‘God damn it.’ Barrett slammed his fists down on his desk. ‘Every avenue seems to lead to a dead end. When will there be a break in this bloody case? I’ve got the superintendent breathing down my neck.’

‘We’ll get there, sir,’ Palmer tried to soothe his boss, knowing they were all feeling the pressure, ‘it’s just a matter of time.’

‘Let’s just hope another woman doesn’t show up dead before we do “get there”,’ Barrett said, dismissing Palmer with a wave of his hand.

‘Perhaps the interview with Shirley Grubb will give us more information,’ Palmer said, standing in the doorway, preparing to close the door behind him. ‘I mean, if she knew her husband had had an affair, that would be a motive right there.’

‘I disagree,’ Barrett said woefully. ‘Why kill a woman your husband used to sleep with? Why wait all this time? No, I don’t think Shirley Grubb is our killer, but she may prove helpful yet.’

‘Yes, sir,’ Palmer said, sighing as he left the room. He was used to having Barrett shut down his ideas, but he still hadn’t got used to it. One thing he did know was that his theory about a serial killer being on the loose wasn’t too far wrong. Now two women were dead, and Barrett’s words about another body showing up were ringing in his ears.

19

3pm 27 June

Amy was relieved when she received an email from Marion suggesting that the book club be cancelled until further notice. She’d decided that she no longer wished to attend, but hadn’t got around to letting them all know and this saved her that hassle. From what she could gather, a number of the women were disappointed it was going to be cancelled. Reading the email thread, she could see that Barbara and Pauline in particular had voiced their sadness. Amy knew how much it meant, especially to Barbara, and hoped that Marion would still agree to meet her so she had some company other than her cats.

Amy had been on the phone to Maggie recently, who had suggested putting together a collection for Janet’s son. Despite the fact she had little time for Janet, Amy was not a bad person, and she agreed to donate a reasonable amount of money, stating there was more where it had come from, if needed.

As she sat in her living room with the shutters fastened, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the cool air being circulated by the large fan she had set up in the corner. She was not enjoying being pregnant in the heat one bit, even less so since waking up to discover a strange note had been pushed under her door.

On a strip of white printer paper, which had been folded in two, there were only two typed words: YOU’RE NEXT.