Lynley is reinstated. Lynley, Havers and colleague Detective Constable Winston Nkata have been trying to catch crime boss Michael Shand, but their star witness Roger Pollard is found shot dead on the tidal flats of the Essex marshes. They go to investigate and Havers discovers that he was found on the grounds of the holiday camp that she used to visit on family holidays as a child. They investigate why the witness (who was supposed to be under protection) was in an area where he was well known. This was practically suicide as it would be easy for Shand to find him. Havers rediscovers Nicky Warren, a girl whom she remembers from her hoildays. When Nicky tells her about an unsolved murder of a young child 20 years ago, Havers becomes convinced that investigating the child murder will lead her to the answers she needs to solve the current murder mystery.