James nodded. ‘I’d agree with you. And she did lend weight to what Luke Grooms said about the guy. He’s prone to violence, especially when dosed up with drink and drugs. And there was plenty of both found at the farm.’

James did not intend to stay long at the office but he wanted to get across what had been happening and ensure that the officers who’d be working through the night would have enough to keep them busy. However, he was in for an unpleasant surprise even before he entered the building.

There waiting for him when he climbed out of the car was a man he’d been hoping wouldn’t appear until at least tomorrow.

‘Hi there, Inspector. I thought I might bump into you if I waited around here long enough.’

Gordon Carver was a reporter with the Cumbria Gazette and James encountered him more often than he did any other hack because he happened to live in Kirkby Abbey. He was sharp-featured and in his late twenties, with close-cropped reddish hair and a forceful manner.

James saw no point in fobbing him off given that he might need his help during the course of the investigation.

‘I can guess why you’re here, Gordon,’ he said.

‘Before you refer me to the press office, you should know that I’ve already spoken to them,’ Carver said. ‘But what they’ve told me wouldn’t fill half a page in my notebook.’

‘And you’re hoping that I’ll give you an off-the-record briefing.’

Carver shrugged. ‘You know by now that you can trust me, Inspector. I thought we had a quid pro quo arrangement.’

James told Abbott to go on ahead of him, then turned back to the reporter. ‘So the story’s out there, is it?’

‘It hit the wires a couple of hours ago, but the official line is lacking so much detail that it’s got our imaginations running rampant.’

‘What do you know exactly?’ James asked.

‘Well, the statement that’s been issued says that three members of the same family have been found dead at a farm in Cumbria. The location is given as close to Kirkby Abbey. Their identities have not been disclosed, but the statement makes clear that they died in violent circumstances and two of the victims suffered fatal gunshot wounds.’

‘Then surely that’s enough to be getting on with,’ James said.

Carver grinned. ‘Come off it, Inspector. You won’t be surprised to learn that my phone hasn’t stopped ringing. This is Cumbria, not London. I already know that it happened at Oaktree Farm, the home of Robert and Mary Bateman, so I’m assuming they’re the victims along with their daughter, Charlotte.’

James blew out a breath. He should have known that it’d be impossible to manage the release of information.

‘I also have a personal interest in this story,’ Carver added.

James raised an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’