‘That’s what I was thinking. We’ll see.’ The thought of returning to her old constabulary filled her with anxiety. It wasn’t something that could be explained, and it wasn’t tangible, in as much that it wasn’t justified, but the thought of seeing former colleagues and meeting acquaintances she’d rather forget was unsettling. The problem was that the man had been murdered on her patch, and so somebody would have to go, and she couldn’t imagine sending anyone else. It was protocol in such circumstances for the SIO to lead or at least support an investigation into the man’s life before they could establish the circumstances surrounding his death.

But first they had to visit Allerdale House.

‘So, are you thinking burglary goes wrong? That this man disturbed them? It certainly was a nice little pile of valuables that was taken,’ Ted said.

‘The best part of half a million, I reckon.’

He whistled. ‘Unusual for here. Why do you think he was moved?’

‘To clean up forensically. Crime scenes are much more helpful to the police than dump scenes. It’s quite clever really, and indicates further that we’re dealing with professionals rather than just a bungled burglary. Could you establish time of death?’

‘Definitely some time on Sunday night.’

They hung up. Now that Kelly had final proof of George’s ID, they could proceed with haste. She wanted to know the relationship between the dead man and the owner of Allerdale House, and why he was here in the Lakes, so far away from home. An annual fishing trip sounded too convenient. DC Hide’s investigation into the robbery had already established that there was no sign of forced entry to the main house and nothing was missing, but the doors were unlocked.

Kelly welcomed the distraction of a new case. Her mother’s house had finally been sold, and she didn’t know how she felt about it. It was a relief in some ways, but it had been her family home, where she’d grown up, and it was as if a piece of her would be forever gone when the cheque was cashed. Wendy hadn’t had a mortgage, or any debt, so Kelly’s half of the money would be in her account in around three week’s time. She was suddenly a wealthy woman. Her mind wandered back to the idea of an extravagant celebration for her and Johnny’s birthdays next year, and she knew that her mother would approve.