Stanley nodded. ‘For what it’s worth, I hope we’re wrong – not just for Becky’s sake, but yours as well.’

There was a knock on the door and Boon entered holding some papers. He looked at Jane.

‘These were just faxed over from the diocesan archivist.’

She looked through them. ‘There’s a document headed “Durham Building Company Ltd”, giving a quote for repair work to the chapel roof. There’s also an invoice for the work done, both signed by Thomas Durham and dated a year before Melissa went missing. There are other quotes and invoices from the same company for repair work over a two-year period . . . again before Melissa went missing. There’s also a report on the fire damage and an estimated cost of repair to the buildings.’

‘Jesus Christ! If he did all this work on the convent back then and kept quiet about it, he’s also a potential suspect for Melissa’s murder!’ Stanley exclaimed.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The magistrate asked a few questions about the investigation, signed the warrant and Jane returned to the incident room shortly after the six o’clock news broadcast about Becky Rogers’ disappearance.

Once again the detectives were busy on the phones, gathering information from members of the public who had called in. Jane noticed Lloyd Johnson putting up some photographs of the foxglove seeds and silver birch slivers on the wall.

‘How’s it going?’ she asked him.

‘I was at the convent earlier with the fire investigator,’ he said. ‘You were right about it being arson. It’s bloody amazing what they can tell from burnt-out buildings, even years later. He could tell from the burn damage where it started and how it tracked from one building to the next.’

‘So where and how did it start?’ Jane asked.

‘In the bakery. The fire investigator examined a rusty old paraffin heater which was still in there. The screwcap on the oil container was missing and there were three separate seats of fire in the bakery. He reckons whoever committed the arson poured the oil out in three locations then set light to each one individually.’

‘Thanks, Lloyd. It’s good to know I got something right.’

‘You seem a bit down . . . something up?’

‘Stanley’s pissed off with me.’

‘What have you done now?’ Lloyd asked.

Jane sighed. ‘It’s a long story. I’ll tell you later.’

*

Jane knocked on Stanley’s door and went in.

‘Any sightings of Becky?’ she asked apprehensively and showed him the search warrant.

Stanley nodded. ‘It looks like she went to the convent on Tuesday afternoon. An elderly couple who live in one of the flats phoned in. They were on their way out at a quarter past two when they saw a young woman getting out of a red Citroën 2CV near the main entrance. The description matches Becky and the clothing fits with what her colleagues say she wore to work on Tuesday.’