‘Miss Cardew, may we have a word?’

‘Of course. Do you want to come up to the flat?’

‘I think that might be best.’

She led the way up to the top floor and let him in, one of the constables close behind.

‘Would you like to sit down?’ She pushed the pile of freshly washed towels out of the way and pointed to the sofa. From the window she could see someone out in the back yard, unloading pots and plants and a pile of shiny garden tools from a big wheelbarrow, despite the drizzling rain. ‘Tea?’

‘Tea would be very welcome, thank you. I’m afraid I have news that you may find distressing, so please get yourself a drink too, something a tad stronger if you think you might need it, and then we’ll sit and have a little chat.’

‘A little chat? I’m not sure I like the sound of that.’

‘I’m afraid we recovered a body earlier today, from the railway line.’

‘Oh, no. No!’

‘One of your neighbours …’

Madi could feel herself start to shake, the blood draining from her face until she was sure she was going to faint. It was Suzy, she just knew it. It had to be. Suzy had seemed so troubled, so angry, but she had not expected this. An arrest, maybe, but not this. Never this. Madi closed her eyes and tried hard to control the long, anguished sob that was threatening to burst out from somewhere deep inside her.

‘And in her pocket we found a written confession, I’m afraid. You were the intended victim, as we had feared. Not Miss Harris.’

‘She hated me enough to want to bash me over the head, maybe even kill me?’ Madi’s voice wavered, the tears trickling unbidden down her face. ‘Didn’t she realise I had no idea who she was until yesterday? She was just a child back then. I was young, caught up in a foolish love affair. I didn’t think about anyone else. Who I might be hurting …’ Madi put her head down into her hands and breathed deeply, trying to stop herself from passing out. This was her fault. All her fault. What had happened to Prue, and now to Suzy. ‘Oh, but what about Aaron? That poor boy. Does he know? Has he been told?’

‘Aaron Jones, you mean?’ The officer looked confused. ‘Does he know what, exactly?’

‘That his mother’s dead. She was very upset, I realise that. All alone in that flat a lot of the time, and she was blind, for heaven’s sake. What an awful way to live. And then to have to find out about her father … and me. But she didn’t deserve any of this.’

The inspector put his cup down. ‘Miss Cardew, I’m not sure what you think has happened here, but I can assure you it does not involve Mrs Jones or her son. The neighbour I am referring to, the person who attacked Miss Harris and has now sadly taken her own life, was not Suzy Jones. It was a Miss Emily Parker.’