‘Indeed, I have,’ Coppell replied. ‘But it’s not something you’re going to want to hear.’

CHAPTER FIVE

Tony Coppell was one of Cumbria’s most respected forensic officers. He was in his mid-fifties and had been doing the job for over twenty years.

He’d once told James that he relished the challenge that faced him at the scene of virtually every crime or serious incident he attended. No doubt that was why he excelled at what he did.

‘This is a strange one,’ he said as he led James and Abbott down towards the jetty. ‘Granted, we haven’t been here very long, but it’s already obvious to me that it’s not going to be straightforward.’

They stopped in front of the tape that stretched between the two posts at the start of the jetty.

‘I’d rather you didn’t step onto it,’ Coppell said. ‘There’s already been too much contamination. First, there was the staff member who found and picked up the poor woman’s purse and broken glasses. Then God only knows how many more people trampled on pieces of potential evidence before we got here.’

‘What can you tell us, Tony?’ James asked.

‘Well, to begin with, there’s no sign of the woman, but I very much fear that she’s in the water,’ he replied. ‘You probably know that it’s not uncommon for people to fall or be pushed from jetties such as these and when the water is as cold as it is now the shock to the system can be deadly in itself. Bodies can then get snagged on rocks and timber supports if they don’t drift away from the shore. I’ve dealt with numerous similar cases all over the Lake District.’

‘Have you come up with a theory as to what might have happened here?’ This from Abbott.

Coppell shook his head. ‘Like I said, it isn’t straightforward, so let me explain.’ He pointed to a spot about ten feet along the jetty. ‘That’s roughly where the purse and glasses were found, according to the staffer who spotted them. And having examined the glasses myself I do believe that there are traces of blood on the cracked lens and one of the temples.’

He then pointed towards the far end of the jetty where his colleague was still on all fours examining the decking. ‘A few minutes ago, we discovered a significant amount of blood on top of the last post on the right and there are several drops on the wooden slats around it.’

‘So do you think she could have fallen on it?’ James said.

‘I do. It has a sharp, splintered top and if it was her head that struck it, then it might have been hard enough to have rendered her unconscious or even killed her outright.’

Now James couldn’t help but think the worst. From where he stood the jetty posts looked like thick black spikes jutting up through the decking. It was easy to imagine that falling on one could prove fatal.