The doorbell rang and the two dogs leapt up and started barking furiously. Jane could see the Jack Russell had been curled up on a pair of socks. Henson bent down and snatched up the socks angrily.

‘This bloody dog steals socks, shoes, you name it. Goes into the laundry room, picks them up and usually buries them in the garden.’

Jane finished her coffee. ‘I should go back into the drawing room.’

The doorbell rang again and she skirted around the door as the whippet tried to get through. As Jane hurried along the hallway she could hear Toots, the other dog, barking. Justine opened the living room door and the dachshund charged out. Justine picked her up and opened the front door.

‘Abby! Come in, come in.’

A young Filipino girl came in carrying a bag of groceries.

‘I’m so sorry, Ms. Harris, I didn’t think I should let myself in as there is a police car in the drive.’

‘That’s all right. Can you take Toots and put her with the other dogs?’ She turned to Jane. ‘I presume you found Stick?’

Jane replied, ‘Yes, it took quite a while. He’d been chasing squirrels.’

Justine shook her head. ‘He is so badly behaved. My concern was he would get out onto the railway line.’ She turned towards the kitchen. ‘I’ll come back directly.’

Jane turned and walked into the drawing room. Miller glanced up at her as he was labelling a small cassette tape and inserting another in its place in his recorder.

‘I’m sorry it took so long, but the whippet got into the clearing opposite the house and it was a while before we could catch him.’

Miller ignored her, concentrating on his cassette player.

‘I think I should tell you, sir, that after I came back with the dog, I needed to wash my hands, and I went into the cloakroom. There is a camel-hair coat in there with clear bloodstains on the hem and on one sleeve.’

Miller nodded and checked his watch. ‘Well, I’m not finished here, so go out to the patrol car and get some evidence bags and start looking in all the rooms upstairs.’

Jane went to the door. ‘I think Mr. Henson wants to leave now that Abby, the cleaner, is here.’

‘Really? Well, I need to talk to him. I can do it here or at the station, whichever he prefers.’