Inevitably the conversation moved from Sullivan to the Oaktree Farm investigation. Annie had been watching the news again so she knew that Neil Savage had turned up.

‘He insists that he didn’t know that we were looking for him or that the Batemans had been killed,’ he said. ‘He claims they were alive after he left the farm following a row with Charlotte.’

‘And do you think he’s telling the truth?’

‘I fear he might be, and that presents a problem because it means we’re rapidly running out of suspects.’

The rest of the evening passed fairly quickly. After dinner they retired to the living room and watched television for an hour or so but as there was nothing on that either of them was interested in they both ended up paying more attention to their mobile phones.

James received a text from Giles Keegan saying that he had talked to Lisa Doyle and she said she was happy to talk to him tomorrow morning at nine. James then sent a message to DCI Tanner and the team telling them that the early briefing would be at ten. He didn’t expect to be with Ms Doyle for long and it would only take him about half an hour to get to Kendal from Ravenstonedale.

Annie went to bed before James did. Although he was limp with fatigue, he wanted some time alone to think about where they were with the case and how to move forward with it.

The first thing he did was to check if Lisa Doyle had an online presence. It surprised him to discover that she had her own website. There was a photo of a woman who looked to be in her forties or fifties, with a round face and dark, wavy hair that kissed her shoulders.

She described herself as a psychic medium and clairvoyant based in Cumbria, adding: I act as a conduit to help people hear from their loved ones who have parted this world. Further down the page she went on: Services include online chats, same day psychic readings, home visits, energy healing and séances.

James had never believed in such things and he certainly didn’t think that there was anything supernatural about the deaths of the Bateman family. But one of the many weird aspects of the case was that Mary Bateman was convinced that Oaktree Farm was haunted, and she’d told people that she heard noises coming from behind the walls.

It was therefore possible, James reasoned, that this in some way had a bearing on what had happened on Christmas Eve. And if so, then it was a line of inquiry that could not be ignored.

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Saturday December 30th

The new day was draped in billowy white clouds as James drove north to Ravenstonedale. More snow was in the forecast but it wasn’t expected until late afternoon.