‘But it wasn’t,’ Fisher said. He had brought a small notepad with him and was taking notes.

‘I’m afraid not. A constable was despatched to check it out, and a tow truck was called to get the car out of the water.’ She grimaced. ‘Your husband was discovered in the front seat.’

Kate felt hot and itchy all of a sudden. She felt alone and unreal. She was, in that moment, an old boat clinging to the side of a pier. The urge to let go and allow herself to drift out to sea was strong. If not for Mia, she just might have.

‘The car was a rental, hired in your husband’s name,’ Eckman said. ‘We’re not sure how long it was there before it was discovered, but based on the decomposition, we think at least forty-eight hours.’

‘Are you sure?’ Kate asked. ‘The alarm company called me last night. Someone tripped the security system. If John was already…’

Eckman didn’t make her finish that sentence. ‘It’s possible the alarm malfunctioned or was triggered by some curious wildlife, but there’s also a chance that someone else went into the house last night. Crime Scene Services are on their way there now to take a look around. You’ll both need to provide us with your fingerprints before you leave the station today,’ Eckman said.

Fisher looked up from his notepad. ‘Why? Are we suspects?’

‘We just need to compare them to any we might find at the house, that’s all.’

Fisher scribbled something down in his notepad.

‘How did it happen?’ Kate asked. ‘How was John … how was he killed?’

Fisher glanced at Kate, then waited for Eckman to answer.

‘Spending a couple of days under water destroyed a lot of forensic evidence,’ she said flatly. ‘But we know his carotid artery was severed.’

‘What does that mean, exactly?’ Kate asked.

‘His throat was slit,’ Fisher said. The words sounded sharp and snake-like.

‘Yes,’ Eckman agreed. ‘So far we’ve been unable to locate the murder weapon.’

‘It wasn’t in the car, with John?’ Fisher asked.

‘No.’

‘And you searched the surrounding area?’

‘We’re in the middle of all that now, but so far we’ve had no luck.’

Fisher seemed relieved. ‘If the weapon wasn’t with John, there’s no way he could have…’

‘Could have what?’

‘There’s no way John could have done this to himself.’

Kate flinched, as if someone had just clapped a pair of meaty hands over her shoulders and screamed, boo!

‘Of course not,’ Kate said. ‘Why would you even say that?’

Fisher said nothing. He just jotted something down in his notepad.