A young woman called Edie Covington is drowned to death when the car she was in is rammed into a pond by another car. Her lover, Joshua Holcombe, goes missing after the murder. With Lynley suspended until the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, Havers is assigned to work on this case under DI Fiona Knight. She and DI Knight get along reasonably well, but Havers risks her new boss's anger by unofficially asking Lynley to do some background detecting.
DI Knight strongly suspects Edie's partner, Tim Sumner, to be the murderer. Lynley, on the other hand, believes that Edie's death was to do with a land dispute with property developer Owen Harcourt-Baines. It seems a matter of time before Havers' past and present bosses clash openly.
In the meantime, Helen reemerges in Lynley's life, and contemplates rekindling their relationship.
Tropes
- Arc Words: "Eluthera".
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Lafferty. The man becomes poetic over the dead bodies he dissects.Lafferty: [examining the bodies of two victims, who were lovers] Never was there a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.Lynley: [exasperated] Do you have a different quote for every autopsy you do?Lafferty: What's better - to see them as pieces of meat or fragments of poetry?
- The Bus Came Back: With a
brand-new Helen, no less! - Conflicting Loyalty: Barbara is torn between her loyalty to Lynley and her loyalty to her new partner, Fiona Knight. No prizes for guessing who wins.
- Dude, Where's My Reward?: It does seem rather unfair that it is Helen who gets to celebrate with Lynley when he is reinstated, given that it was Havers who gave the crucial evidence at the hearing, and who supported Lynley throughout his Heroic BSoD for the past year or so. Havers' expression as she walks away from the couple shows her relief at Lynley's fate, but some disappointment as well.
- Epiphany Therapy: Lynley solves a key aspect of the puzzle and realises the truth about his feelings for Helen 5 minutes through the psychotherapy session.
- Fanservice Pack: Barbara shows up with shoulder-length hair and a significant wardrobe upgrade. The effect is startling, to say the least.
- Improvised Weapon: It's not that a car hasn't been used to kill people before, but using it to ram another car into the pond, with a person trapped inside, has to be one of the cruelest and most unexpected forms of murder.
- Mama's Baby, Papa's Maybe: Millie. But Tim Sumner doesn't love her any less for that.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: After Lynley and DI Knight disagree over which lead to follow, Lynley remarks to Havers (once DI Knight has left): "I see what you mean. She doesn't listen, does she?" To which Havers comes back with: "That reminds me of another detective I know."
- The Other Darrin: This episode introduces the third Helen, played by Catherine Russell.
- Papa Wolf: Tim Sumner. What makes this particularly poignant is that despite having just been told that he isn't Millie's biological father, he goes on a Roaring Rampage of Rescue when she is kidnapped. The moment he is able to snatch her from the kidnapper,he carries her away like she's the most precious thing in the world.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: DI Knight, mostly. Once she realises that Lynley and Barbara are on the right track, she lets them have at it.
- Red Herring: Both DI Knight and Lynley's lines of enquiries have absolutely nothing to do with Edie's murder.
- Shipper on Deck: DI Knight certainly seems to be one for Lynley and Havers.
- Sue Donym: DI Knight is appalled when she hears reports that a man identifying himself as "Inspector Linton" has been questioning potential suspects in the case.
- True Companions: Fiona Knight knows exactly what's up.Knight: You two really are a double act, aren't you!
- With Cat Like Tread: After eavesdropping on a conversation by hiding in an adjoining room, Lynley walks out with \such conspicuous stealth that his hostess immediately suspects that he was up to no good.
