At the same time, he studies his wife over the rim of the glass as she waits for Charlotte to come down.

She’s standing with her back to the breakfast bar, arms folded across her ample chest, and her body stiffens when Charlotte appears on the upstairs landing.

Robert knows that this is just as difficult for Mary despite the fact that she and Charlotte have had such a fractious relationship for so many years. And he’s glad that today at least they’re both on their best behaviour.

He smiles when Charlotte reaches the bottom of the stairs and she and Mary step into each other’s arms. It’s a touching moment and one that Robert intends to share with them. He drains his glass and gets to his feet so that he can join the embrace.

‘Your mother and I will miss you, Charlotte,’ he says. ‘And we will always be there for you.’

‘I know, Dad,’ Charlotte replies, stepping back from them. ‘But I’ll be fine. It’s not as if I’m moving far away. You really don’t have to worry. Most of the girls I know who are my age flew the nest years ago.’

Minutes later they say their goodbyes and wave to Charlotte as she drives out of the yard and away from the farm.

‘Well, at least there’s one good thing about her moving out,’ Mary says, turning to Robert. ‘There’ll be less chance of her ever finding out the secret we’ve been keeping for all these years.’

CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX

William Nash’s unfinished suicide note was yet another baffling development. After placing it in an evidence bag James sent a photograph of it to DCI Tanner and the rest of the team.

He also emailed over contact details for Nash’s parents in Spain, which they found in his address book. Someone would have to inform them that their son had been rushed to hospital and that he was a suspect in a murder investigation. They’d be advised to travel to the UK as quickly as possible.

‘His parents are in for quite a shock,’ Stevens said. ‘Let’s hope he survives, if only for their sakes. I’m sure they’ll have as many questions for him as we do.’

‘You’re not wrong there,’ James replied. ‘In the note he tells them that he didn’t kill Charlotte. But he says he knows how and why she died. Could that really be true? And what does he mean when he claims that it all starts with what happened at Oaktree Farm twenty-four years ago? What the hell can he possibly know about the deaths of Simon and Amanda Roth, and the disappearance of their baby?’

‘And if he really didn’t kill Charlotte, then who did?’ Stevens said.