‘Before she met Matt?’ he said. ‘No. We didn’t.’

‘And after she met him?’

He laughed. ‘No, Ms Wynne. We did not. I am very fond of Annabelle, but we have never been interested in each other in that way.’

Wynne pursed her lips. In her experience, it was near impossible for a boy and a girl and then a man and a woman to be friends for the length of time Guy Sanderson and Annabelle Westbrook had been friends, and for there to be no romantic spark between them.

But she would have to take his word for it.

‘Were you aware of any fan who may have behaved … unusually towards Mrs Westbrook?’ Wynne said.

He made a noise as though he was blowing out his cheeks. ‘I’ve been thinking about that,’ he said. ‘It’s an obvious place to look. But there’s nothing that comes to mind. Really nothing.’

He paused.

‘Could I call you back?’ he said. ‘You’re breaking up. I’ll use my desk phone?’

‘Yes,’ Wynne said. ‘Please do.’

Bumbling plod will see my number and know I’m in London. That’s what I want – establish distance between me and the events that she’s supposed to be investigating.

Although she has no clue what’s going on. I was worried the police might be able to figure it out but they are just as useless as I expected.

Which is great. Everything is going perfectly. It’s almost too easy.

Tap out the number. Let it ring. Here she is.

‘Wynne.’

‘Hi. Thanks for that.’ Pleasant, slightly submissive tone of voice. Make them think you’re harmless. Like I said, too easy.

‘Not a problem. Could you tell me where you were over the weekend, Mr Sanderson?’

She’s looking to see if I have an alibi.

As if I would not have an alibi. What kind of idiot would not have an alibi? I mean, no wonder the police never get anything done. Does she seriously think that someone who could plan and execute this would neglect to give themselves an alibi?

It’s almost insulting.

‘Let me see, I was in the office on Friday, left around four p.m. and went to my lake house.’

‘Your lake house?’

‘Yes. I have place by a lake. Between London and Brighton. I go there often, but this weekend I was there because I had a meeting in Brighton on Saturday morning.’

All true. All verifiable.

I left the office at four. Got to the house at six.

Then I drove the van up to a truck stop. Four long, boring hours.

But necessary. You see, I had decided that this was the weekend I was doing it. I’d been watching them for a while – since the most recent book, when I realized the children weren’t an issue – and the time had come.