Seconds later they were back on the sofas. Chan had removed her coat and was sitting next to her boyfriend, but she made sure there was space between them.

James could see she was upset and confused, and that didn’t surprise him. The woman who organised the wedding at which the murder took place was now herself a person of interest. It was an unexpected turn of events and one that needed to be thoroughly examined.

James started the ball rolling while Stevens sat beside him with notebook open and pen poised to take down everything that was said.

‘My first question is for you, Miss Chan,’ James said. ‘You’ve just disclosed the fact that Rachel Elliott confided in you and told you that she’d received a threat from Mr Hannigan. When exactly did this conversation take place?’

Her eyes misted as she began to speak, but despite her obvious nerves her voice was even.

‘It was yesterday lunchtime before the wedding ceremony got under way,’ she said.

‘But you told me earlier that the only time you spoke to her was on the Friday evening,’ James pointed out.

Guilt tugged at her features. ‘I didn’t want you to know about that particular conversation. You see, I wasn’t convinced that what she told me was true and I knew that if I mentioned it to you, it would cause problems for Doug.’

‘Well, now you need to tell us exactly what was said,’ James said.

She coughed to clear her throat before speaking. ‘I was in the main hall checking the tables and Rachel approached me. She was by herself and said she wanted a word in private. My heart jumped because I feared she was going to tell me that she’d heard that I’d been seeing Douglas and that I’d moved in with him. And I was right. She said she’d known for some time.’

‘Had you been under the impression that she wasn’t aware of your relationship with Mr Hannigan?’ James said.

She nodded. ‘I first met Douglas and Rachel when I was asked to coordinate their wedding, which was due to take place at The Fells. When Douglas cancelled after ending their relationship, I wasn’t sure I’d see either of them again. But months later Douglas saw me in a local pub one night. We got talking and one thing led to another, and in no time at all we were a couple. But we both decided early on to keep it fairly quiet, mainly because by then I was involved in preparations for Rachel’s sister’s wedding and I knew it would be awkward for both of us if Rachel knew that I was with her ex. So only a few close friends were told. I have no idea how she found out.’

‘I see,’ James said. ‘And what else did she say to you?’

‘That she had no intention of spoiling Libby’s wedding by making an issue of it. She just wanted me to know what a gutless creature Doug is. Those were her words. It put my back up and I told her that she needed to let it go and move on. And I said it was wrong and childish to have sent those damaging pictures to the paper. She denied she had, but I could tell she was lying. And then she asked me if I knew he’d sent her a birthday card with a threat inside. I told her I didn’t know anything about a card and that I didn’t believe her, but she insisted it was true and said that if he threatened her again, she would go to the police. I was so shocked I didn’t really know what to make of it. I tried to get her to say more, but she walked away and left it at that.’