‘If it was Savage who left his bloody shoeprints at the farm then there might be traces,’ he said. ‘That’s assuming that his shoes weren’t wiped completely clean when he walked across the snow from the house to his car.’

More uniforms turned up to monitor the movement of people going in and out of the building, and to be there should Savage return. With James happy that everything was covered, he and Abbott set out for Savage’s mother’s house on the northern edge of the town. It took the detectives just over ten minutes to get there and on the way James received a text from the office with more background information.

Neil’s mother and father had divorced three years ago and she’d reverted to her maiden name of Weldon. Neil was her only child and she was a partner in a firm of local accountants.

Her home was a modest terraced house with limestone walls and a tiny front garden, and alarm registered on her face when she opened the door and saw the warrant card in James’s hand.

‘Are you Miss Gillian Weldon?’ he asked.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m Detective Inspector Walker and this is Detective Constable Abbott. We’re here in the hope that you can help us locate your son, Neil, Miss Weldon. We’ve just been to his flat and he’s not there. We need to speak with him as a matter of urgency in relation to an ongoing investigation.’

She was a diminutive woman with sallow skin and curly red hair. And when she spoke, her voice was high-pitched.

‘Well I can assure you that he isn’t here,’ she replied. ‘In fact, I’d like to know where he is myself. I was expecting to see him yesterday but he didn’t come over and didn’t bother to call me. I’ve tried ringing him but his phone is off. And so is his girlfriend’s.’

‘We would still like to ask you some questions so may we come in?’ James said.

She managed a nervous smile. ‘I suppose so. But I’m really not sure I can be of help.’

They followed her into a small, neat living room and she invited them to sit on the sofa while she lowered herself onto the armchair facing them.

‘You’re lucky to catch me in,’ she said. ‘The office is closed for the rest of the week so I’m not working. That’s why I was hoping to see Neil on Boxing Day. I know he spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Charlotte’s parents’ farm. But yesterday we were meant to exchange gifts.’

‘Is your son in the habit of making himself scarce?’ James asked her.