Proof of Guilt

London wine merchant, French, French and Trayner, is expecting one of its partners to arrive from Madeira, just as the other partner, a cousin, goes missing in England. But the dead man found in Chelsea is neither of the partners. Why then is the heirloom watch belonging to one of them found in his pocket? And whose body has washed ashore near Dungeness Light? The three women in the missing partner's life have no answers for Inspector Ian Rutledge. When it appears that the inquiry has finally gone cold, Rutledge suddenly finds himself trying to shield the woman who is going to be taken up for a murder that she may or may not have committed-and searching for a killer for hire who must cover his own tracks to stay ahead of the police. Putting his career and even his life on the line, Rutledge must battle his own doubts before arriving at a final, startling conclusion.