‘She’s good.’

‘She’s covering the trials next week,’ Kelly said.

Six men, including Philip Tooting and Christopher Slater, were due to stand trial at the Old Bailey for the murders of George, Emily, Mike and Alexandros.

Nothing had been reported about Charlotte Cross’s spectacular fall from grace, and Kelly could only speculate why. An internal board of inquiry first had to establish if there was a case to investigate; only then would criminal charges be pursued. Tilly Knight wasn’t privy to the details of the police investigation, or the documents found on Miranda Cooper’s computer, and so no one but the officers closely linked to the case were aware of its depth.

The trial of Miranda’s murderer had taken place in late June and had lasted one afternoon. The killer had been sentenced to eighteen years.

Sebastian Montague-Roland had accepted a plea bargain and a suspended sentence in return for testifying against Tooting and Slater. Work had begun in earnest at Allerdale House, with Graeme dishing out the extensive work to grateful local contractors.

The house was now kept locked.

Johnny and Kelly raised their glasses of red wine to their impending holiday. Preparations and paperwork had prevented them from escaping sooner, but it was only three weeks now until their joint birthday trip to Florida. Graeme had crammed in some extra sailing lessons for them, and they’d hired a vessel out of Key West. They were to fly into New Orleans and make their way down there by car.

The doorbell rang and they put their glasses to one side as Kelly went to welcome their guests.

Ted stood in the doorway, flanked by two women around Kelly’s own age. All three of them smiled broadly. Kelly stepped aside to let them in, and one by one, they were introduced.

Acknowledgements

There are so many people who have contributed to making this series special. Thank you to my agent, Peter Buckman, for your never-ending encouragement, wisdom and faith. Also Laura McCallen and the whole team at Canelo for your passion and meticulous attention to detail. That includes Jane Selley for your incredible copyediting and Tom Sanderson for the stunning cover.

I’d like to thank Jim Armitage, my scientist friend and awesome football coach to Freddie, for your brilliant input on the pharmaceutical process.

For their fascinating insight, Harry Chapfield, Cumbria Constabulary (ret’d), Inspector Paul Redfearn, London Met Police, and DI Rob Burns, Beds Police.

To the lemons: you keep me laughing, my dear friends.

To Mike, Tilly and Freddie, I love you so much; your love and support keeps me going x

Detective Kelly Porter

When a scandal forces DI Kelly Porter out of the Met, she returns to her home turf in the north. There, a dark criminal underworld lies beneath the veneer of sleepy towns and lush landscapes, and Porter and her team soon find themselves facing the Lake District’s darkest secrets and greatest threats…