‘But how can we be sure of that, Mr Prescott?’ James pressed.

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Ethan asked sharply.

‘Well, you told us one lie so maybe this is another one. Maybe you took it upon yourself to go after Rachel in order to put the record straight and to warn her not to ruin the occasion?’

Ethan’s jaw stiffened and he was about to speak, but his mother stopped him.

‘How dare you make wild accusations about my son in his own home?’ she snapped at James. ‘My boy had nothing to do with Rachel’s murder and yet you’re trying to twist what happened in the garden to make it look as though he might have. It’s a disgrace.’

‘I can speak for myself, Mum,’ Ethan said, but she ignored him and carried on.

‘After they spoke to Rachel, Ethan came to me on the terrace and told me about it. We then stayed together and had a drink before going inside to our table for the meal. We didn’t leave each other’s sight until Greg told everyone that Rachel was missing and Ethan joined in the search for her, so there is no way he could have gone down to the jetty. If you’re not prepared to accept that, we’ll be forced to consult a lawyer.’

James puffed out a breath and said, ‘You should both do whatever you think is best. I’m sorry if I’ve upset you, Mrs Prescott, but my job is to ask questions, some of which can be uncomfortable. It’s how we get to the truth.’

‘We’ve told you the truth about what happened that day,’ Claire said. ‘And I’m not sure what more we can say to make you believe it.’

‘I’m not saying I don’t believe you,’ James said. ‘But we have to take into account the fact that your son and Libby weren’t honest with us when we first spoke to them.’ He switched his gaze to Ethan. ‘You should know that I’ve applied for a warrant to seize your phone and other digital devices. So, if there’s something you’re still holding back about what happened on New Year’s Eve, or about your relationship with Libby, then now is the time to tell us.’

‘We’re not holding anything back,’ Ethan replied. ‘You now know what happened and I accept that we should have been up front to start with. But trust me, I’m not going to make the same mistake again.’

He reached for his mobile phone and slid it across the table towards James. ‘I’ve got nothing to hide so if you want to check who I’ve been calling and texting then take this and see for yourself. There’s a laptop in my room so you can take that as well. As long as I get them back. Business is not so great right now so I can’t splash out on new ones.’

James took up his offer and placed the phone in an evidence bag he took from his pocket. They then waited while Ethan went to his room to get his laptop.