James lowered himself onto the other sofa so he was facing them.

‘I just met with most of your wedding guests,’ he said. ‘And a couple of things were mentioned that I need to ask you about.’

His eyes settled on Libby and she gazed back at him, her face pale and drained.

‘Firstly, the man who was seen coming out of Rachel’s room is believed to go by the name of Carlo Salvi,’ he said. ‘Did Rachel ever mention that name to any of you?’

‘No, she didn’t,’ Libby said, and her parents shook their heads.

‘The wedding coordinator told me that she was asked by Rachel to make a place available for him at the wedding breakfast,’ James went on. ‘And that it was done with your blessing, Mrs Murphy. Is that correct?’

The muscles around Libby’s eyes tightened and she rubbed a hand over her face.

‘I’ve already told you that I had no problem with her inviting another friend,’ she said. ‘But she never gave me a name. Who the hell is this bloke?’

‘That’s what we’re trying to find out. We’ve been told that Rachel told Emily Straus over the phone on Friday evening that Carlo was her boyfriend and that she intended to introduce him to everyone at the wedding.’

‘Then why didn’t she do it when he arrived?’ Libby asked.

‘It could be because she wanted to do it at the end of her speech when she had everyone’s attention,’ James answered. ‘Miss Straus also said that Rachel was going to announce that she was moving to Italy.’

Both parents recoiled in shock and it was obvious to James that they hadn’t known.

‘I don’t believe it,’ Fraser said. ‘She wouldn’t have kept that secret from us.’

‘Apparently, she did,’ James said.

It was a tough one for the family to process on top of everything else and James felt every sympathy for them.

Denise started sobbing again and her husband struggled to hold it in. Libby just stared at the floor, her pale blue eyes desolate.

‘Something else came up during the meeting with the guests,’ James said, and all three looked up at him, as though dreading what he was about to say.

He nodded towards Libby. ‘One of the staff reported seeing you in the garden arguing with your sister, Mrs Murphy. He said that Mrs Prescott’s son, Ethan, was with you. But you told me that you didn’t see her again after the conversation you had with her at the bar.’

Libby held his gaze for a few moments, and then shrugged. ‘I was in shock, Inspector. I wasn’t thinking straight and I just forgot. But now I remember that I was talking to Ethan on the terrace and spotted Rachel on the path heading towards the lake. She was alone so I thought I’d try again to get her to pull herself together. But she refused to talk to me and told me to bugger off. So, I did.’