The search of the pond in Potton Park was scheduled for 10 a.m., and Kelly decided that she might as well stay in the area. The pond was a three-minute stroll from the tent where Keira Bradley lay dead. Sharon Bradley’s display had hit a nerve, and the uniforms going door-to-door were getting a more positive response than they had at first. Everything was recorded to be inputted on HOLMES later. Now she had two murder investigations running side by side and she knew it’d test her mettle, as well as her organisational skills.

Back at Eden House, things were moving in the right direction. An old man had come forward to report that he’d seen Ella in her car, and that she’d clearly been scared by a couple of hooded yobs – his words – hanging around the pay-and-display. CCTV footage was available for the car park, and it had been confirmed that the unit was fully functional, which was a result. The man was a resident of the Beacon Estate. Ted had left Kelly a message late last night that Ella’s autopsy was taking place this morning. She called him and he’d already been informed of the second murder. He confirmed that if the body was released from the scene in time, he could autopsy the second victim today also. On another note, he wanted to know if Kelly would like to go to dinner at his place with June and Amber, her half-sisters. Of course, Josie and Johnny were invited too.

She called the police underwater search team in Lancaster and they confirmed their schedule. Next she looked at the statement from the man in the car park and clicked on the CCTV footage sent to her by the data controller for Penrith Council. She saw Ella walk towards her car and felt a pang of grief for her and her family. She wondered how the kids were getting on. In the footage, Ella got into her car and two young men, their faces shielded, make sexual hand gestures to her. To Kelly’s surprise, Ella flicked the bird at them and drove away. In his statement, the man said that the woman in the car, who he’d seen on the evening news, had made a rude gesture to him, but that when he saw the two young men, he understood why. Both of them were in hysterics. The footage could lead somewhere and needed to be followed through, but the two men in the clip were unidentifiable, due to their dress and the angle, so they’d have to rely on public witnesses.

Statements had also been taken from the Apple Store staff, where Ella had been before noon yesterday to get Jordan’s phone fixed. The two members of staff who’d been on duty remembered her because the morning had been quiet. They reported no unusual behaviour or anxiety and said that she had been friendly and chatty.