Liz stood in the garden of Cannon Farm and gazed around her. It wasn’t picture-postcard pretty, like Emilia’s colourful cottage garden, but it was rather beautiful in an overgrown sort of way. The numerous trees and shrubs fought for supremacy, forming a glorious border of thick mature plants with little or no space between them. Liz rather liked this jungle of variously shaped leaves and colours. Neat and manicured was pretty, but she definitely preferred this natural look.

‘Not exactly the Eden Project, is it?’ Matt appeared beside her and handed her a mug of tea.

‘I like it. And seeing Emilia’s passion for her garden has inspired me to think about how we can make more of this lovely space.’ She pointed to a corner of the lawn. ‘I can see a summerhouse over there, can’t you? With those lovely trees behind it? And maybe a trellis arch with climbing roses at the bottom of that path?’

‘Uh-oh! She’s turning into Charlie Dimmock.’

Liz laughed. ‘Hardly! It’s just that there’s never been any time for these kinds of thoughts before, has there? It’s almost intoxicating.’

‘Like you.’ Matt was gazing down at her.

‘I guess it’s time we turned our thoughts back to our new unpaid job before we become, er, side-tracked.’

Matt grinned at her lasciviously. ‘Damn! Oh well, I suppose you’re right.’

They went back into the house and sat down at the kitchen table.

‘I’m really worried about that woman,’ said Liz flatly. ‘If it had been just one occurrence, like the garden shed, I’d have put it down to some idiot bored kids who’d probably pinched a few cans of Dad’s lager and then got stupid. But two incidents, both in the same place, in that remote spot, and only a few days apart? No way. Someone’s got a grudge against Emilia Swain, don’t you think?’

Matt nodded slowly. ‘Whoever attacked that lock did so with real venom. And her stuff wasn’t just thrown around, it was trashed, systematically.’

‘So, how are we going to play this, boss?’

Matt chuckled. ‘That sounds like the old days. We’re partners now, remember? I’m not the boss any more.’

‘I’d still like to know what plan of action we are considering.’

‘First, I suggest we get on the computer and see exactly what we can find out about Gerald Grove. I think we can afford to take a couple of runs a day out to Whisper Fen, just to keep an eye open. That part of the marsh is a great spot for bird-watching, so we can take some binoculars and not look out of place.’

‘Sounds like a plan,’ Liz said. ‘Shall I hit the internet?’