It took a few minutes, but after a couple of deep breaths she began to regain control. ‘It’s Annie, please. Oh dear. I’m so sorry.’

They were all nods and encouraging smiles.

‘No need to apologise, Annie. This sort of thing is horrible,’ said Stacey vehemently. ‘When you’re ready, please tell us the rest. In your own time.’

She sipped her tea. This time she got through the whole story, noting the swift puzzled glance the officers gave each other when she mentioned the missing photo frame.

‘And you’ve no idea how he got in?’ Jay asked.

‘No. The top windows were open in some rooms because it’s been so hot, but they’re too small for anyone to pass through. I always make sure to lock the doors. As I said, it’s just me and Callum here. My other boy is in the RAF and my husband died three years ago, so I’m very careful about security.’

‘No cameras?’ asked Stacey.

‘I’ve never even thought about it. It’s a small, peaceful village, and I don’t know anyone else with cameras, except the people who live in the big house on the edge of the village, but that’s a very expensive property.’

‘An inexpensive system might give you a little more peace of mind,’ offered Jay. ‘My brother installed one so his wife feels safer when he’s working nights.’

She had fleeting thoughts of stable doors and bolting horses, but was it such a bad idea? ‘I’ll look into it.’

‘Would you mind if we take a look around, Annie?’ asked Stacey. ‘We’ll try not to disturb your boy. Anyway, from what you told us, your man didn’t get in through his bedroom. We’ll be really quiet, I promise.’

‘Please, go ahead,’ Annie said.

They pulled on gloves and walked from room to room, spending a lot of time near the windows. Annie was beginning to wonder why she was getting so much careful attention. The officers seemed to be looking for something specific. This bothered her.

She grew still more bothered when the tall young policeman called Jay asked her if she could please be at home later that morning. She should avoid touching the front door any more than necessary. ‘We’ll get a forensic officer down, Annie. We know that he opened the door, so he might have left prints. We’ll take yours and your son’s for elimination purposes, and they’ll be destroyed afterwards, so don’t worry about that.’

‘You seem to be taking this very seriously,’ she said. ‘Has this sort of thing happened around here before?’

Jay seemed not to know how to respond.

Stacey, the older of the two, hastened to say, ‘We take all such incidents seriously, Annie. And, no, it hasn’t happened around here. We just want to stop him scaring anyone else. Now, is there anyone you’d like to call to come and stay with you? You look pretty anxious.’

She forced herself to smile. ‘I’ll be fine, honestly. Thank you for being so understanding.’