‘I was,’ she replied wistfully. The men didn’t grasp what she meant. ‘I mean, yes,’ she said, with an apologetic look.

‘We understand that you are a member of the book club that both Janet Cox and Toni Jones were members of, is that right?’

‘It is.’ With her left hand, she held the edge of the door, her right was rested on her bump. Palmer noticed that her protruding belly button could be seen through her thin white top.

‘May we come in?’

‘Sure. I wasn’t expecting anyone so the place isn’t very tidy.’ She tucked a loose piece of dark hair behind her ear and Barrett noticed a tan mark where a wedding ring should have been.

‘We aren’t here to judge the state of your home,’ Palmer said kindly, as he followed her into the living room. On either side of the Victorian fireplace there were shelves stuffed with books. The room had a mix of vintage and modern furniture and Palmer noticed how different it was to the homes of the other book club members they had visited. It reminded him more of the kind of home you found in the trendy parts of London. Shabby chic was the description that sprung to his mind.

Amy curled up in a faded velvet armchair while both officers sat on the brown leather sofa.

‘It’s awful what’s happened to those women. Makes me shudder every time I think about it.’ Amy chewed her fingernail.

‘How well did you know them?’ Barrett noticed a painting on the wall that he liked.

‘Outside of the book club we didn’t spend much time together. Apart from the books, I didn’t have a lot in common with either Janet or Toni.’ Ain’t that the truth, Palmer thought to himself. ‘I got on well with Toni at first, but never really Janet. It didn’t seem to matter though. We weren’t all there to be best friends. We just got together to talk about what we liked reading and share our opinions.’ Amy looked over at a vase of irises that were dying. They were a present from Johnny on his return from London. She’d been meaning to throw them out.

Both Barrett and Palmer noticed the sad look on her face and wondered what the cause was.

‘So, you wouldn’t say you got on very well with Janet Cox?’

‘No, I wouldn’t.’ Her blue eyes looked at him and Barrett felt the blood rush to his checks.

‘Why is that?’

‘She was a snake. Rude and untrustworthy. Is that reason enough?’ Palmer put his hand over his mouth to conceal a smile.

‘Where were you on the night she was murdered?’ Barrett fired back, determined not to be intimidated by the pregnant woman who showed no fear.