And Anna was certain she was not watching Billy Cawley at her door.

She rewound the footage and watched again, and again.

It was a woman, she was sure.

Had Muriel been right all along? Was it Eliza Cawley – Lizzie?

The woman had reached up quite high to pin the body to the door. Maybe that would indicate how tall she was.

Anna rushed down the stairs and flung the door open, revealing the torso. Polly’s torso. It had only been attached with a large pin, no nail this time. To ensure she and Muriel couldn’t hear her this time? Had the unidentified woman seen, or known, about the camera too?

‘I’ve checked the camera footage, Mum.’ Anna walked into the lounge, the torso in her hand.

‘And?’ Muriel turned and her face fell as she noticed what Anna was holding. ‘Oh.’

‘It’s a woman. It’s not Billy doing this to you.’

Muriel seemed to shrink a little. Relief relaxed her face. ‘That’s something. But why? Why is a woman doing this? Unless I was right, that Lizzie can’t be trusted, that it’s her and she’s the one who wanted revenge for her dad.’

‘It’s a possibility. We have to work on the assumption it is her for now, I think. She did seem particularly upset at finding out how you and Nell had recorded her confession. And she was very keen on pushing the attention onto Tina.’

‘Tina? How come? You never told me that.’

‘Only just happened, I haven’t had a chance to discuss it with you. Lizzie thinks there’s some kind of Stepford wives thing going on in Mapledon – that the monthly meetings the women had were in some way the key to the bad goings-on in the village. Key to getting her father put into prison.’

‘That’s absurd,’ Muriel said. ‘The more you say, the more I’m certain it’s her. She’s a very damaged young woman, Anna. You need to be careful there.’

‘I will. Anyway, let’s see what this torso has for us.’ Anna pushed two fingers inside the hollow – through the hole where a leg should go – and pulled out a piece of folded paper. She was about to put the body on the table, when something else caught her eye. ‘There’s something else in this one.’

‘Oh, now what?’ Muriel sounded deflated.

Anna had expected something in addition to the doll’s body, something significant being that it was the anniversary, but still she felt a surge of panic. Her fingers shook as she grasped the small, round item and pulled it clear. She stared at the cloth-covered ball sitting in the palm of her hand.

‘Open it,’ Muriel said. Her voice had lost all power. She was scared. Which scared Anna.

She carefully unravelled the small parcel. Anna sucked in her breath as she realised what she was holding.

‘Shit!’ Anna breathed. Muriel didn’t chastise her language use. Anna sensed she was thinking the same. ‘How? Why?’ Anna couldn’t order her thoughts.