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that didn’t mean it had come from the killer. It could have come from anywhere.
    He was about to call Dr Clayton when his phone rang. It was Bliss. Horton knew she’d catch up with him eventually.
    ‘Inspector, I have received a formal complaint about your attitude from Eunice Swallows. You entered the apartment belonging to the husband of one of her clients despite not having permission, on whose authority?’ she snapped.
    ‘My own. I had reason to believe Mr Kenton might be inside, possibly ill or injured. I was wrong.’
    ‘I’d say you were. This does not—’
    But he cut her short. ‘Kenton’s been found dead. On a beach on the Isle of Wight. I’m there now.’
    There was a moment’s stunned silence before she said, ‘Why wasn’t I informed?’
    ‘I didn’t realize you were on duty, Ma’am.’
    ‘I—’
    Again he cut her off. ‘Detective Superintendent Uckfield is with me at the scene. He
was
informed and it is now a Major Crime Team investigation.’
    Again a fragmentary pause. ‘I’ll call him.’
    She rang off before Horton could utter another sound. Horton heard Uckfield’s phone ring, the moment he came off the line to Dennings. Horton called Dr Gaye Clayton on her mobile, hoping she was available and not out sailing, although the weather wasn’t exactly fair he thought, looking up at the gathering dark clouds and at the high rolling waves topped with foaming white spray.
    ‘Don’t tell me,’ she declared brightly, her West Country accent sounding stronger on the phone, ‘you’ve interrupted the very important business of food shopping to say you’ve got a body.’
    ‘Afraid so, and it means a trip to the island.’ He told her that Sergeant Elkins would pick her up from the Commercial Ferry Port berth in ninety minutes.
    ‘Good, that gives me time to go home and unload this lot.’
    He knew that she lived alone. She’d once told him she was divorced but had never volunteered anything more about her personal circumstances, and he’d never asked. He’d seen her with male medical colleagues having a drink and didn’t doubt she had admirers. Why shouldn’t she? She was attractive, in a boyish kind of way.
    Uckfield was still on his phone. Maybe he was still talking to Bliss or perhaps he was speaking to ACC Dean, his boss. Danby emerged from the rear of Lord Eames’ property and Horton joined him on the pontoon.
    ‘No sign of any intruder,’ Danby reported, ‘as I knew there wouldn’t be. I’d like to stay until the body is removed.’
    ‘Fine.’ Horton called Newport police station and asked them to tell the undertakers to stand by at Newport Quay, which was a short distance from the hospital mortuary. He then rang the coastguard services and, after briefing the officer in charge, requested their assistance in removing the body and transporting it to Newport Quay, as the marine unit was tied up and he thought it would be extremely difficult to negotiate the body through the woods. They could have taken it via Lord Eames’ back entrance but Danby hadn’t volunteered that option and Horton didn’t suggest it although it would have given him the opportunity to see the property. The coastguard said they’d be across within twenty minutes.
    Uckfield beckoned Horton over.
    ‘Bliss is going to break the news of Kenton’s death to Eunice Swallows. She’ll get a full list of the cases Kenton was working on, along with names and addresses of the clients and those he was investigating.’
    ‘Including details of the Veermans.’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘We’ll also need to check out this Roger Watling. I don’t think he would have left Kenton’s car in his space and then made such a fuss but he could have considered it a good diversionary tactic.’
    ‘I’ll get Trueman on to that. Wonder Boy’s given permission for Bliss to work as the DCI in the incident suite, which Trueman’s setting up now.’
    Wonder Boy was one of Uckfield’s kinder terms for ACC Dean, whom he often