Of course, it would be hard, if not impossible, to prove that he’d warned Rachel that ‘he’d pay someone to do something bad to her so that the police wouldn’t be able to link it to him.’

James could well understand why Rachel decided not to go to the police if Hannigan did say that. But what if he hadn’t? What if Rachel made it up solely for Erika’s benefit? Sweet revenge on her ex for sending her the birthday card with the chilling threat inside.

‘I intend to speak to Mr Hannigan again,’ James said as the pair of them walked back towards the hotel. ‘And I’ll have to confront him with the allegation.’

‘Well, don’t expect him to admit to saying it, Inspector, even if it’s true,’ she replied. ‘He swore to me on his mother’s life that Rachel lied. Perhaps she did. I don’t suppose we’ll ever know for sure.’

‘How did he react when you told him you were moving out?’

‘He didn’t believe it until I started packing and then he sobbed and begged me to stay.’

‘Did he get angry or violent?’

‘Oh no. He’s never laid as much as a finger on me and rarely loses his temper. And I’m sure he loves me. The problem is, I’m not sure I love him anymore.’

Before they entered the hotel, James asked her if she would allow Sergeant Thomas to take a formal statement from her.

‘Of course, but I’d better let Karen know what’s going on first.’

‘I’ll come with you,’ James said. ‘By the way, while the investigation is ongoing, I’ll need to know how to get hold of you if you decide to stay apart from Mr Hannigan for any length of time.’

‘My parents live in Carlisle and I can stay with them if needed, but I’m hoping Mr Murphy will let me bed down here at the hotel for a few days while I consider my options. There are plenty of empty rooms.’

Karen Cornwall was still in her office and James explained to her that he wanted Erika to provide a statement, but he didn’t go into detail about what it would contain. She had no problem with it and offered the use of her office. Before leaving Erika, he asked her not to tell anyone else what Rachel had said to her, including her boss.

James then went into the lounge where Sergeant Thomas was still talking to Abbott.

He briefed him on what Erika was going to say and then told Abbott that when they got back to the station, they’d find out more about Douglas Hannigan before paying him another visit.

‘This is a tricky one,’ he said. ‘I don’t see how we can prove that Hannigan threatened to pay someone to hurt Rachel. But we can certainly try to find out if the person who attacked her on the jetty was motivated by money.’

James didn’t want to leave the hotel until he’d caught up with Greg Murphy so when he and Abbott walked back into reception, and he spotted Karen Cornwall behind the front desk, he asked her when the board meeting was likely to end. She said she didn’t know but offered to go upstairs to check.