‘Really? That bad. The witches out for him, are they?’

‘You can joke, but it does feel a bit like that if I’m honest. The guy’s never actually done anything wrong, has he?’

‘He’s not been caught doing anything wrong, no. But where there’s smoke there’s fire, love. And he stinks of smoke.’

‘Well, I for one think maybe he should be cut some slack. If everyone wound their necks in, let him get on with his life, the village kids would give him a break too. They only play those Knock, Knock games on him because they’ve heard what their parents say about him. It’s the adults at fault. We should be leading by example, not teaching our kids to bully other people.’

‘It’s not bullying, for Christ’s sake!’

‘What would you call it, then?’

‘Keeping our village safe. That’s what I’d call it. You’d think the same way if anything ever happened to any of the kids.’

‘But it hasn’t!’

‘No. Because we’re keeping a close eye.’

Tina raised her hands in defeat. ‘Whatever. But you know, this kind of behaviour might well push him into doing something he wouldn’t have if everyone had just left him alone.’

Chapter Sixty-Four

2019

Anna

Tuesday 16th July

After her mother’s revelation about videoing Eliza and informing social services about the alleged abuse, they’d all sat in silence around the table. As a teacher, Anna had undertaken child safeguarding training to gain awareness of the signs of child abuse and neglect, how to detect them, and what steps they should take if they suspected one of the kids in the school was a victim. Thankfully Anna hadn’t needed to put those steps into action thus far in her career. Her mum had probably done what she thought was the best thing at the time, despite it seeming rash and inappropriate now – it wasn’t as though she’d had any training relating to spotting the signs and the best way to handle suspected abuse.

Now, having decided that it was time for Muriel to see the notes they’d already received, Anna retrieved them from the shed and spread the pieces of paper out on the dining table, flattening each with her palms. The three of them stared downwards, taking them in. Having listened to what her mother had told them, it now seemed obvious to Anna that the notes were aimed at Muriel. She’d been the one instrumental in getting Billy Cawley’s daughter put into care. As much as it was a terrible thought, what Muriel had done could have been the catalyst for what Billy did next: abducting and killing Jonie Hayes. It certainly explained why parts of a doll were now being hammered to her front door. It was some kind of message, a sign that Billy blamed her.

The trouble was, did he now want revenge for it? For taking away the only thing he’d had left in the world?

She wondered how his conviction for Jonie’s murder fitted in with this, though. Was Billy just beginning? He could be working his way through the people he felt had wronged him. In which case, Anna imagined there was a long way to go yet. Next he’d probably want revenge on who he saw as responsible for getting him sent to prison.