Once back downstairs, Barrett put his wet feet into his shoes, after thanking Susan and Marie for their time and cooperation, before heading back out into the downpour followed closely by Palmer.

‘She’s a character,’ Palmer said referring to Marie and wiping the raindrops from his face.

‘Call Hale and Singh,’ Barrett barked as he started the engine. ‘I want them waiting at the station ready to go through these diaries. Everything else can be put on hold.’

Roy Dunlop had been waiting for the rain to pass before he ventured out to walk his golden Labrador. The dog, Marlow, had been scratching at the front door and dropping heavy hints all afternoon so, when the downpour finally ceased, Roy pulled on his Barbour jacket and flat cap and grabbed the dog’s lead.

Closing the door on his cottage he wondered why he’d given in. An icy wind was blowing and darkness was already falling.

He walked along Toyse Lane on the outskirts of Burwell and kept his head down, wanting to avoid the drizzle. Marlow pulled hard on the lead and tugged his master along the lane, making Roy move at a faster pace than he wished to. It was his wife who insisted they had a dog, yet he was the one tasked with walking the creature. Still, he knew when he got home that a nice steak and onion pie would be waiting so it wasn’t all bad.

It was the same walk he did every day, along Toyse Lane and right onto North Street before heading up Little Fen Drove. He walked along the quiet country track, avoiding puddles, before turning onto the footpath that led to the fishing lakes and letting Marlow run free. The dog immediately went galloping through the deep muddy puddles enjoying his freedom and not giving a second thought to the fact that he would have to be bathed when he got home.

Roy plodded along behind, his gumboots squelching in the thick mud. From his pocket he removed a small torch so that he could see in the gloom. The drizzle had relented but the sky was still heavy with dark clouds.

As he reached the edge of a lake he stopped to see where Marlow was. The dog was on the other side of the water barking at a tree. Rolling his eyes, Roy made his way round the perimeter to see what the dog was making a fuss about. He wasn’t prepared for the body he discovered hanging from one of the branches.

The skull had been caved in and the torso was a bloody mess, the clothes ripped revealing skin and wounds. Below the corpse, the dog went on barking, its hackles up while its feet stood in a puddle of rainwater marbled with blood.

Chapter 23

5.50pm Sunday 22nd December