Their trip out earlier that morning had proved choppy, and the ladder climb a little more hair-raising, although Chrissy for one hadn’t flinched. In fact, Rhona had got the impression that her assistant had begun to relish the experience.

Despite plans to transport the first two bodies south, they were still here, with a revised time of departure later today. Which meant the two Glasgow detectives from the serious crime squad who’d landed earlier at Kirkwall would get a chance to view them.

Rhona had just announced a loo and coffee break, which had provided Chrissy with the opportunity to watch for the arrival of the police launch and the said detectives. Her assistant, of course, really wanted to view their ascent of the ladder.

While Chrissy was on watch, Rhona was enjoying a cup of Magnus’s coffee, and one of his bannocks, while she considered what they’d discovered so far about the body in the computer room.

Electrocution occurred when a victim became the fastest pathway to earth for an electrical supply. To achieve this they had to touch an exposed live electrical cable or a metal surface connected to such, and to be standing on the ground or on something that conducted electricity.

Barefoot was best because the rubber soles of shoes prevented conduction to earth, or at least slowed it down – so the victim might get zapped, but not be killed.

Electrocution didn’t severely burn a body, except at the point of contact, where you would likely see very deep burns, blackening of the tissues and sometimes a loss of fingers.

The myth that if you were in contact with water and an energized electrical cable was placed in the water then you would be immediately electrocuted was just that, a myth. Such a thing didn’t happen unless the water was able to conduct the electricity in the first place. That only happened if it was contaminated, for example with salt.

In this case, no water was present, either with or without salt.

Something else had happened here. The figure in the chair had been on fire, but that hadn’t been the cause of his death. The bloodshot eyes, the fibres and oil deposits she’d retrieved from around the mouth and nose suggesting a cloth of some kind, the pressure bruising, all of these pointed to suffocation.

The fire, she’d concluded, had been set to primarily destroy the computer equipment, the partially charred body being an appending causality.

Rhona was writing her notes alongside the victim when Chrissy reappeared.

‘They’re on their way,’ she said. ‘You should have seen them on the ladder. DS Neville looked positively green. Mind you, it’s rougher than yesterday,’ she conceded.

‘Did they see you spying on them?’ Rhona said, already feeling sorry for the visiting detectives.

‘No way,’ Chrissy said. ‘I’ll save that up for later.’

Seeing Chrissy’s mischievous grin, Rhona suddenly realized, ‘You know DS Neville?’