‘Charlotte was working in the charity shop on Christmas Eve,’ she said. ‘She phoned me from there in the morning to wish me a merry Christmas. I was still here because I wasn’t working that day. But a couple of hours later I was walking into town to meet a friend for lunch and I saw Neil. He was coming out of a pub and he wasn’t alone. He was with his ex – a girl named Amy Bell. They walked off together and I had an idea where they were going, so I followed them.’

‘And where did they go?’ James asked.

‘To Amy’s flat, which is just a few streets away from the pub. It’s on the ground floor and I know she lives there by herself. Anyway, I watched them go in together, and before they did, he pulled her to him and kissed her. And when she opened her front door, he grabbed her arse and pushed her inside. They were both laughing.’

‘Did you hang around?’ Abbott asked her.

Heather shook her head. ‘I couldn’t. I had to meet my friend across town. But I stewed on it all afternoon. I hated the thought that the fucker was cheating on my friend even though I’d long suspected that he did. But at the same time, I didn’t want to ruin her Christmas by telling her.’

‘So, what did you do?’ Abbott prodded her.

‘Well I decided I would wait until after Christmas before breaking it to her, but then I went to a party that evening and I got a bit drunk. And that was when I changed my mind and phoned her.’

‘And what was her reaction?’

‘She was gutted and also furious. She told me she was going to end it with him because it wasn’t the first time that he’d done it.’

‘Was he with her at the time at Oaktree Farm when you called?’ James said.

‘Yes, he was. And about twenty minutes later she called me back to tell me that she’d confronted him. He didn’t deny it and so she told him to go, which he did.’

‘And was that the last you heard from her?’ James asked.

She nodded. ‘I tried calling her on Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but she didn’t pick up and now I know why. And after I heard that Charlotte and her parents were found dead, I thought that he must have gone back to the farm after she sent him packing and then took it out on all the family.’

She lost it then and buried her face in her hands. This time she cried for much longer.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

When James and Abbott left Heather and her mother, they were armed with Amy Bell’s address. James found it hard to suppress his excitement as they headed towards the flat of Neil Savage’s former girlfriend.