‘Toni Jones had been shagging my husband.’ She put up a hand to stop her solicitor, who was about to advise her to remain quiet. ‘I found out about the affair by seeing messages on my husband’s phone. He never was that bright. She texted him to say that since their last meeting she had got pregnant, but that she didn’t want the baby. She said if he ever touched her again she’d go to the police. I didn’t understand what she meant at the time.’ Shirley looked sad for a moment, while Barrett and Palmer felt satisfied. They’d suspected that Toni had owned a separate mobile phone, but they’d never found it or been able to prove it. They knew the messages she had sent Grant would have come from that phone because there was no evidence on her other mobile. ‘I couldn’t have her destroy my life. I’ve put up with that man for too many years to have it fall apart because of a slag like Toni. I decided then and there that she had to be silenced. I waited until I knew she’d had the abortion and then started to plan it all. I didn’t want the abortion to be linked to the murder, so I had to bide my time. My husband may not be the sharpest tool in the box, but I’m no fool.’ Her smile was cold and calculated. ‘On that day, after the book club meeting, I arranged to meet her on Stourbridge Common. I told her I had a problem and needed to speak to a friend. She was so nosy she couldn’t resist. I had it all sorted.’ The memory of her strategy made her smile.

Not wanting to interrupt her confession, but eager to find out the significance of the geranium petals, Barrett cleared his throat.

‘What was the relevance of the petals?’ Palmer leant forward, also keen to hear the answer.

‘Oh, that was clever of me, even if I say so myself.’ Shirley’s eyes sparkled deviously. ‘It was to throw you off. I thought, if I made the scene appear staged and odd, that you might entertain the idea that a serial killer was on the prowl.’

Palmer and Barrett shared a look.

‘It so happens that geraniums, like a lot of flowers, are symbolic – they mean foolishness. I thought it suited her particularly well. I had to try and cover my tracks. I couldn’t have it lead back to me or Grant.’

‘Does your husband know you knew about the affair?’

‘No. He never had a clue.’

‘What did you do with her clothes?’ Palmer asked, looking grave.

‘Burned them.’

‘Why strip her naked?’

‘Same reason. Make it look like something it wasn’t. Also,’ she smiled, ‘I wanted to humiliate her. She deserved nothing less.’

‘What happened when you met on Stourbridge Common?’ Barrett asked.