‘I’m sorry I kept you waiting,’ DS Malik said as she sat down in the meeting room.

‘Don’t worry,’ Judith said. ‘I know you must be very busy. I won’t take up any more of your time than I have to. But I’ve found a few things out and I think you should know. As a matter of some urgency.’

‘Okay,’ DS Malik said, getting out a notebook and pen. ‘What do you want to tell me?’

Judith explained how she’d gone to Stefan’s gallery and learned from his assistant Antonia Webster that Elliot Howard had visited Stefan at the beginning of the week before he’d died, that they’d had an argument, and that Antonia had heard Stefan tell Elliot that he had enough to go to the police.

DS Malik was surprised. Just as she’d ruled Elliot out from her enquiries, here he was popping up again.

‘Mr Dunwoody said that, did he?’ DS Malik asked.

‘“I’ve got enough to go to the police.” Those were his exact words to Elliot. According to Antonia. And later on, when Antonia spoke to Stefan about it, he said “desperation drives people to do stupid things”.’

‘He was suggesting that Elliot was desperate?’

‘That’s it exactly!’

‘Although, what if he was referring to himself? Seeing as he possibly took his own life. His “desperation drives people to do stupid things” could have been a veiled reference that he was about to commit suicide.’

Judith threw her hands up in exasperation.

‘You don’t still believe it was suicide, do you?’

‘It’s a possible explanation.’

‘I bet there wasn’t a suicide note, was there?’

DS Malik frowned. The truth was, Judith was right. They’d found no suicide note on Stefan’s body. Or in his house.

Thinking of Stefan’s body reminded DS Malik of the bronze medallion they’d found, so she decided to do a bit of digging.

‘Would you say Mr Dunwoody was a religious man?’

‘I’m sorry?’

DS Malik explained how they’d found a medallion with the word ‘Faith’ carved into it attached to Stefan’s jacket.

‘You mean he wore it like a badge?’

‘Yes. Something like that.’

‘How was it attached to his jacket?’

‘It was on a short chain looped through the middle buttonhole on his jacket.’

‘Oh, like those badges they wear at rowing regattas.’

‘That’s right. Just like that.’

‘I see. Well, I’ve no idea whether Stefan was particularly religious. I don’t go to church that often, so I wouldn’t know. But you’ve not answered my question. Did you find a suicide note?’

‘I’m sorry, but I can’t discuss operational details with a civilian.’

‘Which is all I need to know that you didn’t find a suicide note. Because he didn’t take his own life. Elliot Howard killed him.’