‘Yes, I’m keeping him up here until we’re done. The powers that be at the MOD have agreed. Funny how a disaster involving a senior politician brings all the resources I need to my door,’ Zoe replied. ‘Any news your end?’

‘Plenty to go on. I might need Lance to meet me at the Laurie Fell estate. It’s near Ullswater.’

‘That means absolutely nothing to me,’ Zoe said.

‘Of course it doesn’t. It’s not far from Penrith. If you’ve got time, let’s meet there and you can have a look at where we think the helicopter was hangared over Sunday night.’

‘Of course, let me know and give me the satnav, otherwise I may never find it.’

They hung up.

Kelly walked out of her office and over to Rob’s desk, perching on the edge. It was fully dark now. It had been a long day. Kelly loved the winter. There were certainly fewer tourists. People chose to spend Christmas with their families rather than climbing, and the towns across the national park tended to be quiet. It was the perfect time to tackle favourite fells for those locals who lusted after the silence and solace the respite provided. Not so now, though. The place was rammed with journalists and reporters. They seemed to be camped everywhere, asking passers-by about what they knew. The car park at the foot of Scafell Pike was no exception. Network teams were living in tents there, in freezing conditions, because Jock at the Wasdale Inn wasn’t allowing them to stay, and his was the only option for miles. It made Kelly smile. Not so long ago, when she worked in the capital, she’d been disparaging about provincial attitudes to progress and intrusion, but now she realised that it was a source of comfort. She wouldn’t go back to London if her salary doubled.

‘This is a printout of Kennedy-Craig’s visits to Laurie Fell over the past year. You can see he’s a regular,’ Rob said.

‘Why didn’t he buy it? He had enough money,’ Kelly said.

‘Tax purposes probably; this way he used the expenses to offset tax and avoid the HMRC. He ran an account solely for Laurie Fell, and other places of a similar nature around the country and all over the world. He barely went home.’

‘Where’s all this from?’

‘It’s part of the Tactika accounts sent to us by their bank. You just have to know what to look for.’

‘It’s all just figures to me,’ Kelly said, looking at his screen. ‘What kind of money are we talking?’

‘To be honest, boss, it’s more what he spent it on. I’ve done the calculations and on a one-week visit to Laurie Fell in the autumn, he spent seven hundred grand.’

‘What?’