‘What I don’t understand is how someone could be getting away with abducting young women and taking them to a house around here without anyone in the village noticing something – unless all of them are involved, which is unlikely.’

‘Villages …’ Going over to the window, the DI stands there for a moment before turning to look at me. ‘On the one hand, they’re small enough that everyone knows everyone else, but on the other, there are those big, hidden-away houses, plenty of which have no neighbours. If anything was going on behind those hedges and walls, no-one would know. Park House is a good example of that.’

‘Sir, there are other houses near Park House. And no other road in.’

‘I’m not suggesting anything’s going on there specifically, May. It just seems too much of a coincidence that Hollie’s body was found in the same area we believe the porn ring to be based.’ He frowns. ‘The only evidence we do have suggests there was a private party being held in Abingworth … Again, hearsay rather than proof. We haven’t questioned any of the villagers about this so far, have we?’

‘Not yet. We’ve been trying not to alert whoever’s behind this.’

‘Perhaps it’s time to start asking. Stir things up a bit.’

‘It’s always possible there is no link between Hollie’s death and Operation Rainbow, sir.’

‘Yes.’ He doesn’t sound convinced, and like him, I have my doubts. ‘Niamh Buckley … So you think she knows more about Hollie’s death than she’s saying?’

‘I suspect so. Her loyalty to Hollie is commendable, if a little misguided, given the circumstances. But she’s fourteen years old and her friend has just died – she’s scared.’

‘Maybe talk to her again. Win her trust, May. What about the mother?’

‘The last time I saw Elise Buckley, she had half a bottle of Prosecco inside her. She’s protective of her daughter. But on the whole, she seems fairly black and white.’

‘And her husband?’

‘Andrew Buckley’s the local GP. He’s business-like, professional – and busy. I’ve only spoken to him on the phone so far.’

Leaning back in his chair, the DI clasps his hands behind his head. ‘Tell me about the funeral.’

I nod. ‘I’d say most of the village was there. The church was packed. It was really sad, as you’d expect, but there was nothing noticeably out of place.’

‘And after?’

‘Most of them went to the pub,’ I tell the DI.

‘Keep asking questions,’ he orders. ‘Someone in that village must know what happened to Hollie Hampton.’

*

People don’t always act as you think they might. There’s often someone who may not realise they’re sitting on a vital piece of information, just as there’s always someone in a village who sees what goes on, yet remains in the background.