Kelly had already called Ted Wallis, the senior coroner for the north-west. She wanted him to see the victim where she lay. It was a unique crime scene: slain body in a public place in broad daylight. Before she’d even set foot inside the tent, Kelly knew that she had a hell of a case ahead of her. It was virtually unheard of: the slaying of a jogger, mid-afternoon. The fact that the woman was dressed in athletic clothing and headphones were found near the body indicated that she was a runner. It looked like she was taken by surprise, and the first thing Kelly thought of was a professional hit. However, the location and time of day made that possibility either bold or stupid. There were other scenarios to be worked through: robbery, deranged lunatic on the loose, passion. She’d already begun swirling them about her head.

Fortunately, they already had a name. That was a good start. A forensic officer had discovered a bank card in the woman’s running wallet and had also made a call from the victim’s phone, which had put them in touch with Thomas Watson, of Willow Sands, Ullswater. Yes, Ella Watson was his wife. Yes, she was due to be in Penrith today…

The poor bastard had been asked to drive home from the golf course, where he’d been playing nine holes with three friends. He hadn’t been told why. It might seem callous, but next of kin deserved to be informed face to face when the crime was this terrible.

But then he might already know, because it could have been him who’d ordered the hit. Husbands and wives did nasty things to one another. With execution-style killings, like this one might turn out to be, the family was always a good place to start. Only three per cent of murders were stranger on stranger. The rest knew each other and passion was usually the motive. Sex, money, jealousy… Kelly needed to get to know Ella Watson.

Before she went into the tent, she paused to assess the lines of sight. A quick wander around the closest bushes took her to open grass; the first thing she saw was the pond, then, further away, the high-rises of the Beacon Estate. She looked left and right, and saw that bushes and trees blocked every other pathway, apart from the concrete path that snaked back to the main entrance and the centre of Penrith.

She ducked inside the tent.