The last thing James and Abbott did before they called it a day was to visit Ron Curtis. James was pleased to see that Janet Dyer had stayed with him all day and she’d been helping him come to terms with what had happened. She’d even promised him she’d return first thing in the morning. They informed Ron that his son’s body had been transported to the mortuary and that there was no need to provide a formal identification. However, if he wanted to see Daniel, they would arrange transport as soon as they could.

They then gave Janet a lift home so she wouldn’t have to walk, and when they dropped her off, James said, ‘Make sure you lock your door tonight and I suggest you don’t open it for anyone.’

James felt guilty about going home having achieved so little. But he had to accept that as the evening closed in, he really had no choice.

The wind continued to batter the village, piling up snow in small drifts between the buildings. He dreaded to think how bad it would be by the morning.

He’d hoped that Tanner had got it wrong when he’d said at the press conference that Kirkby Abbey had been virtually cut off. But a quick call to control before leaving the hall confirmed that it was. The only road through the village was blocked to the east and the west by large drifts.

As he walked through his front door, he was limp with worry and tiredness, and hoping for a warm welcome from Annie to lift his spirits.

Instead she greeted him in the hall with a sombre expression on her face.

‘Bill’s here,’ she said. ‘I asked him to have dinner with us because there’s something we need to talk about.’

‘That sounds serious,’ James said.

‘For him, it is.’

‘What is it?’

‘I think he should tell you himself.’

Bill was waiting for him in the living room.

‘So what’s all this about?’ James asked him, without preamble.

Bill forced a smile. ‘There’s something I have to tell you, James. It’s not good, but hopefully it will help you understand why I’ve been behaving so strangely.’

‘I’m all ears,’ James said.

Bill gave a little cough. Then said, ‘Unfortunately I’ve been diagnosed with dementia, dear boy. I’m slowly losing my mind and my memory. I came here to spend time with Annie before it gets to the point where I won’t remember who she is.’

James was stunned. ‘Jesus, Bill. I am so very sorry.’

‘It’s not your fault, lad. But I find it increasingly difficult to carry out a lot of everyday tasks properly. Driving is one of them, and I was advised to give it up. I was planning to, after coming here, and then I lost control at the wheel the other day and was lucky not to have ended up dead.’

Annie chipped in at this point and explained that it was the dementia that was causing him to be so forgetful.