‘Is it your intention to check the Range Rover now, sir?’ DC Wilde asked.

‘Not at the moment, no, Velvet. I think she’s more useful to us if she doesn’t know she’s a primary suspect.’ He looked up. ‘Anyone disagree with me so far?’

No one did.

‘So up until now we’ve had a clear motive for murder. Niall Paternoster has a girlfriend. Murder his wife to get her out of the way and clear the way forward for his relationship with Rebecca Watkins, who may herself be in a terminal marriage.’ He looked up at his team again. ‘So far so good?’

There were several nods.

‘Then this morning, following the discovery of a letter concealed in a desk used by Eden Paternoster, DI Branson and I visited the solicitor to whom it referred, Jill Riddle, Head of Wills and Probate at the law firm of Cardwell Scott.’

‘That lot!’ Potting exclaimed. ‘They had a toxic little runt of a Legal Aid solicitor called Donnelly – Paul Donnelly. I had a couple of run-ins with him. Then he got struck off after being found to be negligent.’

‘I didn’t know that, but good,’ Grace replied. ‘Jill Riddle confirmed she had drafted a new will, in which, basically, Eden Paternoster leaves almost her entire estate to Rebecca Watkins.’ He paused to let that sink in.

The effect on his team was seismic.

Emily Denyer raised a hand. ‘Boss, I’ve been looking into the overseas company into which Eden Paternoster transferred ownership of her Nevill Road house, along with most of her cash – Cormorant International Holdings. It’s an offshore company providing overseas tax shelters, with links to Cardwell Scott.’

Grace frowned. ‘Would you say, Emily, it might be more than a little coincidental that Eden Paternoster’s will was drafted by the same firm that helped put her assets potentially out of her husband’s reach?’

Denyer gave a wry smile. ‘It just might be, boss.’

‘So,’ Grace said, to the whole team. ‘Who is playing off who here? Eden Paternoster has moved the majority of her assets into a jurisdiction that is traditionally uncooperative with British police and tax authorities – assuming that is still the case, Emily?’

‘It is. Not just the UK but pretty much the entire world, sir.’

Grace was silent for some moments, then he said, ‘Emily, from your experience, is it possible that Rebecca Watkins might be able to access these overseas assets without any form of countersignature from Eden Paternoster?’

‘It would entirely depend what instructions Eden Paternoster has given, which we’re not privy to. But yes, in principle, very possible.’

‘Right,’ Grace said. ‘To hypothesize for a moment, could we have a scenario here in which Eden moves her assets overseas in the belief she and Rebecca Watkins have a future together, and in the hope that she has framed her husband sufficiently to get him convicted of her murder? A very clever ploy? Or is it Rebecca Watkins who is the clever one, in cahoots with Niall Paternoster, playing the long game?’