‘I’ll get right on it.’

The darkness had at last retreated from the sky as James strode through the garden towards the jetty, and daylight revealed the setting in all its glory. The view across the lake to the less populated western shore was awe-inspiring.

The Cumbrian landscape never ceased to amaze James and he felt that its reputation as one of the most beautiful places in the country was well deserved. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else now, and he didn’t think he would ever contemplate moving back to London under any circumstances.

But at the same time, he had to accept that even in a place of such beauty and charm, bad things would continue to happen, and no one could ever be completely safe.

He could see that officers and SOCOs were still searching the area around the jetty, their job made easier thanks to the natural light, and that the forensic tent had been removed along with Rachel Elliott’s body. Crime scene tape fluttered in the wind and the air was polar cold.

A police patrol boat floated just offshore, there to stop vessels containing press photographers from getting too close to the jetty, but James knew it would prove ineffective against the drones that were bound to arrive soon in order to transmit video footage to newsrooms or online news sites.

DC Abbott was talking to Tony Coppell, who was reading from his notes. As James approached, he noticed how tired she looked. Her eyes were pouchy and raw and there was no colour in her cheeks.

‘You’re back sooner than I expected you to be, guv,’ she said. ‘How did it go?’

‘I’ve got a new lead that needs to be followed up,’ he replied. ‘There’ll be a catch-up in the Garden Room in fifteen minutes. I’d like you both to be there and I’ll go through it then. Meantime, has anything new been turned up here?’

It was the chief forensic officer who answered. ‘Still no sign of a weapon, but we’re about to widen the search to cover the entire garden and the overflow car park. The divers gave up searching the bottom of the lake around the jetty because it’s covered with rocks and large branches and any one of them could potentially have been used to attack our victim.’

‘Have you found any more blood traces on the decking?’

Coppell shook his head. ‘No, we haven’t, and I’ve been giving more thought to how it might have played out. I’m still certain that the attack took place at this end of the jetty, where the victim’s glasses were knocked off and she dropped her purse. And the bruises on her arm are a strong indication that she was trying to defend herself. I think she was backing away from her assailant and while doing so she fell or was knocked onto the post, which delivered the fatal blow to the back of her head.’

‘So, what happens now?’ James asked. ‘Is there much more to be done?’