Charlie managed a quick smile. Progress, Ashworth thought. He couldn’t remember the last time his face cracked. ‘Believe me, to most of them, anything under fifty’s young. I’m young.’

Vera looked at Holly. ‘Well? What have we got on pretty little Freya? Any evidence that Freya knew Danny Shaw would be helpful.’

Holly sat very straight, waited until Charlie was looking at her too. God, Ashworth thought, she was such a drama queen. Like an eight-year-old in a tutu desperate to show off a new dance.

‘Well?’ Now Vera was really on the verge of losing it. Ashworth couldn’t wait for the storm to break.

‘No information on that, I’m afraid.’ Holly gave one of her you-are-never-going-to-believe-this, how-clever-am-I? smiles. ‘But I did find out that Freya was in the Willows the morning Jenny Lister was killed.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me as soon as you knew?’ Vera demanded.

At least, Ashworth thought, Vera wasn’t going to give Holly the satisfaction of applause.

‘I wasn’t sure myself until just now.’

Vera ignored that. ‘What was she doing there?’

‘There’s an exercise class for pregnant mums. Half pilates, half yoga. You know the sort of thing. It was her first week. We’d already checked that Freya wasn’t a member of the health club, but non-members can go to the specialist classes. They just pay on the day.’

‘How did you find out about it?’ Joe couldn’t help himself. ‘Did one of the staff see her there?’

‘Nothing like that. I saw the class advertised and it just seemed like Freya’s thing. It took me until half an hour ago to track down Natalie, the teacher. That’s why I was a bit late.’ Holly was about to launch into a detailed explanation of her cleverness in getting hold of the woman, but Vera interrupted her.

‘Go back to the hotel first thing tomorrow. See what time the girl left the health club that morning. It must have been before I found the body, because we’d have noticed her among the other witnesses. Did she drive there or get a lift? And let’s make absolutely certain Danny Shaw wasn’t around. We know his shift didn’t start until later and he wouldn’t have been working, but maybe he had another reason for being in the hotel. If he saw Freya commit the murder, we’ve got a motive for that killing too.’

Ashworth could sense ideas fizzing around Vera’s brain. She couldn’t stop talking, like his kids after too much sugar, too many e-numbers. ‘When you’ve got everything straight, call me and we’ll go to Tynemouth and talk to Freya. Or if the college has started for the new term, we’ll see her there. Better if we can catch her away from Morgan. There are too many bloody coincidences here.’