Kelly drove along the A66 and turned off south. It was days like this that she wished she could just take her team up a mountain for some squad bonding. Bollocks to the mindfulness: fresh air and Mother Nature was all anyone required. Will, Emma and Rob would be takers, but perhaps Kate would have an issue, given her twenty-a-day habit. Kelly glanced towards the Helvellyn range and it was shrouded in cloud. Even throughout the autumn and winter, they got days that shone blue and crystal clear all day long; they were the days the locals came out in force and posted their findings on Facebook. Kelly and Johnny were members of several pages supporting the National Park and people shared their pictures from all over the world. Tourists came from as far away as Fiji and Siberia, and none failed to be lured by the magic of the hills and dales.

‘I see what you mean about being out of the way,’ Rob said, holding on to a ceiling strap.

‘Have we had any results on the clothes yet?’

‘We can’t exactly justify an urgent request on this one, however, the stains elevate it a little, at least the ambulance crew had the foresight to get DNA from her, we should have a result in the next couple of days. If they are hers, and so is the blood, then what does that prove?’

‘Nothing really, it’s just helpful to know which direction she came from. If she stripped – or was stripped – where the clothes were dumped, then we can follow that up. We could also go public with them. Somebody out there must know her.’

‘Unless she is foreign after all.’

‘I know. There is that. I’ve sent her photograph to Interpol, following regular procedure, but it’ll just be filed along with millions of others. You never know, there might be a hit one day. I’ll submit her DNA too. Meanwhile, I’ve got a mountain of paperwork on my desk.’

‘You shouldn’t have brought me, guv.’

‘Ah nonsense. You’ve got to see it. It’ll give you a feel of how she felt if that ever becomes important. If I didn’t bring you, there’s no way you’d pootle up here on your own, like some kind of homework project at the weekend. We’ve all got stuff to do. Sometimes we need a break and we’re fortunate to have all this.’ She cast her hand across the dash, indicating the whole National Park. ‘And right on our doorstep.’

They turned on to an even narrower road and Kelly pulled up and slowed down opposite a farmer’s field. They could see sheep milling about inside.

‘It’s farm land?’

‘Of course, what did you expect? It’s not an exclusive site like the pyramids.’

‘Oh. That’s…’