Lee raised a hand. ‘Permit me to stop you there, Inspector. This is the first I’ve heard about the cellar and any hidden space.’

James apologised and told him about the wall with the peephole.

‘Breadcrumbs only several days old were found on the floor on the cellar side of the wall,’ he said. ‘It makes us believe that someone was in there spying on them in the run-up to Christmas. And we have to consider the distinct possibility that it’s been going on for weeks, months or even years.’

James turned to O’Connor. ‘You told me when we first spoke that you didn’t know about the hidden space or the peephole. But if that was a lie, we’ll soon know it when we have the results of the fingerprint search. So, now’s your chance to come clean. Were you spying on the family and is that how you knew the house was empty before you burgled it?’

O’Connor sucked air between his teeth and shook his head again.

‘You won’t find my prints in that place because I’ve never been inside it,’ he said. ‘And I’ll repeat what I said before – I had no idea it was there.’

James was about to ask a follow-up question when the door to the interview room was pushed open and DS Stevens stepped in.

‘We need you both outside,’ he said, looking from James to Abbott. ‘Something important has come up.’

James turned off the tape and offered his apologies to O’Connor and his solicitor.

When they were outside in the corridor, Stevens said, ‘We think we know where Neil Savage is. A young man who knows him responded to the televised appeal. He said he was invited to a drink and drugs binge party on Christmas Day at a place called Bash Barn, north-east of Kendal. He couldn’t go himself but he’s pretty sure that Savage was also invited.’

James punched the air with his fist. ‘At last. Did he tell us how to find the place?’

‘He did better than that. He told us the home owner is a bloke named Damien Porter and he lives in a house next to the barn. It took us minutes to track down the address. I’ve already put a rapid response team on standby.’

James felt his heart lurch in his chest. He quickly stepped back into the interview room and explained to Lee and his client that the interview was being suspended until later in the day.

Lee started to object but James ignored him and stepped back out. He signalled to the uniformed officer standing in the corridor to take O’Connor back to the custody suite. Then he turned to Stevens and said, ‘How far away is this place?’

‘About five miles, guv. It’s just this side of Grayrigg.’

‘Then let’s get going.’

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE