Salmon looked sternly at him. ‘I think solicitors have a better understanding of legal intricacies than you or me, officer. Let me assure you, this is not a cover-up. The commissioner agrees with the views of our solicitors. As from now, you can all return to your respective stations. DI Stanley, DS Tennison and DC Boon will complete the necessary reports and deal with Lee Holland.’ Salmon walked quickly out the room before anyone else could challenge him.

‘Looks like our hands are tied,’ Jane said to Stanley.

‘We may not be able to do anything about it, but I know someone who can, now he’s handed in his warrant card,’ Stanley said.

‘Are you going tell Barnes what’s happened?’ Jane asked.

‘Too right I am. He can tell the press what he likes without fear of repercussions.’

*

Jane found it hard to watch as Sam Pullen examined Becky’s body. She’d been to many post-mortems, but this was the first one where she’d known the victim. She thought about PC Rogers. As a coroner’s officer he would have attended hundreds of post-mortems, but the thought of his daughter lying on a cold slab being dissected would be a nightmare he had never imagined.

Only a few days had passed since Jane had watched Becky stand her ground amongst seasoned journalists at the press conference. She’d been laughed at and ridiculed but didn’t let it bother her. Jane fondly remembered Becky irritating Barnes with her naïve questions. He did his best to ignore her, but she would not give in. And in the end she’d shown him up.

No one spoke during the three-hour post-mortem. When it was over, Sam Pullen, Jane and Stanley went to the mortuary office to discuss her findings.

Pullen referred to her notes and drawings. ‘There are multiple bruises and cuts to Becky’s body which are consistent with a fall down a stone staircase. I can’t say if she was pushed. There is also a fracture on the back of her head. This probably occurred when she landed at the bottom of the stairs and her head impacted with the floor. The impact caused an acute subdural hematoma.’

‘Remind me what that is,’ Stanley said.

‘A subdural hematoma occurs when a blood vessel in the space between the skull and the brain is damaged. Blood escapes from the vessels, leading to the formation of a blood clot that places pressure on the brain and damages it. Head injuries that cause a subdural hematoma are often severe, such as those from a fall or violent assault. An acute subdural hematoma is among the deadliest of all head injuries. Blood fills the brain area rapidly and compresses the brain tissue, which can result in unconsciousness, a coma and subsequently death.’

‘So, Becky died because of the fall,’ Stanley concluded.