Not for the first time, Lindsay marvelled at the power of love. Already Julie seemed conveniently to have forgotten that Laura Craig had only started embezzling her employer because Tom Jack had started blackmailing her. If her need to preserve good memories of her man was so strong, Lindsay was relieved she hadn’t aroused Julie’s wrath by revealing the other secrets of Union Jack’s notebook. Just thinking about some of the things she’d read made rage rise in her like a spring tide. She swallowed and said calmly, “It’s all here, Julie, I promise you. The circumstantial evidence that pointed to murder nine years ago, the details of the blackmail payments, and his record of a confrontation last week between him and his blackmail victim. He was going to blow the lid off the embezzlement scandal, with the killer as scapegoat. Only, the killer was afraid that when the police started digging, they’d find out about the blackmail, and the reason for it. The killer was more willing to kill a second time than face charges of murder. And that’s why Tom was killed.”

“So who was it?” Julie snarled. “Which of those double-dealing bastards killed my Tom? Tell me that!”

“Only if you promise me you’ll leave it to me and the police from here on in. What I propose is to take this notebook to them and tell them what I’ve uncovered. Then we can leave it to them to do the rest,” Lindsay said, getting to her feet.

The next thing she knew, she was flat on her back on the floor, with Julie Jack straddling her and clawing at her hand to get at the notebook. With her other hand, Julie clutched Lindsay’s hair in a tight grip. “Hand it over, you arrogant bitch,” she yelled. “Hand it over or I’ll split your head open.” Sophie moved towards Julie, but the angry widow gave Lindsay’s head a threatening shake in response.

Immediately, Lindsay released the notebook, and Julie released her, letting her head crack on the tiled floor. “You’re not the only one as can read shorthand,” she panted, pushing herself back to her feet. “I’ll ask somebody as knows widows have got rights when it comes to knowing who killed their husbands.”

Desperate to retain some control over the situation, Lindsay pushed herself up on one elbow, trying to ignore the splitting pain in the back of her skull. “It was Laura. Laura Craig, the broadcasting organizer.”

“Julie,” Sophie said softly. “I know this has all come as a hell of a shock. But Lindsay’s right. We should go to the police now. I know she didn’t put it very tactfully, but they’re the ones to handle this.”