ViscountessThe wife or widow of a viscount, the fourth rank in the British peerage. They are below earls and above barons. Hinchingbrooke stared at the dead body. Murder in the grounds of Mapperton HouseA country estate in West Dorset, southern England. ! Quackers, her Indian runner duckA type of domestic duck that stands upright. They were bred in Indonesia. , was no more. But who had killed the poor bird?

Quackers was one of three ducks living at Mapperton House. The alarm was raised by a gardener who heard a noise.

Visitors to the house are supposed to keep their dogs on leads. But a brown and white dog being walked by an unknown woman had chased and caught Quackers.

The woman then killed the duck and threw it into the long grass. She then ran to her car with her young son and drove away.

Viscountess Hinchingbrooke owner comes from the USAThe United States of America is a country in North America. It has a population of 329 million. . She has a YouTube channel called American Viscountess.

"What we want is an apologySaying sorry. and an explanation," she says.¹ "Quackers had been there for ten years and he was the leader of the pack."

The viscountess has had over 2,000 emails from people wanting to help. Some of them name dog owners as suspectsPeople who police think may be involved in a crime. .

She has made her own guesses about the culpritThe person or thing responsible for a crime or wrongdoing., who knew how to kill a duck.

"She is probably from the countryside, perhaps with shooting experience. The main issue is the fact that she decided to make the decision herself without telling any member of staff and then driving off. If we had known, we might have been able to take Quackers to the vet."

The viscountess has now decided to create a new wetlandAn ecosystem in which the land is covered in water. They are home to lots of animal species. area in her pet's memory. She hopes it will attract wild ducks.

Is she right to seek an apology?

Yes! This was a terrible thing to do. The least the woman who killed the duck can do is say sorry and set a good example to her son.

No! She should go to the police instead. No good comes from ordinary people trying to do their own detective work.