‘I panicked. I thought I’d be blamed for what had happened. I was worried about Tom coming home and his heart condition if he saw a dead body in his house.’

‘What did you do with Becky’s body?’

‘Tom uses part of the crypt as a storeroom. I got an old suitcase from there and put her in it, then I put the suitcase in the boot of her car.’

‘How did you know which car was hers?’ Jane asked.

‘I took the key out of her coat pocket; it was on a key ring with a miniature 2CV on it.’

‘What did you do with her body and the car?’

‘I waited until it was dark and drove it down to the lake by the woods. I took the handbrake off and pushed the car down the slope into the water.’

‘I thought you were worried about Tom coming home.’

‘I was, but I phoned him at Nick’s. I said I’d nearly finished the wall and asked what time he’d be home. He said he was going to have some supper with Nick so he wouldn’t be back until late.’

‘We found a bleach bottle in one of the outside bins. Did you use it to clean up?’

‘I used a towel first to clean up the blood on the floor, then put it in the case and took it out to the car. When I came back, I used the bleach and some toilet roll to make sure there was no blood left. I flushed it down the toilet and put the bleach bottle in the outside bin.’

‘OK, I need to ask you a few questions about your relationship with Tom.’

Lee nodded.

‘When we first met, I asked you who the man with the dog was. You said you didn’t know him, and then Thomas Durham never mentioned he owned the convent and land. Was there something you were hiding from us?’

‘Tom was mad at me about the discovery of the coffin.’

‘Why was that?’

‘When Tom first bought the property, the chapel and the land it had been deconsecrated so he was OK to start the renovation work. He was exploring the crypt and found the coffin hidden under a tarpaulin with some other old rubbish right at the back. I helped him drag it out to the stairwell area. We suspected there was a body in it but we didn’t open it. Tom said his wife would be upset if she knew there was a dead body in the house and told me to bury it well away from the convent.’

‘Did Tom know he should have informed the diocese?’

‘We both did. Tom was worried the renovation work would have to stop and he’d need to get solicitors involved to apply for some petition thing . . . all of which would cost him more money.’