Entering the park, they’d made their way down towards one of the many bridges that crossed the River Kelvin on its way to its bigger sister, the Clyde. The surrounding trees, for the most part, were still awaiting the arrival of their summer foliage, but the scent of growing things, particularly after the rain, had been pungent. Rhona had stopped midway across the bridge.

An underground tributary of the River Kelvin had saved her life during her incarceration, and she rarely traversed the park without offering a silent thank you to its swirling waters.

‘I heard on the news about the child’s body found buried on the moor,’ Sean had ventured as they’d started on their way again.

‘I can’t discuss it,’ Rhona had said shortly.

‘I wouldn’t expect you to.’ There had been no rancour in Sean’s voice despite her sharp reply. ‘I just thought that dealing with the scenario might have been difficult.’

‘All crime scenes are traumatic. Especially when a child is involved.’

She hadn’t said unborn child, but that was what had been in her mind. And Sean knew her well enough to understand that.

She’d turned away from him then to take back control of her feelings.

That’s what it will always be between us, Rhona thought. Too much emotion. Too many memories.

Before she could walk away though, Sean had encased her in his arms.

‘It doesn’t have to come between us, Rhona. Nothing does. Nothing will.’

She’d turned and kissed him then, knowing they would end up in bed together, and by doing so, they might close the still-open wounds between them, for a short while at least.

Now, on the threshold of the kitchen, Rhona halted for a moment. The remembered horror of what had happened there in her home had faded, aided by what Sean had done with the room during her absence on Skye. With the new colour scheme and new fridge, he had changed her much-loved room, just enough for it not to replay too many bad memories for her.

Rhona filled the coffee machine, then set up her laptop, keen to look again at the evidence she’d gathered on the moor.

Pouring herself a freshly brewed mug of coffee, she settled down to view all the images she’d taken on site, and the notes she’d recorded beside the grave.

Two thoughts had come to mind in the interim, and the more she examined the images, the more she thought they might be pertinent. Rhona pulled up the notes she’d made while reading Jen’s report on the preservation of bog bodies.

To preserve a bog body, specific acidic and oxygen-poor conditions must be present, thus allowing for the mummification of the body’s soft parts.

Many other conditions must also be fulfilled in order to prevent microorganisms from breaking down the human body.

1) The corpse must be sunk in water or dug into the ground and covered quickly.

2) The deposition of the body must occur when the bog water is cold, in the winter or early spring, otherwise the process of decay can begin.