you understand, but occasionally we buy more run-of-the-mill makes. Mostly as a favour for friends or—’ He suddenly broke off, as if realising that their business practices hardly mattered to the strangers in his front room.

‘You say your partner didn’t drink excessively,’ Trudy began delicately, ‘but that he would not hold back at a party. Do you have any reason to suspect that he indulged in more than alcohol?’

‘What do you mean?’ Geoffrey sounded genuinely puzzled.

‘I mean, sir, did he like to take … say, something rather more exotic to raise his spirits? Something other than alcohol, I mean.’

For a second the other man stared blankly at her, and then a flush of colour stained his cheeks. ‘Good grief, drugs, do you mean? No, definitely not.’ He sounded genuinely scandalised at the thought. ‘Terry was, well, a bit flash I suppose you’d call it, but nothing like that. He had far too much sense to fool around with things like that!’

‘I’m sorry, sir, but we have to ask. We can see no obvious cause for the accident, you see,’ Trudy said mildly.

‘Don’t you think snow and ice are enough?’ Geoffrey asked shortly.

‘Perhaps,’ Trudy said. She’d grown a thick skin since joining the police force and no longer took it personally when people got angry or upset with her. ‘I don’t suppose you have any contact details for his next of kin, sir?’ she asked, but wasn’t all that surprised when Geoffrey slumped a little and then shook his head, his brief burst of anger and indignation now spent.

‘I’m not sure he had any,’ he admitted wearily. ‘Terry certainly never talked about close family anyway – no mention of brothers or sisters, for instance. And I rather got the impression that both his parents are gone.’

At this point, Clement stepped smoothly in. As a coroner, he was used to dealing with the more formal aspects that arose out of death. Whilst he preferred to let Trudy take the lead most of the time, knowing how much she needed to be allowed to learn her trade and gain much-needed experience, there were still certain times when things veered into his territory.

‘Someone will need to take on the necessary arrangements, I’m afraid, Mr Thorpe,’ he explained mildly. ‘Arranging the funeral, sorting out the paperwork, seeing to his will …’

‘Oh yes, I’ll see to all that,’ Geoffrey said at once.

‘Thank you, sir,’ Trudy said gratefully. ‘Well, I’m sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, especially at this time of year. We may have to contact you again, once you’ve made the formal identification,’ she warned.