‘You mean, Janet Cox who attended the book club with Toni Jones?’

‘We think so, sir.’

Barrett nodded, and walked over to the wall that displayed all the information they had gathered about the victim.

‘You said she was found in the water, was she naked?’

‘No, sir, she was clothed.’

‘Any sign of petals?’

‘No, sir.’ Palmer resented having to admit that.

‘Two women, who were members of the same book club, are dead within three days of each other.’ Palmer didn’t interrupt. He knew better than to cut in when the cogs of his boss’s mind were hard at work. Palmer sat quietly, a few chairs away, and waited, knowing instructions would be given soon.

Despite Barrett occasionally being difficult to work with, Palmer had the upmost respect for his superior, and never failed to be impressed by the diligence the man showed with every case.

Barrett stood slowly and cleared his throat, resulting in the room falling instantly silent.

‘I want every single woman who was at that book meeting interviewed immediately. I want to know about their financial situations, their marriages, their children, and their careers. Hell, I want to know their inside leg measurements.’ Palmer stifled a smirk. ‘We go back to basics and start this investigation with new eyes. Somehow, the book club is the link.’

‘Sir,’ Palmer spoke solemnly, ‘is this not now a serial case?’

‘The victims are linked, yes,’ Barrett walked backwards and forwards, thinking, ‘but we don’t know that the killer is. Leave no stone unturned. Double-check every damn piece of information any of those women give you. Someone knows something, and my guess is that one of them is lying.’

‘Sir, Marion Bolton is expected to arrive for an interview at ten.’ Palmer looked up at the clock on the wall, which told them it was 8.30am.

‘Good. We’ll start with her.’ Barrett slipped off his jacket, already feeling the heat from the unusually hot June weather, to signify to the rest of the room that he was definitely ready for work. ‘The rest, I don’t care if they are sitting at the bedside of their dying parents, you haul them in here and dig deep. Palmer,’ he called across the room, ‘I want the forensic report as soon as it comes in.’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘Today, ladies and gents, we break this case.’ His speech was old fashioned and clichéd but it always rallied the troops. They all wanted justice for the victims, but keeping Barrett happy was even more important to some of them, and, being the cantankerous, stubborn man that he was, he didn’t care how the results came, as long as they got them.

15

10am 25 June

Marion arrived at the police station at precisely ten o’clock. She was dressed in her Sunday best and looked as if she might have just come from church.