‘I do, boss. On the advice of the Collision Investigation Unit, I had the Paternosters’ BMW Three Series transported to the local main dealer in Portslade. They carried out an analysis of the data from the car’s onboard computer system. Its movements tally exactly with the plot of Niall Paternoster’s phone and the journeys we know about. It was stationary at Parham House, West Sussex, during the exact time the photograph of Mrs Paternoster was taken, at 1.50 p.m. on Saturday August twenty-fourth. This tallies with the three ANPR cameras that picked up the BMW on both its outward and inbound journeys. In addition, we have the plot of the car’s journey first to Ashdown Forest early last Friday morning and then to Shoreham Harbour, with corroborating evidence from four ANPR cameras.’

Branson thanked her. ‘We’ll come on to the findings, so far, at Ashdown Forest in a few minutes. But before we do that, something I feel is very significant are two rings found underneath bedroom floorboards by the Forensic Team. One is almost certainly Eden’s wedding band and the other would seem likely to be her engagement ring. Removed and concealed. The first question this begs is why someone would remove their wedding and engagement rings? And, secondly, why they would hide them?’

‘Fear of being burgled?’ Norman Potting ventured.

‘Fair point, Norman,’ Branson replied. ‘But it makes you wonder why she removed them – if indeed she did. Could it have been her husband, thinking that would make identifying her body harder?’

‘What do we know about the state of their marriage, boss?’ Jon Exton queried.

Branson turned and looked at the association chart behind him. ‘Have any of our Outside Enquiry Teams talked to her friends yet?’

‘Her immediate family – including mother and sister – have been contacted. Her mother didn’t have a good word to say about her son-in-law,’ EJ Boutwood answered.

‘You should talk to my ex-mother-in-law!’ Norman Potting said.

‘All four of them?’ EJ quizzed.

Potting blushed. ‘Yes, well – don’t think they’d have many good words to say about me.’

‘Any good reason for that?’ EJ asked cheekily. ‘And by the way, how did that Swedish detective you were sweet on work out?’

‘Don’t ask.’

‘OK, you two,’ Branson admonished. ‘You haven’t contacted any of her friends yet, EJ?’

‘I have the names of four of her best friends, sir. I’m planning to speak to them tonight.’

Branson turned to the Intelligence Cell and asked for an update.

Martyn Stratford replied, ‘Sir, I’ve been doing some background on Niall Paternoster. I’ve found two things that might be of significance. First, he started his career as a butcher’s assistant – working for a firm up near Fiveways in Brighton. The second and possibly more significant thing is that he emigrated to Perth, Western Australia, when he was twenty-two. His business partner, an Aussie called Karen Dale, wasn’t wealthy but had a bit of money. They worked, at the time, as sailing instructors. They were with a client in a small yacht off the coast of Perth and according to him they were caught out at sea one night in a storm and she went overboard. Her remains were never found.’