THE stalemate in Evelyn and Robert Lund's relationship was typified by their last conversation.

Evelyn, 52, rang her husband from her friend Marianne Ramsey's home on December 29, 1999 - the last day she was seen alive - after the couple had fallen out.

But in the aftermath of the row all they actually said to each other in the abrupt call was: "Well?"

Robert believes Evelyn was expecting him to apologise for saying earlier that he hoped she wasn't going to get drunk on New Year's Eve.

But there was no apology.

Robert struggles to remember what he did that day, describing it as a "day like any other".

But it was that conversation which Robert said convinced him his wife was safe - and why he waited three days until the start of the new millennium before he reported her missing.

The couple's relationship had been deteriorating for months and she had become depressed.

She felt isolated from her family and was facing the yawning gap between the romantic dream of a retirement in France and what she perceived as the dreary reality at their secluded farmhouse near Raysaac.

According to Robert she spent the majority of Christmas day in bed. The couple had not bought each other gifts.

"It was her first husband's birthday at Christmas, which didn't dawn on me for ages. She only went to bed at 4am on Christmas Eve after phoning everyone up."

The area was struck by a debilitating storm on December 26, which left the farmhouse without electricity and telephone contact.

On the morning of December 29, Evelyn had tended to the vegetable patch.

He added: "The postman was in the yard, but when Evelyn asked if we were inviting him up for a drink, I said no.

"But she seemed sorry as if she had realised things had got to such a low level that she needed to do something about it."

And he challenged her about how she would behave on a planned New Year's Eve meeting with a couple who lived near by - their friends Sigaro and her partner Paul.

His last face-to-face words to his wife were: "I hope this New Year's Eve you are not going to get p***** out of your brains again. That was the end," he said.

"I regret being so crude and I still feel guilty that I wasn't able to help more," he said.

Evelyn left the house in slippers and the clothes on her back. She grabbed her cigarettes but left her handbag.

She turned up at her friend Marianne's house in Lombers - about a 40-minute drive away - at about 1.45pm. The friends had not been in contact since November.

"I was in the kitchen cooking," said Marianne.

"I remember it was a late lunch because we had been to Ralmont market. She suddenly burst through the side door absolutely completely hysterical.

"She was so hysterical I couldn't understand a word she was saying. I was completely stunned. The only thing I could get out of her was that she had left her Toyota outside the gates.

"It was a totally freezing day but she had no coat and was wearing indoor slippers. We just tried to find out what on earth had happened.

"Bit by bit we managed to calm her down. She said she had had the most blazing row with Robert and he had said she was going to ruin New Year."

Alan and Marianne helped prepare home made fish and chips for lunch and then suggested their usual siesta. Marianne showed Evelyn to one of the spare rooms and left her.

The guest bed was never slept in. The last contact Evelyn left was a scribbled note saying "gone to feed the animals" signed 'love E'.