They stood there, over the corpse, embracing, suspended in some bizarre ménage à trois, until a paramedic asked them politely to move.
He waited for an opportune moment to inform one of the young, uniformed coppers that they might want to get a detective down here because there was no way that was a suicide, and if the fella had suffered an accident, then that would need to be investigated too.
‘And what makes you say that?’ the copper asked quietly, suddenly taking an interest in him.
‘Look at his phone,’ Melvin said.
The scene’s integrity had been secured, and the dead guy’s phone was about two feet away from his body. It was intact but the screen had frozen. The damage it had suffered from the drop had caused some kind of malfunction, but the light was still on the handset. Whatever the man had been watching had been locked and was there to see plain as day.
‘That’s a Clem Allins podcast,’ Melvin said. The copper didn’t have a clue.
Melvin tutted. ‘He’s a wellness guru. Why would somebody watch a positivity podcast that focuses on being your finest self and living your best life if they were planning on killing himself?’
Chapter 9
Kelly’s team at Eden House prepared for the evening shift.
The news about Water Nymph being pregnant subdued the mood. Young Emma Hide lost her sparkle, distinctly unchirpy about a local fell race she’d missed. Dan fussed over her and Kelly felt almost voyeuristic when she caught them whispering in the brew room. Fin spun on his chair and the sound of it clicking got on Kelly’s nerves.
It was an afternoon for staying in her office but Kate plonked herself in a chair opposite her and raised her eyebrows.
‘What?’ Kelly asked.
‘You’ve forgotten how it feels?’ Kate said.
‘What?’ Kelly grew weary of the riddles.
‘Didn’t you see Emma’s face when you said Water Nymph was pregnant?’
Kelly closed her eyes. Of course. Emma had been off coffee and cake – not that she ate much of it – and she was miserable because she was missing fell races, and Dan had been flapping around her like a mother hen.
Emma was pregnant. It was obvious now.
‘Oh, bloody hell, I hope I wasn’t insensitive. How far along do you think she is?’
‘Second trimester,’ Kate guessed.
A call from downstairs interrupted them.
Kate stared at her, knowing something important had come up. Kelly grimaced.
‘I’ll get over there now,’ Kelly said. Then she hung up.
‘Trouble?’ Kate said.
‘Suspected suicide over at Heron Hall, on Rydal Water. The uniform on site has flagged up some unusual details apparently. First responders are on the scene.’
‘Unusual details?’
‘Something about a podcast. Things not adding up. Nervy witnesses. The conference and banqueting manager suspects something off.’
‘Knee-jerk reaction?’ Kate said.
Kelly nodded. ‘Probably.’ It was true that shock caused strange behaviour in otherwise level-headed witnesses. Rydal Water was nestled just across the weir from Grasmere and Kelly was well aware that she should be sending her team home for the evening, not asking one of them to accompany her over there again. The two lakes were separated by a forest and a bridge, and it crossed her mind that it was only five minutes away from where Water Nymph’s body had been found.
‘Did they say why the manager suspects something is off?’ Kate asked.
‘Something about it being out of character,’ Kelly said.
