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least that was the story Mr Harry Butler told me at Ipswich police headquarters two days ago.'
    'Miss Grey?' She gave him her best smile. 'I recall it was Paula last time we met.'
    'This is a formal inquiry into a cold-blooded case of murder. How do you think she was killed?'
    He's going for the jugular for openers, Tweed thought. Trying to throw her off balance with a brutal approach.
    'She appeared to have been strangled.' Paula replied quietly.
    'By an expert. One might almost say a professional.'
    'What makes you say that?' Tweed interjected sharply.
    'The autopsy report. It was carried out by Dr Kersey. You may have heard of him - one of the leading pathologists.' Buchanan jingled loose change in his pocket.
    'What does he base that conclusion on?' Tweed persisted.
    Buchanan faced him and his alert grey eyes showed a trace of amusement. He was well aware Tweed had intervened to take the pressure off Paula for a moment.
    'The way the strangler had used his thumbs to press on the windpipe to bring about death as swiftly as possible. Kersey suspects some of the bruising was inflicted after death - an attempt to cover up the skill with which the strangulation was carried out. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to continue asking Miss Grey certain questions. After all, she was at the scene of the crime. You weren't.'
    'I wasn't actually at the scene of the crime as you said.' Paula contradicted him. 'I was shivering with cold and fright near the top of a fir tree.'
    'But you saw the murder take place?'
    'I did not. Would you like me to explain how Karin and I came to be there?'
    'You're willing to make a statement?'
    Buchanan glanced at Warden who sat with his notebook on his lap, then at Tweed; expecting opposition. Tweed, playing with a pen, merely nodded.
    Paula told her story tersely and without a wasted word. While she talked Buchanan never took his eyes off her but she stared back. The Chief Inspector crossed his legs, perched the cup and saucer Monica had given him on his knee, sipped the beverage as Paula concluded.
    '... I wish to God now I'd insisted Karin and I spent the day shopping in London.'
    'I hadn't heard you were interested in underwater explo ration,' Buchanan remarked.
    'But you don't know all that about me. I've made my statement.'
    'And these mysterious men in disguise who hunted you with rifles ...' There was a hint of sarcasm in his tone and he paused, hoping Paula would rise to the bait. When she remained silent he pressed on. 'Who could they have been? Why would they want to kill the two of you? When you were racing back to Aldeburgh with the other outboard dinghies in pursuit why didn't you head for the shore earlier and run for it?'
    Warden smiled to himself. A typical Buchanan tactic. Without warning he was putting on the pressure to break her down with a barrage of queries. Pressure had broken many witnesses before.
    'I've made my statement.' Paula repeated. 'In that state ment I answered all but one of those three questions but I'll humour you. You don't mind if I repeat myself, Chief Inspector?'
    'Not at all,' Buchanan replied agreeably.
    'I've no idea who the killers were. I've no idea why they came after us. The third question was not covered in my statement. If you knew that part of the world you'd know that south of Dunwich is one of the loneliest stretches of coast in the world. I felt we had to get to the parked car to escape.'
    'And the three dinghies these men used to pursue you at sea had appeared after you had dived below the surface?'
    'I refer you to my statement.'
    'Karin's husband, Captain Victor Rosewater, is stationed at a Nato base in southern Germany. Someone will have to tell him what's happened.'
    'I've already done that. It wasn't a pleasant duty.'
    'You left that out of your statement.' Buchanan pointed out.
    'It's been added to the statement now.'
    'How did he react?'
    This was the unexpected question she'd been dreading. Something which hadn't arisen when she'd had her