‘Difficult for her to carry a rifle in from the car without the husband noticing.’

Clare considered this. ‘But she could have flown up and visited before the weekend. Asked to have a look round.’

‘Would it not have been booked up?’ Chris said. ‘Fancy house like that.’

‘Think who she is, Chris. She’s the darling of the daytime telly brigade. If she’d asked to get into the Lodge ahead of the party, I bet the agency would’ve arranged it.’

‘Yeah, I suppose.’

‘And then there’s Doug Gerrard. Don’t forget he part-owns the house.’

Chris shook his head. ‘Much as I’d love to think Doug’s involved, I can’t see it.’

‘Why not?’

‘He’s one of Russell’s oldest friends. And I’d say he’s pretty cute when it comes to steering clear of trouble. Can you honestly see him agreeing to supply a gun that was going to be used to shoot his friend? And in the grounds of a house where he’d be staying himself?’

‘Okay, forget Doug,’ Clare said. ‘Let’s get back to David Fox. We know he’s a crack shot, judging by his experience at Camp Canada. Maybe he knew where to get his hands on a gun.’

Chris frowned. ‘It would cost, though, a gun like that.’

‘Maybe. Remember, it’s cheaper to hire one.’

‘Sometimes, Inspector, I wonder about you.’

‘Yeah, me too. So, let’s say David gets hold of a gun and, somehow, he sneaks it into the house. Then he has a wander about, finds the best window for a clear shot and he, or someone else, hides the gun in the room.’

‘They arrive at the house on the Thursday,’ Chris said, taking up the thread, ‘and Gaby tells Russell the treetop walk is the best place to see the sun come up.’

‘Exactly. Then she and Luke head off for the wedding, knowing David will turn up for the party. Except…’

‘Except what?’

‘Bill had a point, you know, when he said that none of the three men mentioned David when we interviewed them.’

Chris thought for a moment. ‘Maybe David told them he planned to go off-grid again – after the party. As far as they were concerned, he was still dead. If they mentioned him it would just complicate things.’

She lifted the mug and drained it. ‘Ugh, I hate this stuff.’

‘Helps, though.’

‘So you say. Anyway, David turns up at the Lodge, big surprise for Russell – lots of man-hugs and so on. He stays the night. Maybe he even tells the others he’ll slip away early in the morning. Some story about the shelter giving his room away if he doesn’t go back. He sets an alarm for before sunrise and waits for Russell to go up on the treetop walk.’