‘Guv. I ran Woden’s Face through my app. It was you who said Borrowdale might be an option. I’ve been playing around with all sorts of locations and shapes of stars. Woden’s Face fits the model. It’s the third point, and if the shape is linear and remains the way I’ve set it, then Threlkeld Quarry fits too. It’s a traditional pentagram.’

‘A fall from height,’ Kelly said aloud.

‘Air,’ they said together.

Chapter 55

Callum’s family lived on a remote farm off the A66, and the drive up to it was long and desolate. She parked outside and Johnny came out. They embraced and she looked into his eyes: she’d seen the look before, it was the same one he had when he told her snippets about Afghanistan.

‘Josie’s in bits. Callum is very quiet. I’ve met his parents. They’re good people.’

‘What did they see?’

‘Everything. His head basically snapped almost clean off and his chest caved in. He just ripped open right in front of us all. He was demonstrating and his belay didn’t stop him. I’ve never heard of it – not these days anyway. I was belaying.’

‘Oh, Johnny. It wasn’t the belay.’

‘What?’

‘We’ve got some experts on site and they’re saying the rope was cut.’

‘What? How the hell could that be? There was no one up there, and Kev had checked the ropes already.’

‘What if you didn’t see them up there? What if it was planned?’

‘Why? Who would do that?’

‘Can I see Josie?’ She didn’t want to mention the star, because he was personally involved now. She felt the burden of guilt: she should have known, she should have worked it out. She’d said Borrowdale was a possibility but completely failed to register the threat when the kids said that was the location of their examined climb. She felt sick with disappointment in herself. When Johnny’s shock subsided, he’d work it out for himself. He’d listened to Demi and seen her crude model made with dried spaghetti. He knew that Borrowdale fitted. In his traumatised brain, he just hadn’t remembered yet.

They went inside and Kelly shook Joe Spencer’s hand, but this time as a fellow concerned parental figure, not a police officer. His face was grey and it matched his son’s. She went to Josie and sat next to her, opening her arms. Josie fell into them and began to sob.

She held her for a long time and Joe offered her tea.

‘We’ll get someone over for you to speak to, maybe not yet, but this type of thing will catch you out before you realise it. You’ve had a terrible shock. There are specially trained officers to guide you through it. You might not think you need it but it’s something to try.’