The last thing James wanted was for her to be struck by another bout of despair in the run up to Christmas.

‘Let’s assume for now that it’s got nothing to do with Sullivan,’ James said. ‘Can you think of anyone living here in the village who might be of a mind to dream up something as crazy as this? Perhaps someone who isn’t happy about us moving here?’

Annie placed the wine and the glasses on the table and sat down.

‘Absolutely not,’ she said. ‘We’ve been given a warm welcome. And as far as I know we haven’t made any enemies.’

James sat back in the chair and grappled with a new batch of questions that were spinning around in his head.

What would be the next step if no forensic evidence turned up on the parcel and its contents? Would DCI Tanner expect him to pursue it by making discreet enquiries in the village? And if so, who would he approach and what would he ask them?

It was a tricky one, for sure, and he could feel his insides clenching at the thought of how it was going to play out over the days ahead.

Annie poured the wine and pushed James’s glass across the table towards him. He thanked her, then asked what time she’d left the house earlier to go to the nativity play.

‘It was around half four,’ she answered. ‘I popped home to grab a bite to eat and change. It was dark by then so I left the lights on for you.’

‘I got here just after six so the parcel was placed on the doorstep between those times,’ James said. ‘The street outside was empty when I arrived, but I suppose somebody could have been watching from the shadows.’

‘I don’t remember seeing anyone outside either,’ Annie said.

‘What about when you walked to the school? Did you pass any other people or cars heading this way?’

Annie scrunched up her brow and cast her mind back. It took her mere seconds to shake her head.

‘I only saw one other person,’ she said. ‘It was Keith Patel, who I’ve seen around the village from time to time. We passed each other on the pavement this side of the square. I said hello to him but he either didn’t hear me or chose not to respond.’

‘Didn’t you think that was odd? Or at least rude?’

‘Not really. The man has a reputation for being anti-social. Apparently, he’s been like that since his ageing mother died a year ago. Janet told me that the woman fell down her stairs but her body wasn’t discovered for a week because nobody called at the house. Patel is now living there but keeps to himself because he believes that she might have been saved if her friends and neighbours in the village had bothered to drop in on her.’

James leaned forward across the table. ‘Can you remember if the guy was carrying a box or a bag?’