Martha’s hand flew to her mouth and her face creased as shock spread across her features. Luke put an arm around her and mumbled something incomprehensible.

‘The reason that we’ve come to see you is that we know Robert Bateman was here on Christmas Eve,’ James said. ‘We found a receipt at the farm for drinks he bought shortly before seven o’clock.’

Tears welled up in Martha’s eyes and she wiped them with her sleeve.

‘I was the one who served him,’ she said. ‘He bought two bottles of wine and a bottle of sherry to take out.’

‘Was he here with anyone?’

She shook her head. ‘He was by himself, which wasn’t particularly unusual. He said he’d been to see his bank manager in Kendal and popped in for a quick pint. He spent quite a while in the bar nursing his drink before he decided to leave. It was busy here that evening so I didn’t get the chance to have a chat with him.’

‘Did anyone else?’

‘I don’t think so. I did ask him if we would see him and Mary over Christmas and he said he wasn’t sure.’

‘Do you know for certain if he was going straight home from here?’ DC Abbott asked.

Martha had to cough to clear her throat, and it was some moments before she recovered her composure enough to continue.

‘Th-that’s what he told me,’ she stammered. ‘He said he only popped in for a swift one and had to get home to Mary.’

‘And have you any idea how they were planning to spend Christmas?’ James pressed.

‘Well, I don’t think they were intending to go anywhere. He said Mary had got a load of food in and they had Charlotte and her boyfriend Neil staying with them.’

The mention of Neil’s name prompted Luke to lean forward, eyes almost bulging out of their sockets.

‘Neil, did you say? Neil Savage?’ He then turned to James and added, ‘Was he there? Is he dead too?’

‘Not as far as we know, Mr Grooms,’ James replied. ‘His body isn’t at the farm, and until now we didn’t even know for certain that he was spending Christmas there.’

‘Then you need to find him,’ Luke said. ‘The guy’s a nasty bastard, and I’ve always thought it was only a matter of time before he did something really bad.’

CHAPTER ELEVEN

As James came away from The King’s Head a glimmer of hope blossomed in his chest.

At least they now had a prime suspect: Neil Savage.

‘I’m surprised that we’ve never heard of the guy,’ DC Abbott said as she drove them towards Kendal. ‘From what Mr Grooms said about him being a thug and small-time drug dealer it sounds like he should have come to our attention long before now.’