Her lips parted– oh what a glorious sight. She took a step to the side cautiously, but a definite step towards him.

‘Michael Jones?’ she repeated, softly. ‘Oh my God.’

‘Yes!’ Karl laughed and advanced up the aisle, elation flowing through him – the euphoria was overwhelming and just the sight of her body, her hips, her arms and, underneath her jacket, her breasts heaving as her chest rose and fell, filled him with a surge of energy, an intoxicant he had never felt before. My God, at last!

‘No,’ she said in a small voice, shrinking back towards the altar. ‘Stay away.’

‘I’m not . . . going to hurt you,’ he stuttered. ‘Please! I would never hurt you, Elinor!’

‘You . . . You look so . . . different.’

Karl laughed. ‘Yes! I’ve changed. So have you. You’ve blossomed into a beautiful woman, Elinor.’ He supposed that she was right, although it hadn’t occurred to him as important. He had left the hippy-looking Michael Jones behind a long time ago.

‘I . . . What are you doing here? What do you want?’

He broke out into a run. At last, the work was almost complete and just like in his dreams, only this time he could join her, and Julian. They would be a family.

Elinor had started to back away but his sudden movement towards her had caught her by surprise and she had slipped on the flagstone floor. She screamed before they collided. Karl clattered into her, his weight bringing her crashing to the floor. He felt her little body in his hands, the warmth of her flesh, the smell of her hair. It was exhilarating, enough to drive him to madness.

‘No!’ she wailed, struggling uselessly underneath him, crying and struggling like a trapped animal.

‘It’s OK.’ His breath was short; he could hardly talk but he must comfort her. He must subdue her. She was panicking, gasping for air. He took out the needle from his pocket and flipped off the top. Her face was twisted upwards and her eyes widened when she saw it.

‘Wait—’ she pleaded. ‘Wait!’

‘It’s just a dream, my love. Like the ones you wrote to me about. Just one more little dream.’

He slipped the needle into her neck and squeezed in the ketamine, watching the liquid disappear into her body.

Within minutes, she had stopped thrashing.

Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Priest threw the churchyard gate open and ran up the grass incline, keeping to the shadows and avoiding the pathway. Rowlinson was a few paces behind him, hissing urgently into his phone.

When they reached the front door, Priest stopped. Listened carefully. They had passed the white Mondeo parked on the roadside but it appeared to be empty. There were lights on and a sound of movement from within the church, low murmurings and the faint sound of footsteps. The door was ajar but Priest couldn’t see any further than the porch.

‘Go round the back, Tiff,’ Priest instructed.