‘I think it does,’ she said. ‘And, Mrs O’Loughlin, while I appreciate this is very difficult for you and you have my abject sympathy, I think the police are letting the investigation down by keeping the information they have silent. People need to know what they’re dealing with. You’ve a right to know what’s really going on.’

I couldn’t deny it – she’d piqued my curiosity. I felt the weight of anxiety that had been hanging over me these last few days grow even heavier. Whatever she was going to tell me, it wasn’t going to be pleasant, but I felt I needed to know it all the same.

‘And you know, do you? All that’s really going on?’

‘I have sources,’ she said, her expression serious. ‘I’m not at liberty to reveal who they are, of course, but they’re reliable and I have no reason to doubt them. But if you really do doubt me, I can show you that at least some of what I’m about to tell you is very easily accessible online.’

I raised an eyebrow. Ingrid put down her pen and sat back in her seat.

‘Four other arrangements similar to yours were delivered on Saturday morning,’ she said. ‘One was left at the roadside, at the spot where you found Clare Taylor.’

I felt a shiver run up my spine.

‘Two others were delivered to friends of Clare Taylor. The fourth to the Taylor family at their home address. My source hasn’t been able to tell me the exact contents of the messages they received, but they were suspect enough in nature that the police seized both the arrangements and the cards and have been running forensic tests on them – trying to find fingerprints, et cetera.

‘They believe these might be messages from the person responsible for Clare’s death. They’ve not ruled out that this monster may strike again, Elizabeth, which is why I think it’s unconscionable that the police aren’t warning people about them’

Clare’s last words ran through my head again: ‘Warn them’. I shivered. What Ingrid was telling me was ringing true and that scared me, but not all of it made sense. Why involve my daughter? Unless that was intended as a threat towards me? Was I in danger, too? I felt myself tense.

‘It makes no sense, though, to involve Laura in this. Is that supposed to be a threat to me? I don’t understand.’

‘It could be that it’s some sort of muted threat to you, but I think that’s overlooking a more obvious link to Laura.’

‘Which is?’

‘Well, how about you tell me Clare’s last words first?’ she said, raising her eyebrow again and brushing her hair behind her ear.

This was a game to her and she had me in a position where I couldn’t back out. I needed to know.