‘I don’t know who murdered her, but I pray you will find the answers you seek.’

*

Returning to Orpington, Jane went straight to Stanley.

‘How’d it go with the priest?’ he asked.

‘Meade was with him during the time frame Becky went missing. Bottom line is, we were wrong about Meade being involved in Becky’s disappearance. If she was following up on a lead, it was with someone else.’

‘Was there anything in her notebook that might help us?’ Stanley asked.

‘I haven’t had a chance to go through it yet. I’d just started when I got the fax through from BT. I’ll go and do it now.’

Jane opened the notebook and decided it was best to work backwards from the last shorthand entry Becky had made.

Thomas Durham – developer – bought convent – was land and chapel deconsecrated? – did Durham bribe Meade to say it was to council planners? – did dead nun know? – tunnel under chapel – coffin found near it – maybe used to move coffin unnoticed?

After transcribing the last entry, Jane checked the rest of the notebook for anything that might help trace Becky’s last movements. But there was nothing beyond the mention of Thomas Durham and the tunnel. Jane looked over to Boon who was sitting opposite typing a report.

‘Did you tell Becky Rogers about the tunnel at the convent?’

‘Not . . . that I recall,’ he replied hesitantly.

‘Read this and explain to me how you think she knew about it,’ Jane said, handing him the transcript.

He licked his lips as he read it, then handed it back to Jane.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, unable to look her in the eye.

‘Please, Boony, don’t dig a big hole for yourself by lying to me,’ she said.

Boon sighed. ‘We were talking about Meade being a suspect. I let slip there was a tunnel, and the coffin was found near it. She asked if I’d checked out the tunnel, and I said no.’

‘What about her interest in Thomas Durham? Did you tell her about him?’

Boon looked offended. ‘No. Becky said she’d made her own inquiries about the history of the convent, the fire and the sale to Thomas Durham.’

‘Did she say where?’

‘No, but it was probably at the Bromley planning department. Becky reckoned something dodgy might have gone on between Meade and Durham over the sale of the convent. She thought Sister Melissa might have been killed because she found out about it. I told her Durham bought the land after the nuns had left, so it would be stupid of him to bury the coffin on land he was going to build on.’

‘Did she agree with you?’