‘Well, we all met at Marion’s house at six. I’ve told you that there were nine of us that night. The book club is bigger than that but we can’t always all make it.’ She looked down at her deep red sparkly nail varnish.

‘She was already at Marion’s when I arrived,’ Kim reminisced. ‘Babs arrived, then Shirley and Janet. Pauline was next. Amy and Maggie arrived just as Toni was about to storm out. We didn’t even get a chance to talk about the book before it all kicked off.’

Barrett raised an eyebrow. ‘There was an argument?’

‘Yeah. Kind of.’

‘Who was the argument between?’

‘Kind of all of us.’ Kim looked sheepish.

‘Go on,’ Barrett demanded.

‘I dunno. Toni was in a prickly mood. Kept making little comments and I told her to watch her mouth.’ Kim moved in her chair, making the plastic beneath her squeak.

‘I see.’

‘She could be a bitch sometimes. I’d always been there for her and I didn’t get why she was being so harsh. Marion tried to calm everyone down but then I kind of erupted. Janet got involved and she and Toni said some pretty hurtful things to one another. Then I left.’

‘You say she was in a prickly mood, can you describe what you mean?’

‘She was someone who always thought of themselves as proper, do you know what I mean? Like, she thought she was better than other people. Special. She had a big ego, and I guess on that day I wasn’t really in the mood to put up with it.’

‘Was there any reason for that?’ Palmer asked.

‘Not really. She had a go at me about smoking, and obviously didn’t approve that I’d brought a bottle of wine to the book club, even though we always have a few glasses, some of us. I was tired and didn’t need her judging me. I basically told her so. If I’d known that would be the last time I’d see her …’ Her words faded.

‘What time did Toni leave the meeting?’

‘Probably around half six, I guess. After me, so I’ve been told.’

Barrett sat back and looked at Kim. She didn’t look like a killer, and he’d met a few in his time, but he got the feeling that she was holding something back.

‘And where did you go when you left?’

‘I went to see my friend, Dawn. She lives over in Girton. We went to the pub, The George Inn, and then I went back and crashed at her place.’

‘We’ll need the contact details of your friend so we can corroborate your statement. What time did you arrive at her house?’