James told him what they knew, including the fact that they believed his mother was killed by the same person who murdered Charlie Jenkins.

Drake just stared at James, his eyes glistening, as his mind struggled to process what he was hearing.

Then he said, ‘So that means her death could have been avoided if you had made it known that you were hunting a serial killer. Mum would surely have been more careful.’

‘But we didn’t know, Mr Drake,’ James said. ‘We thought and hoped that the first murder was a one-off.’

‘So what makes you so sure that Mum was the victim of the same killer?’

‘There are various reasons, Mr Drake, including the fact that in both cases the murder weapon was a knife. I’ll disclose more information to you about the circumstances of your mother’s death when I am able. In the meantime, I’m afraid we can’t let you enter the house just yet. I can tell you that some of your mother’s personal possessions have been taken away to be analysed. Among them is a small suitcase containing various files and documents. I’ll get it to you as soon as we’ve finished with it.’

Drake nodded. ‘I know about the case, Inspector. Mum told my wife and I that when she died, we should look through it because it held all her personal stuff, including her will.’

‘And did she also mention a sealed envelope that contained a secret she’d kept for the past ten years?’ James asked delicately.

Drake knotted his brow. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’

James drew in a chest full of air and told him about his mother’s confession.

Drake’s eyes went saucer-wide and his mouth sagged open in disbelief.

‘She never told me about any hit-and-run,’ he said after a beat. ‘Are you sure that she wrote it? Mum would never have done something like that. And she was always telling me not to drink and drive.’

‘We’re one hundred per cent sure that your mother wrote it,’ James said. ‘It was a clear confession and she signed it. On the envelope were instructions to open it in the event of her death.’

Unable to speak, Drake raked both hands through his hair and squeezed his eyes shut.

‘That has to be why Lorna had such a hard time enjoying life,’ Father Silver said. ‘She must have been struggling to cope with the guilt for all those years. It ate away at her.’

‘So you didn’t know about it either, Father,’ James said.

The priest shook his head. ‘I wish I had. I would have tried to help her. I told you before that I thought she was probably troubled by something that happened in the past. But she would never talk about it.’

Drake opened his eyes and said, ‘I remember now how Mum started to withdraw into herself. It was just before she moved here and that was ten years ago. She began having mood swings and we thought it was because she wasn’t happy about being single. I tried to get her to open up but she kept saying it was probably the menopause. After she moved I didn’t see as much of her. When we did get together, she seemed okay. But I could always tell she was making a big effort for our benefit.’