‘If Nick Durham and Barry May told you Thomas Durham and Lee Holland were long-standing friends, it must have been blatantly obvious they were hiding something from you. Why didn’t you interview them?’ Stanley demanded.

‘At first I thought they were concerned about the discovery of the coffin. I even wondered if they were involved in moving it.’

‘Then why didn’t you bloody well say something?’

‘It seemed absurd to me that they would bury a coffin on land they intended to develop. And even if they had, surely they would have moved it before the digging work began,’ Jane said defensively.

‘Which also suggests Becky Rogers might have been right, and she’s not even a bloody detective!’

‘I was also made aware that Thomas Durham suffers from a heart condition and wasn’t supposed to get involved in any of the new development work. I thought he and Holland might be acting strangely because they didn’t want Nick Durham to know his father was distressed about the discovery of the coffin.’

‘What fucking planet are you on, Jane? If Durham was upset about the coffin, he must have been apoplectic when he read Becky’s article in the News Shopper.’

‘When I met Thomas Durham, he didn’t seem that perturbed about it. He accepted we had a job to do, and the site would have to remain closed.’

‘Be honest, he didn’t have much choice, did he!’

‘I know, but . . .’

Stanley raised his hand. ‘Hang on a minute . . . when did you meet Thomas Durham?’

‘I went to his house at the weekend. He lives in the convent chapel.’

‘Were you there on official business or pleasure?’

‘A bit of both, I suppose,’ she said uncomfortably. ‘Nick Durham showed me round the old chapel and crypt. Thomas came in while I was there. He said there were no coffins in the crypt when he moved in. I didn’t have any reason to doubt him after confirming the chapel and land had been deconsecrated.’

Stanley looked squarely at Jane. ‘What is it with you and Nick Durham?’

Jane looked him in the eye. ‘I’m seeing him . . . we’ve been out to dinner. It’s nothing serious yet, but—’

‘Jesus Christ, this just gets better and better. And there was me thinking it was the priest who was shagging you!’

‘That’s uncalled for!’ she snapped back.

‘If Barnes was still here, you would be out the door with his boot up your backside.’

‘Why? I haven’t revealed anything about our investigation to Nick or Thomas Durham,’ Jane argued.