After his conversation with Lockett, Stevens walked out of his office, a satisfied smile on his face.

‘Okay, Jackson, I guess this is the happy bit. Let’s go and tell Mrs Roberts that we’ve found her family, shall we?’

They arrived at the holiday cottage to find everything was still the same, the two cars still in the drive, which was a relief, Stevens thought, because there was always a chance people might try to do a runner in these cases. Vulnerable, was how he would describe Mrs Roberts, but then, as he knew from experience, appearances could be so deceptive.

The curtains were still closed and he wondered if she was asleep. He checked his watch to find it was just after four o’clock. Late for an afternoon nap, he thought. He gave the door knocker a few hard whacks, and they waited.

He banged the knocker again, waited a bit longer, but there was still no reply. When he tried the door, it was locked. They walked round the back of the cottage but the back door was locked too. He sighed, went round to the front and knocked again.

Unease prickled his skin. Nobody could have slept through the racket he’d been making, and he wondered if he’d been wrong and she had done a runner after all. There was the man she’d been having an affair with. She could have got him to come and pick her up. He pursed his lips as he thought, his heart beating a little faster.

‘Right, Jackson, we’re going to have to break the lock. Give it a go, will you?’

Jackson’s eyes lit up and he hurled himself at the door. A few minutes later they were in. Straight away, Stevens could feel the absence of life in the house. It was so still, so quiet. And very cold.

‘Feels empty, doesn’t it?’ Jackson said, eyes scanning the hallway, wary.

‘I’m afraid so,’ Stevens sighed. He’d obviously got it wrong, his character antennae letting him down. ‘Let’s have a quick check round, get those DNA samples, then we’ll call it in.’

‘Right.’ Jackson went outside to get the gloves and evidence bags, then they checked downstairs, but everything was neat and tidy, only a couple of empty wine bottles on the worktop. Apart from that there was no washing up, no mess of any sort. Stevens noticed that Mel’s coat was still on the hook by the door. And underneath sat a pair of her shoes; the ones she’d been wearing yesterday. His stomach griped. This wasn’t feeling good now.

‘I’ll go first,’ he said to Jackson, as he led the way up the stairs. He peered into the master bedroom but there was nothing there. He let out a long breath. ‘Go and get the DNA samples from the kids’ rooms, will you? Or there may be toothbrushes in the bathroom down the corridor.’

He took the two bags that Jackson held out to him and headed into the en suite off the master bedroom.

And stopped, his heart thumping so hard he’d swear he could hear it.

Mel Roberts was lying in the bath, motionless, her face underneath the water, eyes closed as if she was asleep. A glass was perched at the end of the tub, an empty bottle next to it. And folded into the glass was a scrap of paper.

She was very obviously dead.

A sadness wove itself into his heart as he gazed at her lifeless form. The bruises round her wrists looked darker, more livid in the water, where her arms floated on the surface. Or was that his imagination? Maybe the action of the water or the start of decomposition? He was no expert.

An accident or suicide?

He picked the scrap of paper out of the glass and unfolded it, looked at the scruffy writing, which straggled all over the place and it took him a minute to understand what it said.

He looked at her peaceful face, unable to move for a few moments. Then his brain kicked into gear and his training took over. He called to Jackson, who came dashing into the bathroom, stopping when he saw the body in the bath. Stevens noticed the lad’s face go pale and he realised it was probably the first dead body he’d ever seen.

‘We’re going to need an autopsy. Can you call it in?’ Jackson didn’t move, his eyes glued to the body. Stevens turned away, his hand on Jackson’s arm as he steered him out of the bathroom. ‘I think we’ve done everything we can here. Come on, we better wait outside.’