‘Check with forensics first to see if they’ve found his prints in the hidden space above the cellar,’ he said. ‘And let’s also find out where his former partner is, the one who dumped him. She might have something useful to tell us.’

James was then given the news that Mary Bateman’s sister had finally been contacted in France and would be coming to the UK as soon as she could. She said she hadn’t spoken to or heard from Mary for about six months.

James asked DC Patterson, who was sporting a red, puffy nose, to liaise with the sister and Robert Bateman’s brother.

It was 3 p.m. when they were told that Savage’s lawyer had arrived. At the same time James’s phone rang with a call from Gordon Carver, the journalist at the Cumbria Gazette. He chose not to answer it and turned his mobile to silent mode as they headed for the interview room.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Savage’s lawyer was a woman James had encountered before named Harriet Mason. A formidable brief, her age was difficult to peg, but she had short fair hair, sharp facial features and a deep voice.

They put her in the picture before they gathered in the interview room with her client, so she was well aware why Savage had been hauled in. She briefly talked it through with him and told him that his flat had been searched and his car taken away because the police knew it had been involved in an accident.

James and Tanner had furnished her with information that had not been made public, including details about the crime scene and the concealed space at the top of the cellar stairs.

Once they were seated at the table and the recorder was on, James began by asking Savage to confirm that he clearly understood what was going on.

The man looked dreadful. His face was slack and listless, the eyes pouchy and raw.

‘I’m here because you suspect me of killing three people,’ he said, his voice barely above a whisper. ‘But I didn’t. I’ve already told you that.’

Tanner had decided that James should take the lead so he flipped open his notebook to the list of questions he’d jotted down.

‘Just for the record I’d like to start by having you tell us how long you and Charlotte were an item,’ he said.

Savage shifted nervously on his chair and stroked the stubble on his chin.

‘We started going out just under a year ago,’ he said. ‘Then six months ago she moved in with me.’

‘And did you love her?’

‘In my own way, I suppose. We weren’t about to get married anytime soon, if that’s what you mean.’

‘But she loved you.’

‘She said she did, but I’ll never know now if she really meant it.’

‘How did you get on with her parents?’