He ran his eyes over the photographs of the crime scene. The bodies, the blood, the shotgun, the shoeprints. Then the faces of the initial suspects – Neil Savage, Dean Foreman, Kenneth O’Connor. There was as yet no photo of William Nash, Charlotte’s ex-boyfriend, who had been desperate to get back with her. His name was on the board though, along with a note saying that he’d refused to provide fingerprints and a DNA sample. No mention of the fact that DC Abbott had swiped a glass with his prints on from his kitchen, which James knew was now with forensics. He was on the list to be interviewed again tomorrow and would be forced to cooperate if necessary.

Someone had added photos of the Roth family to the collection – Simon, Amanda and baby Megan – and yet again James couldn’t help but wonder how weird it was that such brutal killings should have taken place in the same farmhouse twenty-four years apart. It was almost surreal.

Two married couples who knew each other.

One husband who was employed by the other.

Both men appeared to have committed suicide by blasting themselves with shotguns.

Two daughters, one killed and one missing.

James was still mulling all this over when his phone rang. By a strange coincidence the caller was Giles Keegan.

‘Hello, Giles,’ he said. ‘I know I told you I’d pop over for a chat at some point but I just haven’t had the time.’

‘No problem, my friend,’ Keegan said. ‘It’s just that I’ve remembered something that I thought you might find interesting. It doesn’t relate directly to the current investigation, and for all I know you might already be aware of it. But if not, I think you ought to be.’

‘Well, you’ve got my attention, mate. What is it?’

‘Do you remember when we last spoke, I mentioned all the talk about Oaktree Farm being haunted?’

‘Of course. You said that Mary Bateman was convinced of it.’

‘That’s right. But I forgot to tell you that she called in a psychic medium on a couple of occasions to hold séances there. Her name is Lisa Doyle and it’s possible she might be able to tell you things you don’t know about the family and about Mary’s state of mind.’

‘That’s actually not a bad shout, Giles. How do you know the woman?’

‘Well, she’s a bit of a celebrity in these parts. I’ve seen her at various events over the years and then I got in contact with her after my own wife died. I was confused back then and I found it comforting to talk to her even though I’d never believed in all that stuff. We’ve stayed in touch ever since.’

‘And did she help you?’