Hannigan came to a sudden halt and his body seemed to freeze. At the same time, he closed his eyes and swore under his breath.

A moment later the door swung open and James saw what had prompted the man’s reaction.

The woman standing there in a long camel-hair coat was none other than Erika Chan, the wedding coordinator at The Fells Hotel.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

For several long seconds no one knew what to say and it was left to James to break the silence.

‘I really didn’t expect you to turn up here, Miss Chan,’ he said. ‘I take it you are Mr Hannigan’s girlfriend?’

The woman pressed her lips together in an awkward smile. ‘I am, Inspector. I’ve just come from the hotel. Mr Murphy said I could leave early.’

James turned to Hannigan. ‘Why didn’t you tell us that your girlfriend worked at The Fells and that she played a major part in organising yesterday’s wedding?’

Hannigan twisted his mouth, evidently searching for words, and his body language was suddenly defensive.

‘I didn’t tell you where she worked because you didn’t ask me,’ he said, his voice thin and stretched. ‘Besides, I don’t see how it’s relevant. It doesn’t change the fact that I did not go there yesterday and I had nothing to do with what happened to Rachel.’

Chan stepped further into the room and James could see the tiredness in her eyes. She looked different to when he’d last spoken to her and he realised it was because her black hair was no longer pulled back in a braid. It hung loose and rested on her shoulders.

‘Would someone tell me what’s going on?’ she demanded, staring at James. ‘Why are you here?’

‘We came to speak to Mr Hannigan about his relationship with Rachel,’ he answered. ‘And to ask him where he was yesterday when she was killed.’

Her eyebrows shifted up a fraction. ‘But he was at a New Year’s Eve party. I know that for a fact because I called him to tell him what had happened.’

‘Yes, he’s given us an account of his movements, which we’ll be following up,’ James said. ‘But there was another matter we had to discuss with him concerning a birthday card that he sent to Rachel. And I now need to know if you were aware of it, Miss Chan.’

Her hand flew to her mouth and she spun round to face her boyfriend. ‘My God. What Rachel told me yesterday was true then. You did send her a card with a threatening message inside it.’

Hannigan’s jaw dropped and he quickly reached out to touch her, but she pulled away and gave him a cold, implacable stare. ‘I can’t believe you did that. It’s a horrible thing to have done even if it was her who sent those pictures to the paper.’

There followed another short, frosty silence, and again it fell to James to break it.

‘I think we ought to sit down and talk this through,’ he said. ‘My colleague and I won’t be leaving here until we know exactly what has been going on.’