James nodded. ‘There’s a good chance he does, Father. There’s no doubt in our minds that he’s local and appears to have his finger on the pulse of the community.’

‘Why are you so sure that this isn’t the work of a woman? You’re always referring to the killer as a man.’

‘We’re basing that on experience and on what little evidence we have,’ James said. ‘But there is an outside chance that we could be wrong, and for that reason our list of potential suspects includes both men and women.’

‘That’s good to know,’ the priest said.

‘There’s one other thing before we go, Father. As always, please don’t mention this to anyone else.’

The priest put a finger to his lips. ‘You have my word, Detective Walker. But if there is another victim out there then I would ask you to let me know as soon as possible so that I can pray for his or her soul.’

‘It’s a deal,’ James said.

James got an unwelcome surprise when he arrived at the village hall. Three of the seven uniformed officers who had worked through the night had departed for home several hours ago, their replacements had been diverted to the M6 to help handle the pile-up, and the two detectives who had been part of the team yesterday were having trouble reaching the village.

DC Abbott put in a quick call to control to find out how bad the situation was on the roads and the news added to James’s woes.

‘The snow is causing havoc,’ she said. ‘A lot of the minor roads are blocked and there’s monumental congestion.’

‘Any updates on the motorway accident?’

‘The death toll remains at three, but six people have been taken to hospital. And some drivers are waiting to be cut out of wrecked vehicles. It sounds horrendous, guv.’

James called what remained of the team together and broke the news about the latest card. Inspector Boyd informed him that in spite of the snow his officers had carried out patrols throughout the night, but they hadn’t come across anyone on the streets.

‘If the message in the card is to be believed, there’s been a third murder,’ he said. ‘We’ve still got one patrol car at our disposal and four officers. So, let’s get out there and start looking around. Meanwhile, I’ll brief the boss in Kendal. If there is another body then we’ll need more help.’

James called DCI Tanner, who had only just arrived at the station. He responded to the news about the latest card with a long, heavy silence.

‘So far there’s no word of a body turning up,’ James said. ‘But my gut is telling me that it’s only a matter of time.’

‘This is all we fucking need,’ Tanner said, breaking his silence. ‘It never rains but it pours.’

‘Always the way, sir. But we’re going to need more help here, and fast.’

He told Tanner about the officers who’d been diverted to the M6 and the detectives who were struggling to get in.