“He’s good, isn’t he?” The woman sounded uncertain as she said it. Michael just nodded. “They love hearing him talk, about the countryside, the vital importance of the rural landscape, about freedom from domesticity and the rat race. Some of the stuff he says, makes me wonder… ”

She trailed off again and Michael wondered if she ever did finish a thought out loud. They were closer now to the group, and he found his eyes going to a couple on the edge of the circle; the man had his hand up the woman’s jumper, and she was yawning, not quite paying attention to him. All at once he realized that the girl was looking at them, too, and when she glanced up at him he saw something in her eyes—fear, excitement. The white length of her neck seemed to shine in the morning light, and he felt a powerful surge of emotion toward her; protectiveness and lust, all tied up and tangled. She is the hare that lays down for the teeth, he thought, abruptly dizzy.

“I should go back,” she said doubtfully. “It’s my turn to wash out the breakfast pans.”

“What’s your name?” His voice seemed to come from very far away.

“Colleen,” she said.

CHAPTER

27

THE DOORBELL RANG just as Heather was finishing typing up her notes from the last few days. Standing up, she moved down the hallway as quietly as she could, her eyes rooted to the panel of warped glass in the center of the door. There was a figure standing there, and she was fairly sure it wasn’t Lillian. Feeling half foolish and half sick, she snatched up a heavy wooden ornament from the side table and, holding it to one side, peered out the peephole. The figure outside shifted, and she caught sight of messy sandy hair and an unbuttoned collar.

“DI Parker?”

He looked pained as she opened the door, as though he’d been half hoping she wasn’t home. Smiling sheepishly, he held up a bottle of wine.

“I know. This is all kind of wrong. But it’s been a rough day and …” He shrugged. “If I tell you I looked up your mum’s address now, will that save you throwing me out later?”

“Come in.” Heather stepped to one side, settling the wooden ornament back down on the side table as she did. “You’re bloody lucky, as I ordered takeaway about twenty minutes ago and I habitually order enough for six people. Can you eat three people’s worth of Chinese food?”

“I’d consider it an honor and a challenge.”

Later, when the Chinese food was largely demolished and they had started their second bottle of wine, the conversation had moved inevitably back to the Red Wolf copycat. Parker threw his disposable chopsticks into the plastic carton.

“Another body today. I didn’t tell you, but …” He shrugged. “This is escalating. The original murders took place over the course of several years, but this bastard? Four women in what? Just over a month? We’re sweating bullets over it.”