‘That’s correct, sir. And as agreed, we make no mention of the bloody shoeprints or the hidden space above the cellar.’

‘No problem. Let me know if anything else comes in while I’m here. I’ve got a meeting this afternoon with the Chief Constable.’

After hanging up, James phoned Annie. He wanted her to know about the press conference so that she could tune in to it. But he also had a question for her.

‘Have you heard of a bloke named William Nash? I’ve been told he lives in Kirkby Abbey.’

‘He does,’ she said. ‘I gather he’s the village handyman. He’s done a few jobs at the school this past year and the staff call him Mr Fixit.’

‘Can you describe him?’

‘Well he’s tall, in his twenties, and a bit nerdy. Why do you want to know?’

‘He used to go out with Charlotte Bateman but she told someone that he’d been stalking her recently.’

‘I wouldn’t know about that, but are you saying that makes him a suspect?’

‘At this stage he’s just someone we need to talk to. Do you know where we can find him?’

‘I think he’s got a small yard over near the petrol station so his contact details must be online or in the phone book.’

‘Thanks, I’ll check. And please don’t repeat what I’ve said to anyone.’

Annie clucked her tongue. ‘You really don’t have to say that, James. You know I never have and I never would.’

James spent the next half an hour typing up his notes from the various interviews. Once he’d shared them via a group email, he watched a feed of the press conference with the rest of the team.

It was being held at police headquarters in Penrith and was going out live on the BBC News Channel.

Tanner sat behind a table next to one of the press officers and as usual he looked supremely confident. Unlike James, Tanner revelled in the attention, always happy to put himself in the spotlight.

He began by reading out a pre-prepared statement for the hacks in which he stressed that the police still weren’t sure exactly what had happened at Oaktree Farm.

‘But we are certain that Neil Savage, Charlotte Bateman’s boyfriend, was spending Christmas there with her family. He hasn’t been seen since and so naturally we’re anxious to speak to him. Anyone who has information as to his whereabouts should contact us without delay.’

When he opened it up for questions, they came thick and fast. The first few focused on Savage and the Bateman family. It was Gordon Carver of the Cumbria Gazette who brought up that other dark day in the history of Oaktree Farm.