a long grey bundle

Dear members,

Does anybody know the book by Patricia Highsmith, Ripley under Water ?

1) If yes, would you please tell me how did the long grey bundle that was put on Tom's doorstep arrive in his car? The paragraph I've got doesn't mention it, and so I can't see the chronology of the events.



2) What is in the long grey bundle? The corpse of Mr Murchinson?



3) There's something else I don't understand: Did Tom just guess what was in the bundle first, then wanted to make sure that his feeling was right?



at the beginning of the paragraph we find:

"A long grey bundle at Tom’s feet made him jump back a little. It lay across the doorstep and Tom knew, with horror, and instantly, what it was." [...]


but then we find:


"Tom realized that he was torturing himself, because he couldn’t, with Mme Annette in the kitchen, which had a window, go outside now and take a good look at what was in his station-wagon. The car stood parallel to the kitchen window, part of the canvas bundle perhaps just visible to Mme Annette if she peered, but why should she?"



I wish you all a very happy New Year.
Hela