Barnes lit another cigarette. ‘I agree . . . but it’s not deep enough yet. I’ve no doubt he’s involved in the nun’s murder, but without a confession we don’t have enough to charge him. If he murdered the nun, he must have got someone to help him move and bury the coffin. If we can find that person and get them to roll over, we’ve got a good chance of convicting Meade.’ He turned to Jane. ‘Any other revelations from the archives?’

‘I obtained a couple of documents confirming the buildings and land were deconsecrated in 1964.’

‘Good, that’s put that issue to bed and should please the developers.’

Jane wondered if she should tell him Thomas Durham and Lee Holland had been acting strangely and might be hiding something that could be connected to the murder, but she decided to hold back until she had some hard evidence.

‘Anything else?’ Barnes asked.

‘Unfortunately, no, as I was escorted off the premises.’

They all looked at Jane, wondering what she’d done.

‘By Meade?’ Barnes asked, taking a sip of his whisky.

‘No, he was in Cambridge. But he’d heard about the News Shopper article and phoned the priest who’s his personal assistant. He must have told him I was in the archives. The priest told me Meade said I had deceived the Church and Archbishop Malone was returning from Rome, so—’

Barnes nearly choked on his whisky. ‘Did you say Malone?’

‘Yes. Andrew Malone is the archbishop of Southwark.’

Barnes wiped the whisky from his chin. ‘Andrew Malone was the name of the priest who took pleasure in beating Stephen black and blue. If it’s him, he will do everything he can to protect Meade and the Church. When’s he due back in London?’

‘I think he’s flying back tomorrow sometime,’ Jane informed him.

Barnes shook his head. ‘We need to act quickly. I want Meade arrested before Malone can get to him.’

Stanley worried Barnes was being impetuous. ‘I don’t want to appear rude, sir, but I suspect Malone has already spoken to Meade. No doubt he will have told him to say nothing until he gets back from Rome. It might be to our advantage to interview Dorton and evaluate the calls we get from the public after the six o’clock news first.’

Barnes frowned. ‘Why?’

‘Like you just said, we haven’t got enough to charge Meade. Arresting him now could be futile. If he made a no-comment interview, we’d have to release him. Julie Dorton may be able to identify Meade as the local priest and confirm he knew our victim. There’s also a chance someone watching the news might call us with more damning evidence. Waiting until the morning to arrest him might be a better option. I can also check what time the first flight from Rome arrives.’