‘I don’t care,’ he said. His face was red, his voice shaky and out of control. ‘I don’t care. I want to know what it says.’

He opened the envelope and took out a single sheet of A4 paper. He held it so they both could see it.

Alice!

Well, the time has come. I’m getting bored and I’ve never been good with boredom. You understand: you’re a bit like me. You like the attention, don’t you?

I have to say – I don’t like it, Alice. I don’t like that you’re becoming the story. That article is all about you! All about the cat and mouse game you are playing with me.

I rather think it’s the other way around, Alice. Without me you’re nothing! Another small town scribbler, no more, no less.

I have a plan for you, though. I’ll let you know later what it is. I don’t want anything to spoil today.

Today is my day.

I had to work a bit harder for this one. Look a bit further afield. People are nervous. Delicious, isn’t it? The fear? You can taste it. All those people living in terror because of me. They’re more likely to die in a car wreck than at my hands, but still they fear me.

Can you imagine how it feels to control the population of an entire town like that? To know that you are the chess master, moving the pieces as you see fit? No one has a clue who I am. I could vanish if I wanted, never to be caught.

Maybe I will. But not now. This is too much fun. It makes me feel so alive!

So yes, this one took extra work, but I found her. What was she doing out in the small hours? I’ll never know. I’m sure she has a story, but it doesn’t matter to me.

What matters is the expression in her eyes as she realized what was about to happen, the sensation of her skull as it splintered, the soft sigh as she slumped to the ground and breathed her last.

I stayed with her body for ten minutes, Alice. It was a risk, but it was worth it. I stayed there and admired what I had done.

But enough of that: like I said, I have plans for you. On my chess board you are a rook. An important piece. A powerful piece, in the right situations. But a piece that only knows how to move in straight lines.

And that will be your downfall, Alice

Yours, etc

‘My God,’ Tom said. ‘I feel sick, Alice. This is so twisted.’

‘I know,’ Alice said. ‘This is’ – she paused, and held his gaze – ‘this is pretty out there.’

Her phone was in her hand. It started to ring and she glanced at the screen.

‘It’s Nadia,’ she said.