DI Ruth Calder is talking to Malcolm Kidd, a jittery young man holding a shotgun. His brother's dead body lies on the floor between them. Tosh and the rest of the cavalry are waiting outside. It has to end at some point, but how?Later that night, Tosh attends her friend's birthday party and witnesses the argument of two married friends, Annie and Ian Bett. Their nine-year-old son, Noah, tells Tosh his parents are separating. Before they leave, Annie arranges a meeting with Tosh the next morning – she wants to speak to her about something important. Annie and Noah are staying with John Harris, a mussel farmer, and his sons Patrick and Fergus. But when Tosh arrives the next morning, there's no sign of Annie's car, and she's not picking up her phone. Where are Annie and Noah?