‘Not yet. Get it out that we need to speak to Chloe and Sasha as a matter of urgency.’

Kelly turned away but her phone interrupted her again and she saw that it was Zoe calling.

‘Have you seen the news?’ Zoe asked.

‘Not at this moment, I’m in an interview. What’s up?’ Kelly asked her.

Kate stopped and hung about, listening.

‘The Kennedy-Craigs are launching a civil action against the AAIB and running their own investigation.’

‘On what grounds?’

‘That the AAIB investigation is compromised by leaks to the press, and the resulting media storm is litigious.’

Kelly considered the irony of a family who at once used and abused the power of media. ‘And you heard about this in the press?’

‘Exactly.’

‘Is it a stunt? They can’t touch the investigation while it’s ongoing,’ Kelly said.

‘Yes, but they are entitled to run their own. It undermines us. If it was sabotage, which we all agree is looking likely, then any insurers won’t pay out. I guess it’s about money,’ Zoe said.

‘Well they can’t change that.’

‘But they can slow things down,’ Zoe said.

‘How?’ Kelly asked.

‘Just by being awkward.’

‘Right, well, it doesn’t change anything as far as I’m concerned. I think what we’ve got is a family in denial. Mrs Kennedy-Craig is on my list of people to speak to. I’ll get on to it this afternoon. Just crack on with what you’re doing,’ Kelly said. ‘Has the snow storm affected you?’

‘Not really. We’d already airlifted enough to the hangar to complete an investigation; what’s left on the mountainside is just a shell. We’ve got the electrics and major mechanical fixtures. The engines were examined on the mountainside and of course we’ve got the tail rotor, which thankfully missed the lake.’

‘Yeah, that would have been like looking for a grain of rice in there. Put this interference out of your mind. I get the impression that the family think they can buy people, and time. That certainly seems the case with the owner of the Laurie Fell estate.’

They hung up. Kelly relayed the conversation to Kate.

‘It’s interesting that the Reilly family have been conspicuously absent from all dealings with the newspapers,’ Kate said as they walked past the interview suites.

Kelly stopped at the door. ‘Not really. They’ve got the protection of the British government behind them. The Kennedy-Craigs have nothing and no one; they’re fighting this alone. By the way, the legal department called me and told me that Bartholomew Kennedy-Craig’s will was read this morning and the son gets everything. I wonder if that was a surprise to the mother,’ she said.

Kelly went back into the interview room and sat down. They restarted, and Kelly apologised.

‘So, where were we? Yes, so Nellie, you were telling me about your relationship with Sasha Granger and Chloe Tate.’