He seemed to be ready for this. ‘I’m afraid I underestimated how devastated she was by her brother’s death.’

‘You believe your wife meant to end her life?’

He allowed his head to droop. ‘I’m afraid so, Inspector.’

Clare observed him. He wouldn’t be picking up an Oscar any time soon. ‘Frankly, Mr Gasparini, I doubt your account of events. However, we do have Mr Gerrard in the station so I’ve no doubt he’ll bear out your statement – if it’s correct.’

‘What I don’t get,’ Chris said, ‘is how Eamon Ferry didn’t notice the gun in the car. It can’t have still been in there when they were packing up.’

They were gathered in the incident room, Tony having pronounced Clare’s office stifling. ‘You and that damn virus,’ he said. ‘Turning up the radiators in August, for God’s sake.’

‘Yeah, whatever,’ Clare said, pulling her jacket round her front. ‘Anyway, Chris has a point. If Mark Mooney’s telling the truth he put the gun in the back of Eamon Ferry’s car. But, unless Eamon’s in on the whole thing, the gun couldn’t have been there when they drove back to Glasgow.’ She turned to Chris. ‘It definitely wasn’t in the boot of the Range Rover when we saw them loading their bags.’

‘Could be it’s hidden somewhere in the Lodge grounds.’

Clare nodded. ‘Unless Doug got rid of it before he called 999. But according to what David Fox said, Eamon knew early on that something had happened to Russell. David then left the Lodge early enough to see Zac Buchanan in the museum grounds. So I can’t see how Doug would have had time to get rid of the gun.’

‘So where is it?’ Tony asked. ‘You did have the grounds searched, Clare?’

‘The area immediately surrounding the house, yes. But there’s a lot of land. And I can’t honestly see anyone leaving a gun out in the open, to be collected. They’re too expensive for that.’

Chris said, ‘I think you’re right Clare. I reckon he must have posed it somewhere for Val, or someone else, to collect once the fuss had died down.’

‘In which case,’ Clare said, ‘it might still be there. Chris, can you ask Jim to send some cops up there for another look?’

Chris went off to find Jim. Tony watched him go then said, ‘What you thinking?’

Clare frowned. ‘I’m damned if I’ll let Mark Mooney take all the blame for this one. In fact if I was his solicitor I’d be pleading coercion. A clever advocate could do something with that.’

‘Yeah,’ Tony agreed. ‘I’d like to see those two charged.’