‘It actually started between Shirley and Amy.’ Maggie was cautious not to land her friend in any trouble and chose her words carefully. ‘They used to get on really well, Shirl and Amy, but things had got a bit sour between them recently. Shirl just suddenly seemed to turn on Amy. None of us really knew why, but I think it was jealousy. Shirl envies the life that Amy is carving out for herself. That’s what I think anyway.’ Maggie folded her arms across her chest. ‘It is sad, really. Can’t be nice always wanting what someone else has. Must make her unhappy.’

‘Was Janet Cox involved in this argument at all?’

‘Yeah. Those two are, sorry, were, as thick as thieves. Janet was like Shirl’s skinny shadow,’ Maggie chuckled. ‘Like Laurel and Hardy.’ She smiled again, before realising she was speaking ill of the dead. ‘Well, anyway, they were really good mates, Shirl and Janet, so when Amy and Shirl argued, Janet got involved and said her piece. She had a venomous tongue that one.’

‘I see.’ Barrett jotted something down in his notepad, but to Maggie’s frustration, and despite her best efforts to look, she couldn’t see what.

‘Anyway, it had been headed that way for months. There was a lot of tension in the group. I don’t suppose it will survive now that …’ She didn’t finish her sentence.

‘Can you think of any reason why someone would want to harm either Janet or Toni?’ Palmer knew it was unlikely that Maggie would have the answers, but he watched as she cocked her head to one side, ran her hand through her silvery purple hair, and thought about it.

‘There was a lot of bad feeling among members of the book club. No point pretending there wasn’t, but nothing that was anything more than a bit of bitching and a few strained friendships.’ She shrugged, but then appeared to remember something. ‘Is it true you arrested Pauline?’ Maggie’s eyes twinkled.

‘Mrs Robinson,’ Palmer cleared his throat, ‘was helping us with our enquiries for a time.’

‘So you did! Well, well, butter-wouldn’t-melt Pauline, who’d have thought it.’ She seemed to be enjoying herself.

‘We are no longer pursuing that line of investigation,’ Palmer said, putting her straight, not wanting any unnecessary gossip to be spread.

‘Fair enough. Do you think the deaths are linked? I mean, is someone targeting the book club? Should I be worried?’ Maggie suddenly appeared much less sure of herself.

‘We are investigating every possibility but, as far as we are concerned, there is no cause for alarm. Of course, we would advise everyone to be extra vigilant at the moment until the culprit—’

‘Or culprits,’ Barrett interjected.

‘Or culprits,’ Palmer repeated, ‘have been caught.’