‘We’ll never stop regretting that the wedding went ahead and that Rachel is now lost to us forever,’ Claire said, the deep wrinkles carved into her face suddenly seeming more pronounced by her grief. ‘But what’s important now is finding out who did it. Is that why you’re here, Inspector, to tell us you know the person responsible?’

‘I really wish that were the case, Mrs Prescott,’ James said. ‘But our investigation is only just getting started and I fear we’ve got a long way to go.’

He turned to Ethan. ‘Mr Prescott, were you in the Garden Room earlier when I spoke to the guests?’

Ethan shook his head, his expression guarded. ‘I’ve been in my own room for a while. I didn’t know it was happening.’

‘Well, some matters came to light that I need you both to know about.’

He told them about Carlo Salvi and Rachel’s plans to introduce him to everyone as her boyfriend.

‘We also learned that she disclosed to a friend that she was moving to Italy with him,’ James went on. ‘Were either of you aware of any of this?’

They exchanged looks, both foreheads knotting.

‘As you can probably appreciate, I haven’t seen much of the girls in recent years,’ Claire said. ‘They got on with their lives and popped over to see me very infrequently. And who can blame them? Why would they want to spend time with an old woman who constantly moans about her crippling arthritis? So, the answer to your question is no, I didn’t know she had a fella or that she was going to move abroad.’

‘What about you, Mr Prescott?’

Ethan ran a hand along his jawline. ‘It’s been the same for me. I had no idea.’

‘Do you live and work locally?’ James asked him.

He nodded. ‘I live with Mum in Windermere and run my own small gift shop there.’

James had no reason not to believe what they were telling him but when he moved on to the incident in the garden with Libby and Rachel, Ethan’s face became tense and when he responded it sounded as though he was choosing his words carefully.

‘I was talking to Libby on the terrace and she was fretting because she didn’t know where Rachel had got to,’ he said. ‘Then she spotted her sister on the path and rushed after her and I followed. But Rachel made it clear that she didn’t want to talk to us. So, we left her alone and returned to the terrace. From there, I went back into the hotel. But despite what happened I was as surprised as everyone else when Rachel didn’t turn up for the meal. As soon as Greg announced that she was missing I joined in the search for her.’

‘Going back to when you went after Rachel,’ James said. ‘Did you happen to spot the bearded Italian on the terrace or in the garden, or anyone else acting suspiciously?’

‘No, I didn’t, but then I wasn’t really paying that much attention to what was going on around us.’