Will was alone in Holland House. Kate, who had been wallpapering since breakfast, declared she needed some fresh air and was going up on the sea bank for a while. As usual, she declined his offer to accompany her. He reminded her about the unknown assailant who had poleaxed Matt and asked her, for the sake of her safety, to keep close to Holland House. To his surprise, she agreed. He was about to add a warning about Gerald Grove, but thought better of it. He watched her walk away until she was just a tiny figure on the sea bank. It wasn’t until he trained his binoculars on her that he saw she was carrying the doll.

He lowered the glasses. Why on earth was she taking that thing with her? He had noticed that, lately, it was no longer confined to Kate’s studio, but turned up in different places around the house.

His phone rang. It was Matt. ‘How’s the head this morning?’ Will asked.

Matt grunted. ‘Still reminding me what a stupid arsehole I was, thanks for asking.’

‘Sorry.’ Will laughed. ‘But don’t be too hard on yourself. It could have been any of us.’

‘I keep reminding myself that at least it wasn’t Liz, or Mrs Swain.’ He paused. ‘Or you, mate. You’ve got enough on your plate at present. How are things today?’

‘Delicate. I’d never really appreciated the expression “walking on egg-shells” until now.’

‘Look, I thought I’d pop over this morning with some more photos and stuff for Kate. I won’t let on that I’m coming, so act surprised — if you’re okay with that?’

‘Of course.’ Will was certainly okay with it. Having Matt around lifted the pressure off him, even if just for a short time. ‘She’s up on the sea bank right now. I can see her from here.’

‘Not the best place for her, but I imagine you had little say in the matter?’

‘None at all. Although at least she agreed to stay in sight of Holland House. I think I’m learning how to use the place to my own advantage.’

‘Sensible,’ said Matt. ‘Will? Can I throw something at you to consider? Well, two things actually. One is Little Anchor. Do you think what’s going on there could be connected to Holland House in some way? I was thinking earlier about the property a few houses down, the one that’s for sale. It’s almost identical to Emilia’s place, so if you needed somewhere close to the marsh, why not just buy that one?’

‘So, you’re thinking that the particular importance of Little Anchor is its proximity to here?’

‘It’s a shot in the dark, but it’s possible.’ Matt grunted. ‘Not that I know what the heck it could mean.’

‘Food for thought, mate.’ Will ruminated for a moment. ‘So, what’s number two?’