Jai and I sat on a beige sofa by the window. I eyed the books. You could learn a lot from people’s books – it would be such a shame if it all went to e-books. It was an eclectic mix – psychology, art, classic literature, but mainly utilitarian philosophy and books on food and the meat industry. This wasn’t someone who’d gone lightly into running an abattoir.

Anna returned, put mugs of tea on a wooden coffee table, and perched on a chair opposite us. She’d brought cupcakes and flapjacks with the drinks. I marvelled at the kind of person who could produce cupcakes after her brother had been murdered, or even have cupcakes in the house and not devour them all in one frenzied sitting. ‘I’ve been baking,’ she said. ‘To take my mind off things. The kitchen’s piled high with food I can’t touch. Please eat some of it.’

I took a piece of flapjack. How could I not? ‘Thank you.’

‘Is it true Daniel’s missing?’ Anna picked icing off a cake and dropped it onto her plate.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Do you have any idea where he could have gone?’

‘No. Did he kill Violet and Gary?’

‘We’re looking into various possibilities,’ I said, and she caught my eye and nodded slightly, as if to say, Thanks – very helpful.

‘There’s a small chance Violet may still be alive,’ I said. ‘And that Daniel may have taken her. So if you have any idea where he might be …’

‘Good heavens.’ She shook her head. ‘But I haven’t any idea, no. He rarely even leaves the village.’

‘Where does Daniel like to go within the village then? Any special places?’

‘Oh … I don’t want to be unhelpful, but I don’t know him that well.’ A sense of information left out.

‘Any special places?’ I said again.

‘Well …’ She sighed. ‘Maybe the woods.’

‘Where you had the barbecue in 1999? The night Lucas was killed?’

She nodded slowly.

We’d already looked for Daniel in those woods, and found no trace of him. But what happened that night? What was the secret? I felt sure it would help us find Daniel and possibly even Violet. I took out a copy of the map we’d found in Daniel’s caravan and showed it to her.

Anna went very still and clutched the arm of her chair.

‘Does that mean anything to you?’ I asked, pointing to the image of the gravestone with the words 1999 RIP. ‘What does that refer to?’

‘I’ve never seen it before.’

‘But you know what it means, don’t you?’

I could feel the tension coming from her. I’d met her a few times now and knew she wasn’t one of life’s over-reactors. This was big.

‘You need to tell us, Anna,’ I said. ‘This is really important. It might help us find Violet alive.’