Holgate led the way upstairs to the spare bedroom he used as a study. It was lined with crammed-full bookcases and was clearly where he did the small amount of journalistic work he still engaged in. He pulled open a green steel-doored cabinet and heaved down off the top shelf one of a set of box files. The tattered label on its spine read Nancekuke.

‘I expect most of the cuttings I’ve got here were replicated in Caldwell’s collection – or Ellery’s, as I’m inclined to think of it,’ Holgate said as he laid the box file on the desk and opened it. ‘You can browse through them if you like. But you’ll be particularly interested in the article I had in the paper on …’ He slid his glasses to the end of his nose and flicked through yellowed clippings from the Western Morning News. ‘Here we are. Wednesday the eighth of June, 1977.’

Nick took the cutting from him. The headline was Female student found drowned at Porthtowan – fears for life of male student also. He scanned the column below.

The body of Alison Parker, 21, a student at Exeter University, was discovered on the beach at Porthtowan early yesterday morning by a woman walking her dog. A post mortem is being performed, but she is believed to have drowned. Fears have also been expressed for the life of another Exeter University student, Peter Ellery, 24, reported missing along with Miss Parker.

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said a third Exeter University student, Martin Caldwell, 21, had been with them on the beach late on Sunday night, but had lost contact with them after falling asleep. He told police they had expressed the intention of ‘going for a swim’. All three had driven down from Exeter earlier in the day and had been seen drinking during the evening at the Victory Inn, Towan Cross. Tidal conditions along the coast west of Porthtowan are known to be hazardous for inexperienced swimmers. The spokesman added it was thought highly likely that Mr Ellery had also drowned.

‘Doesn’t sound particularly sinister, does it?’ said Holgate. ‘Drunken students getting into trouble late at night on a Cornish beach with tragic consequences. The editor wouldn’t let me add that Ellery and Parker had both been arrested and cautioned for staging protests at Nancekuke, which is just a mile or so from Porthtowan. Caldwell was too frightened to say much at the time, but I never believed for a moment they’d gone all the way to Porthtowan for a midnight dip. There was more to it than that, starting with the police impounding Ellery’s camper van. But … there was nothing definite to go on.’

‘So you left it there?’