She wasn’t used to having nothing to do and no one to talk to. She didn’t want to keep cleaning the house, and the renovations had been put on hold. She just couldn’t think about what colours to paint the walls, what floors to carpet and whether or not to convert the attic into a bedroom. In order to do the kind of job that would make her mum proud she needed a clear head.

It meant there was nothing to distract her from the nightmare that was engulfing her and everyone else in the village. She kept thinking about Lorna and Charlie, and the message in the card found on Lorna’s body. It confirmed her worst fear that it was the work of a heartless serial killer, and the possibility that she might actually know this person was making her flesh crawl.

She decided to go for a walk and pop into the store for some groceries. Hopefully, James would let her know soon that he’d spoken to her uncle and had satisfied himself that her suspicions about him were totally unfounded. Then she would try to catch up with Bill.

She put on her coat, scarf and gloves, and checked herself in the hallway mirror. She didn’t much like what she saw. Her face was pale and gaunt, and the make-up she’d put on failed to conceal the darkness beneath her eyes.

As soon as she stepped outside, she filled her lungs with draughts of cold air. And she was struck once again by how beautiful the village was when gift-wrapped in snow. It was like an image from a winter holiday brochure. But she doubted that Kirkby Abbey would be a popular destination for tourists for some time to come. It would more than likely become a hotspot for ghouls attracted by its reputation as the location of the infamous Christmas killings.

Annie’s heart raced along with her breath as she trudged through the village. A light snow was falling and the wind was pulling and pushing the upper branches of the trees. It brought back memories of her childhood when the Arctic weather had been something to look forward to. She remembered her parents taking her onto the fells so that she could sled down them. She used to hold onto her father’s hand when they ventured onto frozen lakes and streams. And there was the time her Uncle Bill turned up at the house with a Christmas tree that was so big it had to be trimmed before it would fit through the front door.

Back then, everyone in the village seemed so happy and content and safe. It was the perfect environment in which to raise a family and enjoy life to the full. But Annie had come to realise that things were very different now. So much had changed and not for the better. It was such a crying shame.

Today the streets were quiet, but she saw a few people, including a uniformed police officer and a television news camera crew.