In January 1986, a Lake District hotelier was murdered in her hotel. Cumbria police quickly identified a suspect, but they had no evidence and no idea where he was. But the killer had left behind clues, one of which would inextricably link him to the murder. This is the story of how the police made that vital connection.

In August 1986 a dismembered body was discovered by a passing motorist on the edge of Ashdown Forest in Sussex. Eight weeks later police received a letter reporting a woman missing. Could she be linked to the body in the forest and would the letter lead to her murderer?