As he drove, James drummed his fingers impatiently on the steering wheel and told himself to focus on the positives.

Rachel’s body had turned up within hours of her disappearance and so they had been able to move quickly. All the hotel guests and staff had now been spoken to and statements taken. Surveillance footage and photographs had been examined and the full forensic sweep of the grounds would hopefully be completed before the weather deteriorated further. And to top it all, there were already a handful of potential suspects.

James heaved a sigh and acknowledged that it wasn’t actually a bad start to the investigation, all things considered.

He arrived in the market town of Kendal just after eleven o’clock in the morning. It was one of the most vibrant communities in Cumbria and for visitors coming from the east and south it marked the gateway to the Lake District.

The town had a population of just under thirty thousand and boasted two castles, three museums, a river and plenty of shops, restaurants, pubs and cafes.

James had become extremely fond of the place in the two years since they’d moved up from London.

Constabulary headquarters sat alongside the Fire and Rescue Service building just off the Windermere Road. After parking up, he made his way inside where several people wished him a Happy New Year.

The open-plan office wasn’t as lifeless as he’d expected it to be. There were over a dozen people in, including detectives, uniformed officers and civilian support staff.

Phones rang and keyboards clattered, and at least two televisions were switched on and showing rolling news shows.

DCI Tanner still hadn’t returned from his Scottish holiday so James was the senior officer, a role he’d grown used to because Tanner often attended meetings, functions and seminars with the bigwigs in Penrith. His desk was piled with various case notes and files, and DS Phil Stevens was standing next to it holding up a takeaway cup.

‘DC Abbott rang to let us know that you were on your way, boss, so I got you a coffee,’ he said. ‘Hopefully it will help you to stay awake.’

James offered him a tired smile and took the cup. ‘That’s kind of you, Phil. What else did Jessica say?’

‘That she’s going home to get some sleep and we need to sort out relieving most of the team at the hotel.’

James nodded. ‘I’ll bring you all up to date in a bit but first I have to make some calls. Thanks for cutting your break short. Was the wife okay about it?’

‘Yeah, of course. We were planning to head back home later today anyway. It just meant getting up earlier and cutting back on the drink last night.’

‘So, have you got anything to tell me before I get started?’

‘I’ve taken the liberty of assigning detectives Ross and Brady to the other cases we’re working on. They’ll operate out of one of the other rooms with the help of a couple of support staff. It’ll leave the rest of the team free to concentrate on the murder. And I’ve arranged for the officers at the hotel to be relieved.’