‘I’ll ring Tanika the moment I get home. Tell her they need to have the Rothko in Stefan’s house inspected by an art expert. But now we have a proper motive for why Elliot might have wanted to kill Stefan. Stefan found out that Elliot was the person behind the first break-in. And we know from his assistant Antonia that Stefan threatened Elliot, telling him he “could go to the police right now”. Elliot must have feared he’d end up in prison. So he killed Stefan to silence him.’

‘Brilliant! So Elliot’s the killer, he has to be! Even though he can’t be,’ Suzie added.

‘I know, it’s so frustrating! How did he do it, that’s the question. We should be following him when he’s out and about, staking out his business, putting spy cameras in his house, but we’re not allowed to, are we? We’re only civilians.’

‘Maybe I can help there.’

‘You can?’

‘Let me do some digging. I’m sure I know someone, or know someone who knows someone, who lives on Gypsy Lane where Elliot’s house is. Maybe I can get him under a bit of surveillance.’

‘Now that sounds like an excellent idea,’ Judith said.

As she said this, Judith found herself glancing at the poster on the wall that showed the Lady of Shalott. She idly wondered why her eye was once again drawn to it, and then it hit her.

‘Liz Curtis!’ she suddenly blurted.

This by no means was what Suzie had expected Judith to say next.

‘What?’

‘That’s who the woman is!’

‘Come again?’

‘The auburn-haired woman I told you about. The one who was in the garden of Stefan’s house after he died, and who ran away from me in the field the first time I spoke to you. I knew I recognised her from somewhere. Her name’s Liz Curtis.’

‘How on earth did you work that out?’

‘Well, she’s got auburn hair, like your Lady of Shalott in the poster here. And just like your Lady of Shalott, the last time I saw her she was in a rowboat. You see, Liz Curtis runs the Marlow Rowing Centre.’

Now it was Suzie’s turn to be excited.

‘And you’re sure the woman you saw those two times was Liz Curtis?’

‘I am. Do you know her?’

‘Damned right I do, and if you’re looking for someone capable of murder, then I’d put Liz Curtis at the top of your list.’

‘You think so?’

‘I don’t think so, I know so,’ Suzie said darkly. ‘You see, she’s killed before.’

Chapter 17