Callie looked at Becky with startled eyes. ‘Yes, he was the man I thought was a bit dodgy on the boat. How did your boss know that?’

‘It’s a long story. It seems we’ve managed to access Hannah’s texts. One was sent to Albie’s parents resigning without notice. They were furious. That was the day she went missing – but she didn’t take Albie.’

‘Bastards!’ Callie repeated. ‘I bet Thea sent the text to stop them from wondering what had happened to Hannah when she didn’t turn up for work.’

Bastards indeed, Becky thought.

‘Do you mind if I ask you about the third woman – the one you’ve never seen, but you think might be somewhere in the house?’ Becky asked, trying to move Callie on. ‘Judith, you think she is called?’

‘I don’t know much. Garrick called us all Judith, supposedly because he found it easier, but there was more to it than that. It felt as if we were all somehow stand-ins for the real Judith. Apparently I look a bit like her, although the others don’t look at all like me.’

‘I doubt any of you were chosen for your looks – your similarity was possibly just a happy coincidence. Now we know a bit more about the Atwells, it’s almost certain that the key criterion was vulnerability. Do you think the original Judith could have been Garrick’s lover?’

Callie shrugged again. ‘I don’t know. I think she might be Thea’s younger sister, although I don’t suppose that rules her out as a lover. It said in the article that Garrick had never married, but he and Thea appeared to share a bed. So I guess she must have been under his spell too.’

Becky was silent as she processed everything Callie had just told her. She knew exactly what the relationship between the Atwells was and had called Tom to share the information. For the moment she thought it better if Callie didn’t have any other revelations to contend with.

‘Why do you think she was Thea’s sister?’

‘In the house there was a photograph of two women taken in the seventies. The names on the back were Thea and Judith Atwell. Not that it proves anything. They could have been cousins, I suppose. Judith looked about fifteen years younger than Thea. I had no idea there was anyone else in the house until Judith’s husband came looking for her – Vincent, he was called – but Thea wouldn’t let him past the hall.’

Callie explained how Thea had reacted to Vincent’s arrival, repeating everything she could remember about the shouting match that had taken place.

If Callie had remembered the conversation correctly and Vincent hadn’t seen his wife for a year, Becky realised there was something she needed to do.