But that wasn’t the end of it. Coppell then showed James several more bruises on Rachel’s right arm.

‘I’ve seen enough of these in my time,’ he said. ‘And I suspect you have too.’

James nodded. ‘They look like defensive bruises from where she raised her arms to try to protect her face.’

‘Precisely.’

James exhaled a long breath and felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

‘There’s no doubt in my mind now that Rachel Elliott’s death wasn’t the result of an accident or suicide,’ he said. ‘There’s enough evidence to suggest that she was murdered. But did she know her attacker or was it the work of a stranger?’

CHAPTER NINE

James hauled himself to his feet and turned to DC Abbott. She was staring down at the body, her expression one of shock.

‘Did you hear that?’ James asked her.

‘Every bloody word,’ she replied, her voice husky with emotion. ‘I can’t believe that only hours ago I saw her walking down the aisle with the bridesmaids. And when this was being done to her, I was inside the hotel swigging back the booze with everyone else. It’s hard not to feel bad about that.’

‘Don’t even go there, Jessica,’ James said. ‘You can’t blame yourself for not stopping something that you didn’t know was happening.’

‘I just wish I’d spoken to her after I saw her hurrying after the bloke with the beard. She might have opened up to me and maybe I could have said or done something that would have changed what turned out to be a tragic course of events.’

James shook his head. ‘Come off it, Jessica. There’s no reason for you to feel in any way responsible. And the same goes for all the other wedding guests and hotel staff who had no idea that Rachel had come down to the jetty. Guilt lies with the assailant.’

She inhaled deeply. ‘I know and I’m sorry. It’s just so horrible to see her like this.’

‘I can appreciate that, but this is now a murder investigation and I need you to be fully focused on it.’

She lifted her head, threw back her shoulders. ‘You don’t have to worry about that, guv. I won’t rest until we’ve collared the bastard who did this. So, what’s our next step?’

‘I need to break the news to the family,’ James said. ‘I want you to go and tell the manager what’s happened and enlist her help to get all the guests and staff into the Garden Room. When I come back down, I’ll put them in the picture and explain why we need their full cooperation.’

He told Coppell to erect a tent over Rachel’s body and to prepare for Dr Flint’s arrival.

‘It’s all in hand, James,’ Coppell said. ‘You just concentrate on how to deliver the news that no family ever wants to hear.’

On the way back to the bridal suite James encountered Greg Murphy again, this time on the terrace. The hotel owner was involved in another spat with uniformed officers because they were stopping him from going down to the lake.