On the way back to my cabin, I passed the gym – a place I should have been frequenting as Hilary, having bought myself a new baby pink Adidas tracksuit that made me look like a pig in armour. I lingered by the door. There was no one in there – the ship had left dock, bound for Valencia, and most passengers were at dinner. Sky News flickered on the end TV.

There was a picture of my face on the screen. And on the tickertape:

HUNT FOR FARM SHOP KILLER: LEWIS HAS LEFT THE COUNTRY

I clicked the door open and went inside, stepping up on a treadmill.

Cue grainy CCTV shot of me striding across the farm shop car park with Sandra Huggins’ blood dripping from my hands. They’d made the connection. I was officially a wanted woman. Cue serious-faced newsreader with severe eyebrows and ladybird brooch. I checked no one was around and turned up the volume on the middle TV.

‘Avon and Somerset police are still hunting for 28-year-old Rhiannon Lewis, the prime suspect in the murder of Jane Richie before New Year. The force today released new CCTV images of Lewis calmly leaving the farm shop on the A30 near Monk’s Bay after murdering the 48-year-old shop assistant. It is now believed Lewis had given birth earlier that day, and it is feared the baby has come to harm as well.

Detective Inspector Nnedi Géricault from the Major Crime Investigation Unit in Bristol believes Lewis has left the country…’

I clicked on my treadmill. I started walking.

‘Someone out there knows Rhiannon Lewis’s whereabouts and we believe she did have connections in the criminal underworld through her late father Tommy Lewis, a known villain in the South-West in the 1990s. Early indications suggest that she has left the country. We are following every possible lead.’

Liar. She knew who Jane Richie was – the alter ego of Sandra Huggins, paedo nursery nurse extraordinaire. She knew exactly why I’d done it. I pushed up the speedometer and walked faster.

‘Does this twist in the investigation mean a possible exoneration for Craig Wilkins, who is on remand charged with five murders?’

‘We aren’t ruling anything out.’

‘Given the possibility that Lewis herself carried out Wilkins’ crimes, and that three victims were sexual deviants, was there a similar motive in Jane Richie’s murder? And can you tell us anything about Lewis’s baby yet?’

Suddenly I was running.

‘Someone has been murdered. We need to focus on finding the culprit before she can hurt anyone else. That is our priority. Regarding the baby, we believe that the child was born before Lewis left the UK and we remain concerned for the child’s safety. That’s all I can say about that at this time.’

‘DI Géricault, thank you for your time.’