Joe Spencer’s address was a farmhouse in the middle of nowhere, off the A66. By all accounts, it was a perk of his job with English Heritage. The surrounding farm was still actively worked and it looked prosperous to Kelly and Rob, who approached along a concrete single track on Wednesday morning. It had been five days since Mary’s death, and they’d cleared pretty much every lead they’d created. The victim hadn’t had visitors, there was no CCTV of her near her house, her diary hadn’t given them any clues about those present in her life, Fred O’Reilly had given them no reason to treat him as a suspect, and her team had found no holes in the testimony of the other ‘birdwatching’ group members. It was looking more and more like a random psychotic incident, or even an animal rights activist making a point. It might seem perverse for an animal campaigner to hurt animals but sometimes that’s exactly what they did, if it meant making a point. None of it sat easily with Kelly or Rob, and they considered the possibility that Mary had found herself a member of a satanic cult probable: she was lonely, she dabbled in Paganism and she could be classed as vulnerable.

Joe Spencer and his wife Annie had been in attendance at the house of the O’Reillys when they were informed of Mary’s death. He’d also been the man who found the woman wandering around Castlerigg. It was a small community; however, with a murderer on the loose – potentially still in the area – Kelly was concerned for the young woman who’d seemed confused and vulnerable. She still wanted to locate her to make sure she was safe. Joe Spencer needed ruling out as a person of interest.

The lane to the farmhouse was long, but finally they arrived and parked outside. It was a stone-built cottage, attached to a wooden annex, which looked as though it had once been a cattle shed or something similar. Kelly noted the peace of the place, though they heard the odd sheep from afar. They approached the door and Rob knocked.

‘Winter’s almost here,’ Rob said, looking at the sky.

‘That’s cheery,’ Kelly said. Rob smiled and spread his hands.

‘I’m a summer bloke.’

‘I know you are. You’re also a northerner, so man up.’

They heard a noise behind the door and a woman answered. She was expecting them. Kelly introduced herself and Rob. The woman welcomed them and said that she was Annie Spencer. She invited them inside and Joe was waiting for them in the kitchen, sat at the table, sipping tea. He stood up.