‘Maybe just some toast,’ he said. ‘I’ve called a meeting for eight but I need to sort stuff out before it starts and catch up with where we are.’

‘Then you go and have a shower and the coffee and toast will be ready when you come down.’

Even after his shower, James could still feel the tension in his limbs. But at least he had managed to sleep off his headache and was raring to crack on with the investigation.

Before heading downstairs, he put in a quick call to the office and discovered that not much had happened during the night. Neil Savage still hadn’t turned up, but his name and photo had been released to the media. In addition, photos of the crime scene had been delivered to the office and would be pinned to the evidence board in advance of the morning briefing.

James found that his breakfast was already on the table when he walked into the kitchen.

‘How’s the headache?’ Annie asked him.

‘It’s gone, thankfully,’ he said, as he sat. ‘What about you? Do you still feel sick?’

‘A little, but it’ll pass.’

Before sitting down opposite him she switched on the TV and used the remote to turn to the BBC News Channel. The presenter was in the middle of an interview with a prominent politician; something about the latest economic forecast for the UK.

‘So, what does your gut tell you about what happened at Oaktree Farm?’ Annie asked. ‘You didn’t really say what you thought last night.’

James blew steam off his coffee and said, ‘That it’s not as straightforward as I would like it to be. I can’t even be sure that Robert Bateman took his own life, even though that’s how it initially looked. We need to speak to Neil Savage. I think he’s the only person who can shed light on it for us.’

They were both suddenly distracted by the mention of Cumbria on the TV. Sure enough, the presenter was now speaking as aerial footage played of Oaktree Farm which looked like a tiny stain against the snowy white landscape surrounding it.

‘Police have now confirmed that three members of the same family were found dead at the farm yesterday morning,’ the presenter was saying. ‘Robert and Mary Bateman, along with their daughter Charlotte, who was in her twenties, are believed to have been there since Christmas Eve. It’s understood that Mr and Mrs Bateman were shot and that Charlotte suffered a fatal knife wound.

‘Detectives leading the investigation are anxious to speak to a man named Neil Savage – Charlotte Bateman’s boyfriend – who lives in Kendal and was due to spend Christmas at the farm with the family.’

The aerial shot was replaced by the photo of Savage that his mother had given the police, which was then replaced by an old newspaper cutting that included a picture of Simon and Amanda Roth.