She nodded and took a couple of deep breaths before responding.

‘I’m staying at a bed and breakfast here in the village,’ she said. ‘I was starting out on a short walk when I saw a figure, a person, lying in the snow. When I got up close, I saw the blood.’

‘Are you sure this person is dead?’

‘I’m positive. I called out and nudged the body with my foot, but there was no movement. And the face is covered with snow, so I don’t know if it’s a man or woman. You should go see for yourself. It’s on the other side of the stream next to the old beech tree. Just across the footbridge. Oh God, it’s horrible. I can’t believe it.’

‘Okay, well—’

‘And that’s not all,’ she continued breathlessly, her voice high and brittle. ‘There’s a small dog as well. It looks to be frozen stiff.’

James reached out and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, aware at the same time that others had closed in on them, eager to find out what was going on.

‘I’ll go straight over there and take a look,’ he said. ‘But before I do, please tell me your name.’

‘It’s Fiona. Fiona Birch. I’m spending Christmas here with a few hiking friends but they don’t arrive until this afternoon.’

‘Right, well, you wait here, Fiona, and I’ll take a statement from you when I get back.’

He turned to the group that had gathered behind him and saw that they were at least twenty strong, and included Annie and Father Silver.

‘Now what this lady has told me needs investigating,’ he said out loud. ‘While I do that you must all stay here because if a crime has been committed, I don’t want to risk anyone destroying or contaminating possible evidence.’

Annie stepped forward and gently grasped Fiona’s arm.

‘Just go check, James,’ she said. ‘And I suggest you hurry up.’

From the look she gave him it was obvious they were thinking the same thing – that it wouldn’t be long before curiosity drove some people across the footbridge and into the field.

He broke into a run and it took him only minutes to reach the little bridge. He had walked across it himself only a couple of weeks ago, when Annie had taken him to see some of the finest views of the surrounding countryside, so he was familiar with the field in question and the ancient beech tree that Fiona had mentioned.

He saw the body when he was some way off, a dark bump rising like a rock out of the smooth white snow.

There was only one set of footprints leading away from him, which must have been left by Fiona. He walked parallel with them until he reached the body. The size and shape told him it was a man but be couldn’t be sure.

Fiona had been right about the blood. There was a lot of it, bright red stains that spread in shapeless patches across the parts of the figure not covered by snow.