‘All I’ve got is something about a cut rope. They’ve got some professional climbers there who were preparing to climb, and that’s the opinion among them.

‘Thanks. Get me the first responder’s squad car number and I’ll have them contacted.’

They hung up. Kelly sprinted back up the stairs. Kate rolled her eyes, wishing she was as fit as her boss, and began going back up to the office.

‘Kate,’ Kelly said over her shoulder.

‘Guv?’ Kate responded breathlessly.

‘I need you to get down to Borrowdale. Where’s Rob?’

‘No idea, I’ll find him, don’t worry. Give me the details.’ Her steps were laboured as she tried to catch up to Kelly.

‘I have to go and make sure that Josie is all right. Let me know when you’re there.’ She walked away and turned again. ‘Make sure the perimeter is secure, get a photographer and a CSI team.’

‘On it, boss,’ said Kate.

Kelly ran to the stairs for the second time and this time made it to the bottom. She thought about calling Johnny back, but wanted to know more details first before she jumped to conclusions. The last thing he needed to hear right now was that Kev was potentially set up and killed.

Borrowdale. Borrowdale. No. No. No.

Air.

She called Rob.

‘Where are you?’

‘Getting a jacket potato.’

‘Eat it quick. A new case has come in, it’s a climbing accident that might not be an accident. An instructor is dead.’

‘Where?’

‘Borrowdale. Kate’s going and I suggested you go with her, unless you’ve got something else on?’

‘No, that’s fine, I can go. Where in Borrowdale?’

‘Woden’s Face, do you know it?’

‘Yeah, it’s not what it was – overused by students – but they’ve got to start somewhere. What happened?’

‘Well, I don’t know all the details yet, but he fell about twenty metres. He was the instructor on an examined climb, he was guiding a group of teenagers, they saw the whole thing. I’m hearing reports that his rope might have been cut.’

‘Really? Where? I mean, where exactly was the rope cut? It’d be pretty impossible to pre-cut a modern climbing rope.’

‘Are you telling me that it could have been done in real time?’ Kelly had imagined a scenario like the movies, where the half-cut rope rubbed itself on sharp rock, thus snapping at the right moment: when too much force was applied.

‘I can’t say for sure, I’d have to look at it.’

‘That’s why I want you down there.’

Kelly ended the call as she reached her car. She input Callum’s address and pulled away.

It was only minutes later that Rob called her back and she answered on hands-free.