It was two weeks before Christmas and I sat in the office staring out of the window. Despite the cheery fairy lights strung up across the street and flashing cheerily in the grey, wintery afternoon light, I was preoccupied with thoughts of death rather than festive cheer. It might have been fate, or a case of death attracting death, that Carol Le Brun came to the office that day looking for me. A few days after his release from prison after fifteen years behind bars, Barry Le Brun, drove out to St Catherine's, walked to the end of the breakwater in the rain, and threw himself into the sea. His body washed ashore a few days later and everyone believes he committed suicide. Except for Barry's long-suffering widow, Carol, who refuses to believe that he took his own life, or that he started the fire that killed fish and chip shop owner Sue Fisher and got Barry locked up for arson and manslaughter back in 1987. Jase Scott is sceptical of Carol's concern but agrees to spend two days looking into the case for her. He realises that the witness to his suicide may not be as reliable as the police believe and there is a chance Barry did not drive himself to the breakwater. Then Carol receives a threatening note through her letterbox, warning her not to open old wounds, and Barry's ex-cellmate Stewie "Buzz" Rogers dies of an overdose despite having kicked the drugs. As Jase's continues his investigation, somebody will do anything to stop him from finding out what happened to Barry Le Brun...