‘Or plenty of time and opportunity to use two weapons.’

‘This one isn’t like the kitchen knife found in her chest, it’s more like a sporting or ornamental type.’

Kelly made notes. She figured that anyone in such a rage, and focused intently on harm to this extent, would grab anything to hand. Or they could have brought their own weapon, making the death significantly more ritualistic and exciting. ‘Did you say ornamental?’

Ted looked up. ‘Yes, why?’

‘Wait a minute.’ Kelly tapped on her iPad and brought up an image of a table in Mary’s living room. It was an occasional table with bits and bobs on it, including an oddly shaped knife.

‘What about this?’

Ted studied it through glasses perched on his nose as he held his hands away from the screen, not wanting to contaminate it with cadaver fluid.

‘That’s got quite a curve on it, these smaller wounds look straight. Was it sent to a lab for examination?’

‘Yes.’

‘Good, I can tell you for sure when I get to see it.’

Ted’s instruments clinked and pulled on the victim’s clothes and limbs, and he announced that he wanted her turned over. In an hour, he’d logged, measured and photographed every injury on her anterior side; now he wanted to see her back.

‘Did you say she’d been dragged?’ he asked.

Kelly sat up straight. ‘Yes. The initial crime scene investigation report said she’d been set upon after the animals had begun making a riot of noise when they were attacked. The pursuit went through the house and the victim was attacked fatally in the kitchen, but blood smears suggest that she was placed into a different position post-mortem, or as she was dying: some fine blood spatter at the scene would indicate that she was still breathing when she was moved.’

‘And was there anything obviously significant about the position of the body where it was moved? Was it aligned to a room, or a doorway perhaps?’

‘We looked at all the photographs in detail and we think that she was placed facing her animals with her head to the south. Some of her personal items, such as underwear and handbag, were then thrown into the fire in the yard, with her animals, but didn’t burn fully.’

‘Rage, again.’

‘Indeed.’

‘She has no injuries to her back, so she was disabled then stabbed, face to face.’

‘Personal.’

‘Of course.’

‘Defence wounds?’

‘Quite extensive for someone who was overwhelmed and eventually bound.’