‘It turns out Elliot’s well-liked and trusted. Although one person isn’t very complimentary about his wife, Daisy. She’s apparently the real power behind the throne. And ruthless when it comes to doing deals. She’s tight-fisted where Elliot is generous.’

‘I’ve met her,’ Judith said, ‘and that’s not how she came across to me. But I suppose I wasn’t trying to buy or sell anything.’

‘However, the real reason why I wanted to see you isn’t because of Elliot. You see, someone mentions Stefan here. Your neighbour. The one you told me had been murdered.’

‘They do?’ Judith asked eagerly.

‘And it’s not flattering. Let me get it up. It’s a comment from someone called “John Wayne’s Horse”. No idea why anyone would call themselves that, but anyway.’

Becks scrolled through the replies until she found the one she was looking for.

‘Here, let me read it to you. It says, “Elliot’s a good guy. Which is more than his dad was. He was a real crook. Him and Stefan Dunwoody together.”’

‘It says Stefan was a crook?’

‘It goes on. “Shouldn’t speak ill of the dead, seeing as he’s only just died, but I used to work at the auction house back in the day and Elliot’s dad and Stefan had the place stitched up. It was scam after scam, I’m amazed they didn’t end up prison. And I can tell you, things only changed when Elliot took over and started to clean the place up.”’

Judith was stunned. Stefan was a crook? Just like Elliot had told her?

She began to consider an impossible thought: despite his off-putting manner, had she got everything the wrong way round about Elliot Howard?

Both at the same time, the women heard the sound of glass smashing in the distance.

Becks and Judith looked at the bay window, the direction the sound had come from.

‘What was that?’ Becks said.

‘Shh!’ Judith said as she went to look through the glass. All she could see were the dim shapes of shrubs and trees, and the river shining pewter in the gathering dusk. But then her eye caught a flicker of light upstream on the other side of the river.

‘Do you see that?’

‘What is it?’

‘In the direction of Stefan’s house.’

Judith pointed, and this time they both saw it, a stab of light behind a window. There was a torch moving inside Stefan’s house.

‘There’s someone in there!’ Becks said in surprise. ‘You don’t think it’s a robber, do you?’

‘There’s only one way to find out,’ Judith said, heading to the door. ‘You call the police. Ask for DS Malik. And tell her there’s a break-in at Stefan Dunwoody’s house.’

‘What? Who? Where are you going?’