Abbott stepped further into the room and stood next to Amy.

‘Where do you think he might be now, Miss Bell?’ she asked. ‘He was last seen on Christmas Day at his flat. His mother hasn’t heard from him and his phone seems to be switched off.’

‘Well if he’s hiding from you guys, he could be anywhere in the country. But if not then he might well be on one of his benders, or parties or whatever you want to call them.’

‘His mother mentioned to us that he has a habit of disappearing for days at a time,’ James said.

Amy nodded. ‘He does, but he’s not the only one. It’s become a big thing around here during the past couple of years. Small groups get together and chill out, usually during holidays or over long weekends. I went with Neil once but I hated it.’

She lifted her head suddenly and squeezed her features as though a thought had occurred to her.

‘I’ve just remembered something,’ she said. ‘When he was here on Christmas Eve he mentioned that a few of his mates had something planned that was starting on Christmas Day, but he couldn’t go because he was going to be with Charlotte at the farm. And he sounded disappointed.’

‘Do you know where it was and who was going?’

‘I don’t know who was going, but he said it was the same place he took me to.’

James felt his body tense. ‘And where was that?’

She shrugged again. ‘I haven’t a clue. I was just a passenger in the car when he drove me there and I didn’t pay much attention. It’s an old house in the middle of nowhere. It must have been a farm at one time because there’s a barn next to it that’s been converted into living accommodation. I’m sure it was north of here and it took us about fifteen minutes to get there.’

‘Is there anything else you can tell us about it?’

She pulled her lips tight and squinted in concentration.

After a few beats, she said, ‘All I remember is that some old guy lives there. He’s like a recluse, and he lets people like Neil stage parties in the barn which has some bedrooms and an open plan living area. They give him a few quid and basically take over the place. It suits them because there’s no phone signal there and nobody around for miles to complain about the noise. As I recall the barn’s kitted out with a bar, a music system and a widescreen TV. And they can do pretty much whatever they want. The old guy just leaves them to it.’

‘Do you think it’s possible that Neil decided to go there on Christmas Day?’ he asked.