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.

"What we want is an apologySaying sorry. and an explanation," says the viscountess.

The viscountess has had over 2,000 emails from people wanting to help. She thinks that if the woman had stopped and told somebody, Quackers might have survived.

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.