S06:É03 - S06:E03 - Painted in Blood

Joyce is taking part in an open-air art class, being held on the village green of Midsomer Florey, when she discovers the body of an elderly fellow student, Ruth Fairfax, concealed beneath some undergrowth shortly after a session. Just as Barnaby begins to learn that Ruth was not all she seemed to be, officers of the NIS pull him off the case. While Troy is allowed to assist them, Barnaby is left handling a local operation into a spate of thefts, yet he decides to continue his investigations in secret. In doing so, he soon turns up armed robbery, unaccounted stolen money, former criminals, and secret liaisons, before discovering that the NIS investigation is not being as thorough as it should be.