Barnes rubbed his chin. ‘We still need to confirm it, and trace Sister Margaret.’ He looked at his watch. ‘Boon, go and phone the hospice and see if you can get hold of Sister Suzanne. Tell her you spoke with Julie Dorton. Confirm Mother Superior’s death and see if she knows where Sister Margaret is. Also, ask if someone from the team can interview her tomorrow.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Boon said. He quickly left the office.

‘This case is a real can of worms,’ Barnes said. ‘The diocese will close ranks. They’ll speak to us, but they will lie through their teeth to protect their own and the reputation of the Church.’

After the meeting, Jane spoke privately with Stanley in the squad room. She asked him what was happening about searching the convent grounds and development site for other bodies. He told her that Barnes had spoken with Richard Eaves, the anthropologist, and sought his advice about looking for buried bodies.

‘What did Eaves say?’ Jane asked.

‘He’s going to speak with the university archaeology department. Apparently, they’ve got some new-fangled machine called a ground penetrating radar that looks for underground anomalies.’

‘Can it find human bodies?’

Stanley shrugged. ‘They’ve never used it for that, but they’re willing to give it a try. To be honest, I just think he’s going through the motions to cover his back, since we’ve not a shred of evidence any children or other nuns were murdered.’

‘Did they say how long it will take?’ Jane asked, thinking of Nick’s predicament.

‘A week or two. If they find nothing, then I guess the building work can recommence.’

When Stanley was out of earshot, Jane picked up a phone and dialled Nick’s office. There was no answer, so she tried his home phone.

‘Hi, it’s me. I’ve got a bit of good news for you. You might be able to reopen the site in a week or two.’

‘I’ll believe that when it happens,’ he replied dismissively. ‘My father just called. He’s not feeling well, so I need to go.’

‘Have I done something to upset you?’ Jane asked anxiously.

‘I don’t know, have you?’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Nothing. I’m really stressed at the moment. I’ll speak to you tomorrow.’ Nick put the phone down.

Jane wondered what on earth was bothering Nick. If he was having second thoughts about their relationship, she’d rather he be honest and say so. She racked her brain thinking of what she might have said or done to upset him, but nothing came to mind. She couldn’t go on like this, however: she had to talk to him face to face to find out what was going on.

Barnes walked into the squad room with a wad of information forms, which he handed to the civilian indexers.