‘Look, I don’t want you to mention the cards to anyone, Annie,’ he said. ‘We need to keep it to ourselves for now. Charlie’s murder will be enough to put the fear of God into people. Telling them he could be the first of many won’t make them any safer, but it will result in mass hysteria and that’ll hinder the investigation.’

‘But don’t you think that the villagers should know what we know?’

‘All we actually know is that someone scrawled an anonymous threat inside a Christmas card,’ James said. ‘As of this moment we have no idea if it’s connected to what has happened to Charlie. The most likely scenario is that his murder is simply a coincidence.’

‘But what if it isn’t. What if—’

‘Annie, just drop it for now. Please. I need to get this investigation started and then take it one step at a time. It could be that by the end of the day we’re able to identify Charlie’s killer and rule out any connection with the cards.’

Annie drew a tremulous breath and nodded.

‘Okay, fair enough. I’m sorry. I appreciate you’re better equipped to handle this than I am. It’s all so scary.’

‘I know, hon. But I suggest you go home and find something to occupy your mind. I’m going to be tied up all day now.’

‘Very well,’ she said. ‘First I’ll see if I can find Bill. He still hasn’t made an appearance.’

‘Ah, good luck with that. And don’t forget to text me Janet’s details.’

James kissed Annie on the cheek and then headed towards The White Hart. He noticed that Sonia Jenkins was no longer peering out of the upstairs window. She was now standing in front of the entrance and waving at him.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

As James walked towards Sonia, he saw that she was wearing a dark blue dressing gown. Her hair hadn’t been brushed and it exploded from her head in thick brown tangles. It made him wonder if she had only just got out of bed.

‘What’s all the commotion?’ she asked as he approached her. ‘I was expecting carol singing this morning, not a chorus of police sirens.’

‘I’ll tell you about it inside,’ James said. ‘Are you by yourself?’

‘I am at the moment. Beth and Josh, our chef, are due any minute, and I’m guessing my husband is out walking the dog. I just went to the spare room to wake him up, but he wasn’t there and the dog’s gone, too.’

‘So you sleep in separate rooms.’

‘Only when we fall out, which up until now hasn’t been very often. But I can’t imagine sharing a bed with him any time soon.’

They stepped inside, and James pushed the door closed behind them. Sonia walked over to the bar and rested her elbow on it, turning to face him.

‘I appreciate you taking the time to come over and tell me what’s going on,’ she said. ‘I couldn’t get anyone else’s attention.’