‘We’ll need those addresses and phone numbers as soon as possible,’ James said. ‘And one other thing I need to know is whether the Batemans had wills.’

She nodded. ‘They did. It was a very simple document and they left everything to Charlotte.’

He left it there because it was clear that the poor woman was finding it hard to get the words out. He gave her his card and took down her contact details.

‘We’ll be asking you to make a formal statement for us, Miss Sheldon, and I will almost certainly need to talk to you again,’ he told her.

He then arranged for her to be taken home in a patrol car while an officer followed behind in her Citroen.

James spent the next few minutes relaying information back to control and alerting the Constabulary press office that they needed to be aware that this was going to be a big story for the national as well as the local media.

He also made sure the information was passed on to the Chief Constable’s office at Carleton Hall in Penrith.

Finally, he called his boss on his mobile to put him in the picture, only to find that DCI Tanner was already in the loop, having been contacted by someone in the Kendal office. He told James he’d be cutting short his break in Scotland and returning to the office tomorrow.

James updated him on the crime scene and the leads they’d found, and Tanner listened in silence. James expected a number of questions to follow, but instead, Tanner dropped a bombshell.

‘There’s something you need to know about the history of Oaktree Farm, James,’ he said. ‘As soon as I heard the name it sparked a memory and I just Googled it. It all came back to me as soon as I started reading the old cuttings, and I’m surprised that someone hasn’t mentioned it to you already.’

‘I’m all ears, guv,’ James said, and tried not to show his impatience.

‘Twenty-four years ago another dreadful event took place at the farm. The previous owners, a Simon and Amanda Roth, were found dead in the cellar in what was regarded as a murder-suicide. She suffered fatal head injuries from several hammer blows and he killed himself with a shotgun.’

James felt his neck grow hot under his collar.

‘Well that’s guaranteed to make this an even juicier story for the hacks to get their teeth into,’ he said.

‘Damn right,’ Tanner acknowledged. ‘But that’s not all. The couple had a three-week-old baby who wasn’t in the house when police got there and has been missing ever since, presumed dead. And it gets more intriguing still. Robert Bateman worked for them on the farm at the time, though he wasn’t a suspect because he was away on a break with his own family when it happened.’

‘Jesus Christ.’

CHAPTER SIX

TWENTY-FOUR YEARS AGO