‘First, I’m going to try and get a vet, to officially examine the remains in situ. Then … I’ve got a spare forensics tent in my garage at home. It’s seen better days, but it’ll do till we get the real thing.’ She glanced at the sky, where heavy yellowish clouds were gathering. ‘Last thing we need now is more rain.’

‘How you going to get a forensics tent all the way out here?’ he asked, as they passed the tree with the hanging doll. ‘Must be three quarters of a mile from that car park.’

Lucy pondered this as they stumped along. ‘I’ll get my Ducati. It’s in the shed at Mum’s. Should be able to carry the tent on the back of that.’

‘You can get your bike out here?’ He sounded sceptical.

‘More easily than I can get a car, wouldn’t you say?’

Peabody shook his head, evidently not liking the sound of it, but liking even less the idea that he was going to be stuck in this desolation for a bit of time yet.

‘How long before the CSIs get here?’ he asked.

‘How long’s a piece of string?’

‘Will it be tonight?’ It was a fatalistic kind of question, as if he already knew the answer.

‘I hope so,’ she said. ‘But I wouldn’t count on it.’

‘So, if it’s tomorrow … who’s going to stand guard all night?’ He sounded as if he knew the answer to that one as well.

‘Don’t sound so upset, Malcolm. This’ll be the easiest overtime you’ve ever had.’

Chapter 22

‘So,’ Charlie said over her glass of rosé. ‘Am I just supposed to be okay that you’re sending birthday greetings and bouquets of flowers to women I don’t know?’

Frank McCracken, who’d been distracted and preoccupied all through dinner, sipped his cognac. ‘Thought me and you had a kind of open relationship?’

‘Well, we do … but we have to draw the line somewhere. And you suddenly getting interested in old girlfriends again is a bit of a concern for me.’

To look at Charlie, one would never have expected any man in her company to have his head turned by another woman. Tonight, out for the evening, she was the ultimate blonde bombshell, platinum locks falling in snakelike curls down her back and shoulders, looks to die for, an hourglass physique wrapped to perfection in a strappy, flower-patterned, figure-hugging Versace dress, yellow Jimmy Choos with five-inch heels, which added even more lustre to her bronze, athletically toned legs.